A super-charged research hub they hope will bring sense to the Murray-Darling Basin.
Last month the ONE Basin Cooperative Research Centre was pitched to the Federal Government.
Now the idea, backed by 91 industry and community groups, can do little but wait.
Federal Science Minister Karen Thomas is expected to announce if ONE Basin CRC has been successful in its bid sometime soon.
ONE Basin CRC interim executive officer Mike Stewardson said the committee had not been told when it could expect an answer.
“We don't have an exact date. We have been told there will be an announcement in March,” Mr Stewardson said.
“Over the next few weeks, we will be working hard to distract ourselves with other matters as we await the final decision.”
The groups backing it have already committed more than $120 million to its operation if approved.
Backers include all the basin state governments — Victoria, NSW, Queensland and South Australia — and several industry bodies, such as Hort Innovation.
If successful, ONE Basin CRC will spend the next 10 years steering the science when it comes to sustainably managing the Murray-Darling Basin’s resources.
As part of the 10-year plan, five regional research hubs will be established, including one at University of Melbourne's Dookie Campus.
The Dookie hub will help coordinate research along the NSW-Victorian border, from Bendigo to Deniliquin, where many issues are shared but policy is divided by the border.
The other four hubs will be based in Goondiwindi, Griffith, Mildura and Loxton.
Roger Knight leads the Western Murray Land Improvement Group, which is based in Barham.
He supports the ONE Basin CRC proposal, which he described as a timely shift towards collaboration, pooling of expertise and research funding.
“There’s been a lot of competition in the past and because we’re two hours away from the nearest university, we’ve have been left out of a lot of on-ground research,” Mr Knight said.
“We’re in a unique environment and having the ONE Basin CRC hubs in the region will ensure our local issues and interests are reflected.”
Local interests include fish exclusion screens on water pumps, agronomic research and trials of new technology, according to Mr Knight.
The Murray-Darling Basin Authority also backs the ONE Basin CRC idea, alongside heavyweights such as ABARES, Bureau of Meteorology, National Farmers’ Federation and National Irrigators’ Council.
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