Overview
The Annual Review features highlights and achievements for ACIAR during 2020-21.
The 2020–21 year has been challenging. The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to cause health and economic crises across the globe, and it has disrupted global food systems.
Many ACIAR partner countries remain in various states of lockdown and have been deeply affected. We are acutely aware of the challenges this presents to our international colleagues, friends and research partners, and the research and development sector more broadly.
Throughout this challenging time, the safety of our people, and those of our partners, has been our first focus. We have continued our work delivering countries and communities to grow more and healthier food, improve nutrition and reduce poverty. This has required considerable flexibility and responsiveness in the way projects are developed and managed.
In 2020-21, ACIAR supported 228 bilateral research projects, and worked with more than 400 project partners. Each ACIAR research project has had to be reorganised. Virtually every milestone has had to be adjusted. Every budget has had to be changed. In many cases, project personnel have had to change too.
To our whole network, we say thank you. It is people's commitment and dedication that have made continuing ACIAR work possible.