Operating structure

Previous ACIAR regions and partner countries

ACIAR is established by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research Act 1982 (ACIAR Act), as amended, and it is an agency of the Australian Government Foreign Affairs and Trade portfolio.

ACIAR is a non-corporate Commonwealth entity under the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 and a statutory agency under the Public Service Act 1999.

ACIAR has an executive management governance structure headed by the CEO, who reports directly to the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

The CEO manages the administrative and financial affairs of ACIAR and its staff, subject to, and in accordance with, any directions given by the Minister. An executive team supports and advises the CEO on strategic priorities and corporate and operational policies.

The CEO is also supported by an Audit and Risk Committee, which provides independent assurance to the CEO on financial and performance reporting responsibilities, risk oversight and management, and systems of internal auditing of ACIAR.

Also established under the ACIAR Act is the Commission for International Agricultural Research and the Policy Advisory Council, to provide expert strategic advice to the Minister on international agricultural research for development.

ACIAR is a small government agency. The Chief Executive Officer leads a staff of 80 (full and part-time) in 2023–24:

57 people located at ACIAR House in Canberra, Australia
23 people locally engaged staff at missions and embassies of the Australian Government, throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

Staff are organised into 4 lines of management:

Country Partnerships
Research Programs
Outreach and Capacity Building
Corporate Services.

Commission for International Agricultural Research

The role of the Commission for International Agricultural Research under the ACIAR Act is to provide strategic advice to the Minister on the formulation of programs and policies to identify agricultural problems and find solutions in developing countries. The Commission also provides advice to the Minister on the functions of ACIAR, and priorities for the ACIAR program and funding.

Policy Advisory Council

The role of the Policy Advisory Council under the ACIAR Act is to provide advice to the Minister on the agricultural problems of developing countries and strategic aspects of national and regional development. The Council plays a role in facilitating partnerships and being pivotal in discussions for setting priorities and research focus as ACIAR continues to develop strategies with partner countries.

Governance structure of ACIAR

an illustration of a globe with meridians and latitude lines

More information about our executive staff and governance arrangements is available on the ACIAR website. > About ACIAR

Funding and expenditure

Table 1.1 Overview of planned funding and expenditure, 2023–24

Budget estimate
Funding		A$ million
Administered	Administered appropriation	103.55
	Special accounts	7.86
	Total administered funding	111.41
Departmental	Departmental appropriation	9.34
	s 74 Retained revenue receipts^a	1.50
	Expenses not requiring appropriation^b	1.21
	Total departmental funding	12.05
Total funding		123.46
Expenditure		A$ million
Administered	Bilateral and regional research projects^c	80.98
	Global research collaborations^d	18.79
	Scientific and policy capacity-building activities^e	9.47
	Outreach	2.17
	Total administered expenditure	111.41
Departmental	Total departmental expenditure^f	12.05
Total expenditure		123.46

a) Revenue from external sources
b) Depreciation, amortisation and audit fees
c) Includes program support and impact evaluation
d) Includes unrestricted funding to international centres
e) Does not include training and communication activity within projects
f) Includes salaries, executive, Commission for International Agricultural Research, Policy Advisory Council and corporate support

Table 1.2 Planned contribution to ACIAR activities by external funders or partners, 2023–24

Activity area	Partner funder	Expenditure
		A$ million
Regional and country projects	Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade	5.03
Postgraduate scholarships	Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade	2.73
Food Futures Research Program	International Development Research Centre (Canada)	0.59
Total		8.35

Note There is no external funding expenditure on projects and programs in Africa by Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Table 1.3 Australia’s funding to international research centres, 2023–24

International centre	Unrestricted	Restricted (project-specific)	Total
	A$ million	A$ million	A$ million
CGIAR	17.30	7.32	24.62
Other centres	2.14	0.00	2.14
Total	19.44	7.32	26.76

Note ‘Other centres’ encompasses international partners that do not belong to the CGIAR network.

Table 1.4 Planned project expenditure by country, 2023–24

Region and country	Target appropriation budget allocations	ACIAR base appropriation	DFAT and other external funding	Total allocation
	%	A$ million	A$ million	A$ million
Pacific region	27	17.13	1.64	18.77
Fiji	—	4.62	0.03	4.65
Kiribati	—	0.65	0.37	1.02
Samoa	—	1.50	0.07	1.57
Solomon Islands	—	2.47	0.40	2.87
Tonga	—	0.93	0.03	0.96
Vanuatu	—	1.67	0.37	2.04
Pacific island countries	—	0.25	0.37	0.62
Papua New Guinea	—	5.04	0.00	5.04
East and South-East Asia	49	30.91	3.14	34.05
Cambodia	—	3.85	0.47	4.32
China	—	0.04	0.00	0.04
Indonesia	—	6.94	1.05	7.99
Laos	—	5.23	0.45	5.68
Myanmar*	—	0.53	0.04	0.57
Philippines	—	4.83	0.93	5.76
Timor-Leste	—	2.89	0.11	3.00
Vietnam	—	6.60	0.09	6.69
South Asia	15	9.80	0.18	9.98
Bangladesh	—	4.08	0.00	4.08
India	—	0.96	0.00	0.96
Nepal	—	1.11	0.00	1.11
Pakistan	—	3.01	0.09	3.10
Sri Lanka	—	0.64	0.09	0.73
Eastern and Southern Africa	9	5.85	0.58	6.43
Burundi	—	0.06	0.00	0.06
Ethiopia	—	1.62	0.00	1.62
Kenya	—	1.55	0.00	1.55
Malawi	—	0.17	0.00	0.17
Mozambique	—	0.21	0.00	0.21
Rwanda	—	0.31	0.00	0.31
South Africa	—	0.04	0.13	0.17
Tanzania	—	0.57	0.13	0.70
Uganda	—	0.61	0.00	0.61
Zambia	—	0.34	0.00	0.34
Zimbabwe	—	0.37	0.32	0.69
Total project expenditure		63.69	5.54	69.23

Note Due to rounding, not all subtotals add up to the total.
* Planned project expenditure for Myanmar will not occur in 2023–24. See East and South-East Asia program for further explanation.

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