Challenge

The Australian vegetable industry, worth $3 billion annually with over 4,500 growers, relies on an R&D levy system to fund projects that improve profitability and productivity. With the 2012–2017 Strategic Investment Plan approaching completion, Hort Innovation needed an independent economic impact assessment to quantify the benefits generated by past levy-funded investments. This evidence was critical to demonstrate the value of R&D investment to levy payers, inform government agencies about return on investment, and guide strategic prioritisation for future funding periods.

Approach

CIS conducted a comprehensive four-phase impact assessment examining approximately 300 RD&E projects. Our role included:

• Systematic review and clustering of projects against Strategic Investment Plan pillars, with rigorous random sampling to ensure statistically reliable estimates

• Extensive consultation with researchers, agronomists, and levy payers to understand project outputs, adoption pathways, and economic benefits

• Development of risk-adjusted economic models using the CIE Hi-Link model to extrapolate impacts across the vegetable sector and supply chain

• Comparative analysis of actual impacts against original SIP projections, with revised forecasts extending across the full 15-year forecast period

• Delivery of communications materials and assessment tools to facilitate stakeholder engagement and future investment decisions

Outcome

CIS delivered a comprehensive impact assessment report that quantified the economic benefits generated by levy-funded R&D investments and identified impacts to both the direct sector and broader economy. The evidence-based assessment equipped Hort Innovation and industry stakeholders with credible data to communicate the value of R&D investment to levy payers and government, while providing evaluation methodologies and tools applicable across Hort Innovation's broader portfolio of investment programs.