RMIS

Field to Future

The Process

The Field to Future (F2F) process is the structured way in which RMIS identifies, prioritises and delivers research, development and innovation (R&D) that responds to real industry needs.

Rather than starting with predefined research topics, the process begins with what is happening on farms and across the value chain.

These needs are then tested, refined and directed through expert input and formal governance, ensuring that only priority, feasible and high-impact opportunities move forward to funding and implementation.

The process runs in a repeatable annual cycle, allowing the industry to respond to emerging challenges while maintaining transparency, accountability and strategic alignment.

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Step 1: Needs Identification – From the Field

The process starts at provincial level, where producers, veterinarians, industry experts and other role players identify challenges they face in practice.

 

These inputs focus on:

  • Animal health and biosecurity challenges
  • Production and infrastructure constraints
  • Market access and compliance barriers
  • Technology and data gaps
  • Policy, partnership and financing issues

Standardised tools are used to capture inputs consistently, ensuring that all needs are documented, traceable and evidence-based.

Outcome: A consolidated view of real, field-level challenges affecting the red meat value chain.

Step 2: Needs Analysis and Validation
Three focus groups:
  1. Animal Health, Biosecurity & Vaccines
  2. Animal Production, Value Chain Infrastructure & Processing
  3. Market Access, Trade & Consumer Insights
These focus areas are underpinned by key cross-cutting themes, such as R&D (Empirical Research); Technology and Innovation; Inclusive Growth; Policy; Partnerships; Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG); and Funding
These focus areas are underpinned by key cross-cutting themes, namely:
  • R&D (Empirical Research)
  • Technology and Innovation
  • Infrastructure
  • Inclusive Growth
  • Policy
  • Partnerships
  • Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
  • Funding
Step 3: Technical Evaluation and Prioritisation

An independent Evaluation Task Team (ETT) assesses validated needs using agreed technical and impact criteria.

 

This evaluation considers:

  • Technical feasibility
  • Readiness for innovation and implementation
  • Potential impact on industry and public good
  • Regulatory and compliance considerations

Needs are then prioritised and translated into clear, fundable innovation problem statements.

Outcome: A prioritised set of innovation priorities ready for strategic oversight.

Step 4: Strategic Oversight and Direction

The Programme Steering Committee provides strategic guidance and oversight to ensure that prioritised needs:

  • Align with the Red Meat Industry Strategy
  • Support national biosecurity, competitiveness and inclusion goals
  • Are balanced across thematic focus areas

This step ensures coherence across the portfolio before any funding process begins.

Outcome: Strategically endorsed priorities approved to proceed to a Call for Proposals.

Step 5: Call for Proposals

Based on approved problem statements, RMIS issues a Call for Proposals to research institutions, industry partners and technical specialists.

 

Proposals must clearly demonstrate:

  • Alignment with the defined problem statement
  • Technical and implementation capability
  • Measurable outcomes and impact
  • Compliance with funding and governance requirements

RMIS manages compliance screening and coordination to ensure a transparent process.

Outcome: Eligible, high-quality proposals ready for formal evaluation.

Step 6: Proposal Evaluation and Recommendation

Submitted proposals are evaluated by the Evaluation Task Team against predefined criteria, including:

  • Technical merit
  • Innovation and translation potential
  • Practical implementation feasibility
  • Value for money and expected impact

The team then submits funding recommendations.

Outcome: A recommended annual portfolio of projects.

Step 7: Funding Approval

Final funding decisions are made by the Approval Committee, consisting of funders and co-funders.

 

This ensures that:

  • Funding decisions are transparent and defensible
  • Public and industry funds are appropriately governed
  • Approved projects align with funder mandates

Outcome: Formally approved and funded projects.

Step 8: Project Implementation and Feedback

Approved projects are contracted and managed by RMIS, using milestone-based project management, monitoring and reporting systems.

 

Throughout implementation:

  • Progress is tracked against agreed deliverables
  • Risks are monitored and managed
  • Learning is captured and fed back into future cycles

Approved projects officially commence each year, and outcomes inform the next Field to Future cycle.

Outcome: Delivered innovation, measurable impact, and continuous learning.

The Field to Future process ensures that:

• R&D investment is industry-led and evidence-based
• Decision-making is transparent and independent
• Innovation moves beyond research into practical solutions
• Public and industry funds deliver real, measurable value

It creates a trusted bridge between field realities and future solutions.
RMIS- Connecting the Entire Red Meat Value Chain

Focus Groups: Where Needs Are Shaped Into Solutions

Focus Groups are a core part of the Field to Future process. They provide the space where real-world challenges are discussed, tested and shaped into clear, actionable innovation priorities.

Focus groups ensure that the process is inclusive, balanced and evidence-based, combining practical experience from the field with technical, scientific and industry expertise.

What Are Field to Future Focus Groups?

Field to Future Focus Groups are structured, facilitated working groups that bring together key role players from across the red meat value chain.

