Innovators unite for field days

Welcoming more than 1200 people through the tent at the 2026 Mildura Field Days, the Mallee Regional Innovation Centre fuelled curiosity for what can be achieved through science and research.

The Centre’s impact at the 15 and 16 May event was recognised by the Mildura Field Days Committee with the award for Best Medium Site.

Centre CEO Rebecca Wells at the field days.

See a gallery of photos from this year’s field days.

Across the two days, the tent was filled with growers and agronomists, businesses, government departments and agencies, schools and families, all interested in seeing what the Centre had to offer.

Nine universities and organisations were represented under the tent, showcasing new horticultural technologies and interactive demonstrations and providing opportunities to connect with researchers and learn about a range of initiatives addressing regional challenges.

Centre CEO Rebecca Wells said the set up allowed for two-way conversations, where people could talk to a variety of experts about projects relevant to their interests or work as well as share their own technical knowledge and experiences.

“Our core partners, the University of Melbourne, La Trobe University and SuniTAFE, were all there together for the first time,” Rebecca said.

“Then we had other universities that we’re working with and have staff based out of the Centre, like Flinders University and Charles Sturt University. We also had the Vic Drought Hub, One Basin CRC and Dried Fruits Australia.

“Visitors to the tent could find something they were interested in, whether that was robotics, remote sensing technology, soil health, bio fertilisers, drought resilience, hydrogeology, desalination, microbiology, heart health or economics.”

Field days coordinator Jo Rooda with the 2026 Mildura Field Days site award winners.

Rebecca said a lot of people were already familiar with the Centre and wanted to check back in and see what was new this year, while others were engaging for the first time.

“For some, it was an opportunity to have more in-depth and meaningful conversations with the researchers on site, but also to talk about new ideas,” she said.

That was the really exciting thing – people were hearing about different projects, and if it wasn’t happening within an area they were working in, they were thinking about how to apply it to what they’re doing or what it could mean for their industry.

“People also got to see technology and innovations they hadn’t been exposed to before. Those things are being used in projects that are happening in our region, so another part of what makes them exciting is that they are accessible.”

The MRIC tent at Mildura Field Days 2026.

Conversations the Centre, researchers and project partners had with stakeholders at the event are now turning into opportunities to connect further, Rebecca said.

“We have had invitations to do follow-ups, including farm and site visits so people can better communicate their technical knowledge and ideas, because they see how they can contribute to their projects,” she said.

“To have those kinds of developments broadly across all those in the tent speaks to the engagements and research projects that were on show, and we really appreciate how generous people are in offering their time and expertise.”

Anyone who missed the field days and wants to connect with the Centre can get in touch at MRIC-info@unimelb.edu.au