This project provides opportunities to be exposed to innovation, build and develop capability and capacity, connect with innovation networks and generate new contacts. These opportunities will demonstrate benefits of being in innovation space for new entrants from fishing and aquaculture through encourage and enabling participation. The project aims to stimulate collaboration and increase the visibility of "getting into innovation", potentially increasing ideas to feed into future investment lanes and possibly more adoption. This includes exposing fresh minds to spark novel ideas who are unaware of opportunities and/or may experience barriers to participate.

The skills and capabilities required to intervene in complex systems need to be developed to capitalise on new systems and processes. This includes mechanisms to engage stakeholders to focus, priorities and invest in capability and capacity development locally and nationally. EvokeAg is a flagship event, focused on showcasing and stimulating innovation through connecting people with each other and to knowledge, information and

$75,000 sponsorship (includes exhibition stand and furniture, printing and 5 x 2024 tickets (2025 & 2026 details tbc) over 3 years
$110,000 bursaries ($6k - conference and side event tickets, flights, accommodation, travel incidentals) - allows for 18 full bursaries over 3 years OR a mixed level of support (e.g. partial bursary, alternative innovation event)

The proposal is for the production of the sixth edition of the SAFS reports. SAFS is Australia's only coordinated, national-scale stock-status reporting framework, and as such is a critical driver of jurisdictional collaboration and strategic processes. The current application is to produce the SAFS reports in 2023 and address strategic issues outlined above. In order to ensure the continuation of SAFS beyond 2023, it is essential for jurisdictions to develop ownership of the reports and to embed SAFS processes in core business, and for efficiencies in production and report management to continue to progress. A parallel project to develop jurisdictional reporting services is also underway to assist jurisdictions develop their jurisdictional chapters. As documented in the independent audit of SAFS 2016 (FRDC project 2016-143), the process of compiling SAFS on a co-operative basis between FRDC, Australian government agencies and all fisheries jurisdictions has led to greater joint collaboration, as well as transfers of methodologies and processes, to deliver higher quality and more credible stock status reporting which can be accessed nationally and internationally, as well as assisting in policy decisions regarding changes to particular fisheries management arrangements and in research priorities. Primary drivers for National reporting of the SAFS include: (i) the State of the Environment Report 2011, i.e., ‘lack of a nationally integrated approach inhibits effective marine management’; (ii) a recommendation of the House of Representatives Inquiry into the Role of Science for Fisheries and Aquaculture (Netting the Benefits Report 2012), i.e., ‘producing national status report regularly’; (iii) the Australian Fisheries Management Forum national statement of intent, i.e. a key outcome of ‘Goal 1’ is the National Status of Australian Fish Stocks Report; (iv) the National Fishing and Aquaculture Strategy 2015–20, i.e., ‘Goal 1’ of this strategy will be partially measured by an increased number of fisheries assessed as environmentally sustainable in the Status of Australian Fish Stocks Reports (this includes reducing the number of stocks assessed as uncertain); (v) the FRDC RD&E Plan 2020–25, enabling strategy V (tracking and reporting on sustainability of fish stocks and performance of fisheries).