With the winding up of the Bushfire CRC, and the ramping up of the new CRC, the end user sector is building its capability in the utilisation of the research. This has allowed for a renewed focus on the adoption of Bushfire CRC research outputs, and the development of a capability to support industry readiness for emerging research.
Funds for a three year plan of research utilisation activities have been allocated to the Bushfire CRC Trust and a Memorandum of Understanding between the Bushfire CRC and AFAC has been signed regarding the delivery of research utilisation by AFAC. It states that research utilisation function must address:
Creating high quality products to support utilisation
Supporting agencies to make the research meaningful in their context
Building of research utilisation capacity and capability within end user agencies
Nurturing of a responsive and learning culture within end user agencies.
The leadership and management of the research utilisation function is the core responsibility of Dr Noreen Krusel, who has transferred from the Bushfire CRC to AFAC.
The focus for the next few months is to complete the communication and awareness of the final Bushfire CRC research through the Research to Drive Change webinar forums, which are open to everyone - http://www.bushfirecrc.com/drivechange. These forums are supported by the production of Fire Notes and publication of final project reports – all of which are being lodged onto the Bushfire CRC website as a legacy.
In November the Knowledge Management Network will be hosting a workshop with a view to sharing agency initiatives and drawing on experience to develop Good Practice guidance in research utilisation.