The NSW Department of Primary Industries is the largest provider of research within the NSW Government. NSW DPI’s pre-eminence is due significantly to partnership investment from research and development corporations and Cooperative Research Centres, from individual farmers, fishers and foresters and their industry organisations, from universities and other government agencies, and from community organisations such as catchment management authorities.

NSW DPI’s science and research pre-eminence also relies on the high quality of its research, reflected by the Institute for Scientific Information 2004 ranking of NSW DPI in the top 1 per cent of world research institutes for agricultural science and plant and animal science.

The purpose of this strategy is to outline NSW DPI’s research priorities for the next three years, together with strategies and performance indicators to address those priorities. The Strategy has been developed following extensive consultation, with stakeholders canvassed most recently through responses to the 2004–05 Primary Industries Science and Research Strategic Directions statement.

The PI Science and Research Strategy contributes to government priorities outlined in NSW DPI’s Corporate Plan 2005-2008. It aligns research strategies and performance indicators with key result areas and strategies in the Corporate Plan. Priorities include production systems and innovations that have the twin goals of profitability and sustainability, sensitive management and use of primary industry natural resources, effective management of plant and animal diseases and pests, and strategic and flexible allocation and maintenance of science and research resources.