SRDC chairman Ian Knop said the SRDC would invest in R&D activities which will deliver significant benefits to the community and the sugar industry.

"We are prepared to support the most innovative ideas from at home as well as around the world to achieve this," Mr Knop said.

"In particular the industry can assist the community with mitigation of climate change while it itself addresses potential impacts on productivity.

"Participation in the green energy economy through biomass utilisation and product diversification are significant opportunities for the Australian sugarcane industry and accordingly we are calling for projects which will help the industry capitalise on these opportunities specifically around the energy industry."

SRDC is seeking improvements to profitability and a high return to industry and government investors rather than projects which target incremental gain.

"The Australian sugarcane industry is at the cross-roads," Mr Knop said.

"Industry demands research and development activities which will help them make significant advances in terms of profitability and sustainability."

SRDC executive director Dr Frikkie Botha said the SRDC is specifically targeting options for reducing production costs and improving the utilisation of capital for cane farming, harvesting and milling.

"We are also calling for R&D to develop and implement innovative approaches to increase the adoption of improved technologies and improve decision making by industry enterprises," Dr Botha said.

"Another area of great opportunity, precision agriculture, is also targeted in this call.

"The success of industry relies heavily on the development of new cane varieties.

"We understand this need and call for proposals which address enhanced nitrogen use efficiency and ways to rapidly and reliably propagate new varieties.

"This call also covers projects which will protect the industry by helping to reduce the risk of exotic biosecurity threats and improve the management of endemic pests."