Professor Dugald Close and his colleagues at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) have established a broad suite of successful and highly effective collaborations between their long-term industry partners and their HDR candidates.

Realising that any such relationship must be mutually beneficial, the TIA team maintains a strong focus on developing the employability skills of their candidates whilst also delivering value and addressing priorities areas for their industry partners.

14 TIA HDR candidates have partnered with and been supported by individual or consortia of horticultural companies to undertake research projects that provide tangible outcomes and immediate impact for the agriculture in Tasmania and beyond. The group obtains significant funding from industry due, in part, to the value provided by the graduate research candidates. In turn, the candidates are supported throughout their graduate research programs in a variety of ways to hone their skills in team work, project management, workplace protocols and safety, especially to develop wide and enduring professional networks.

Professor Close believes that building trust between all parties is key to successful industry engagement and works assiduously to ensure that co-design, mutual commitment and effective communication are at the core of each and every partnership.

Special Commendations:

• Associate Professor Melissa Crowe, James Cook University
• Professor Graham Currie, Monash University