Their purpose is to:

  • Validate needs identified at provincial and field level
  • Consolidate similar issues into system-level challenges
  •  Test feasibility and relevance of proposed solutions
  • Ensure alignment with industry strategy and national priorities

Focus Groups do not prescribe solutions. Instead, they help frame clear problem statements that can later be addressed through research, development and innovation.

Who Takes Part?

Each Focus Group includes a balanced mix of participants, such as:

  • Producer representatives
  • Industry specialists
  • Veterinarians and animal health experts
  • Researchers and academics
  • Technical and value-chain specialists

This mix ensures that discussions are practical, technically sound and industry-relevant, while avoiding narrow or single-interest outcomes.

The Focus Group Themes

Focus groups ensure that the process is inclusive, balanced and evidence-based, combining
practical experience from the field with technical, scientific and industry expertise.

Animal Health, Biosecurity and Vaccines

Focuses on disease prevention, surveillance, vaccination systems and biosecurity challenges that affect productivity, food security and market access.

Animal Production, Value Chain Infrastructure and Processing

Concentrates on productivity, infrastructure bottlenecks, processing efficiency and value-chain integration.

Market Access, Trade and Consumer Insights

Explores compliance requirements, traceability, assurance systems, consumer confidence and access to local and export markets.

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How Focus Groups Work

Focus Groups are facilitated by RMIS-appointed facilitators to ensure structured, neutral discussions.

                                    

  • Review and test field-level needs
  • Identify root causes rather than symptoms
  • Merge related issues into broader system challenges
  • Highlight risks, gaps and opportunities for innovation

All discussions are documented and assessed to ensure transparency and consistency.

What Comes Out of the Focus Groups?

The main outputs of the Focus Group process are:

  • Validated and prioritised industry needs
  • Clearly defined innovation problem statements
  • Inputs for technical evaluation and prioritisation
  • A strong link between field realities and funding decisions

Only needs that have passed through the Focus Group process move forward in the Field to Future cycle.

Why Focus Groups Matter

Focus Groups ensure that:

  • Decisions are not made in isolation
  • Research and innovation are grounded in real industry needs
  • Investments are better targeted and lower risk
  • Outcomes benefit both commercial and emerging producers

They are what makes Field to Future an industry led, trusted and credible process.

Funding and Governance

Field to Future is built on a clear, transparent and well governed funding model that ensures research and innovation investments are credible, accountable and aligned with real industry needs.

RMIS does not fund projects in isolation. All funding decisions are guided by structured evaluation, independent oversight and formal approval processes to protect both public and industry investment.

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How Funding Works

Funding through the Field to Future process follows a step-by-step decision pathway:

 

  • Industry needs are identified and validated through the Field to Future process
  • Priority needs are converted into clearly defined problem statements
  • Calls for Proposals are issued against these approved priorities
  • Proposals are independently evaluated before any funding decision is made

This ensures that funding supports priority issues with clear value, feasibility and impact, rather than ad hoc or fragmented research projects.

Funding may include:

  • Public funding
  • Industry co-funding
  • Blended or partnership-based funding models

All funding is applied to approved projects only, following formal evaluation and approval.

Governance Structure at a Glance

The Field to Future process applies strong separation of roles, meaning no single group controls the process from start to finish.

Key governance bodies include:

  • Focus Groups – validate and refine industry needs
  • Evaluation Task Team (ETT) – independently assesses technical merit and feasibility
  • Programme Steering Committee – provides strategic oversight and alignment
  • Approval Committee – makes final funding decisions
  • RMIS – manages implementation, contracts, monitoring and reporting

This structure ensures that:

  • Needs identification is separate from funding decisions
  • Technical evaluation is independent
  • Funding approval is transparent and defensible
  • Project delivery is professionally managed
Role of RMIS

RMIS acts as the neutral coordination and implementation body for the Field to Future process.

RMIS is responsible for:

  • Managing the overall Field to Future process
  • Issuing Calls for Proposals
  • Coordinating independent evaluations
  • Contracting and managing approved projects
  • Monitoring progress, budgets and deliverables
  • Reporting on outcomes and impact

RMIS does not select research topics in advance and does not approve funding unilaterally. Its role is to facilitate, manage and safeguard the process on behalf of the industry and funders.

Transparency and Accountability

Governance is designed to ensure:

  • Clear decision points at every stage
  • Documented evaluation and approval processes
  • Independent technical input
  • Formal contracts and milestone-based payments
  • Ongoing monitoring, evaluation and reporting

All projects funded through Field to Future are subject to:

  • Defined deliverables
  • Performance tracking
  • Financial controls
  • Regular reporting

This provides confidence that funding delivers real value and measurable outcomes.

Why the Governance Model Matters

The Field to Future funding and governance framework:

  • Reduces investment risk
  • Prevents duplication and misalignment
  • Ensures fairness and credibility
  • Protects public and industry funds
  • Strengthens trust in the process

Most importantly, it ensures that industry identified needs lead to well governed, high impact innovation.