The Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Program is designed to foster collaboration between industry and the research sector. with $5.1 billion in government investment since 1990. In 2015, the program expanded with the introduction of CRC Projects (CRC-Ps) to enhance small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) participation in collaborative research. 

This evaluation sought to assess the Program's success in meeting its stated policy objectives by reviewing the Program’s high-level design and the Program’s short- and long-term outcomes from 2012 to 2020.

The economic impacts of CRCs were assessed using a model takes into account the economy-wide supply constraints and productivity aspects of industry-researcher collaboration. It also allows the economic impacts of human capital development and knowledge spillovers to be modelled. For CRCs active in the period 2012-20, 191 economic impacts have been reviewed.

The evaluation found that:

• the CRC Program is working well and delivering on its objectives
• CRCs will generate an estimated $32.5 billion of economic impacts by 2025
• Australia’s GDP is estimated to increase by $5.61 for every dollar of government funding for CRCs since 2005
• completed CRC Projects are estimated to return $7.73 in economic benefit for every dollar of government funding since 2016.

Stakeholders and partners consider the program:

• helps industries be more competitive, sustainable and productive
• increases the quality and strength of collaboration between industry and research organisations
• improves commercialisation and enhances the capability of the research workforce.