NICTA recognised to fuel Aussie innovation

An RRA is an organisation that has been approved by the Industry Research and Development Board as being able to carry out research and development (R&D) for eligible companies or for a group of collaborating companies.

To be considered for RRA status, a company must employ at least one full time researcher and four other full time staff, sufficient facilities to conduct research, and the ability to serve multiple clients.

The government uses the RRA title as a way to assist smaller companies with finding adequate R&D services, and helping Australian innovation to be more competitive globally.

To NICTA, the RRA name simply solidifies its reputation with clients.

“It’s recognition of our research expertise,” said NICTA spokeswoman Kelly Mills.

“It’s not going to mean that people will collaborate with us that weren’t going to in the first place, it just means that we’ve met the guidelines, and it gives confidence to people that are dealing with us.”

The RRA label also allows organisations the opportunity to provide clients with a number of tax concessions.

Companies working with RRA’s are illegible for a waiver of the normal $20,000 annual expenditure threshold, a 125 percent deduction, and can also claim up to 175 percent of their R&D expenditure.

To the researchers at NICTA, the weight the RRA name carries goes hand in hand with its own long term goals.

“One of the fundamental goals of NICTA when it was created was to grow the Australian ICT industry,” NICTA CEO Dr David Skellern said.

research organisation strategy