ANNUAL REPORT 09/10 - Forest and Wood Products Australia

30 | OPERATIONS
The role of Industry Advisory Groups
The needs of industry are the key drivers of FWPA’s
R&D priorities and projects. To ensure that these needs
are recognised and evaluated, four Industry Advisory
Groups (IAG) meet throughout the year to provide FWPA
with advice on investment priorities and discussion and
feedback on research proposals.
The four groups, which are structured to cover the whole
value chain, are:
Market Access and Development Advisory Group
Solid Wood Products Processing Advisory Group
Engineered Wood Products Advisory Group
Sustainability and Resources Advisory Group
Details of Advisory Group memberships are
provided below.
Advisory Group survey results implementation
The last Annual Report contained a summary of the
results of an opinion survey taken among a range of
current and past AG members. The survey indicated
that the participants saw the structure as working well,
although there was room for improvement.
FWPA ANNUAL REPORT 09/10
As a result of the research the following changes are
being implemented:
Advisory group meeting agendas and presentations
have been restructured to align with the subsequent
FWPA processes. All investments are grouped under
investment priorities and proposals assessed against
investment plan criteria where available. Increased
focus on quantifi cation of industry impact and benefi t
through the adoption of research outcomes.
Greater ownership of longer term R&D programs
given the AGs via development and endorsement of
investment plans. Shift focus from short term crises to
longer term program strategies.
Call for expressions of interest for additional industry
members to allow for a consistent process of renewal
and refreshing of membership lists in response to
changes in industry and individual circumstances.
This also acts to increase the spread of engagement
between FWPA and its members, and importantly to
engage the key technology managers within industry to
participate in the R&D priority setting process.
Consideration of the use of independent Advisory
Group Chairs.