The Innovative Manufacturing CRC’s time is coming to an end after six years of extraordinary work for Australian manufacturing. Manufacturers’ Monthly reviews the CRC’s journey and outlooks for the future of Australia’s manufacturing SMEs and the broader ecosystem.

Introduced by the Australian government in 1990, the Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Program has been a success story. By bringing industry and research organisations together to collaborate, the program focuses on research applications that help solve real-world problems and improve the competitiveness, productivity and sustainability of Australian industry.

Under this umbrella, the Innovative Manufacturing CRC (IMCRC) was established. Its mission was to catalyse investment between Australian manufacturers, universities and government to deliver research and commercial outcomes for participating businesses, and more broadly, to transform Australia’s wider manufacturing and innovation ecosystem.

By purposefully investing $34 million of Commonwealth and other funding in 71 research and development (R&D) projects, IMCRC has helped to catalyse more than $230 million investment in smart manufacturing research and innovation.