CRC CARE's Research and Development Program has been developed in close consultation with industry partners and environmental regulators in a series of consultative workshops which charted the future needs of the environmental industry in terms of new technology, adoption, impact and innovation. The research program is led by outstanding researchers and overseen by a Research Committee that provides a consultative forum for its future evolution.

CRC CARE research is structured into 4 main programs to address industry and national needs:
1. Risk Assessment.
2. Remediation Technologies.
3. Prevention Technologies.
4. Social, Legal, Policy and Economic Issues.

The programs have been designed to avoid overlap between the research activities within each and to maximise the synergies. Synergy between the programs will be created by collaboration between the various CRC participants on each of the programs and through the National Contaminated Site Demonstration Program. A large proportion of the research will be carried out at the Demonstration sites owned by CRC participants, eg. Department of Defence, petroleum and mining industries and state governments. At such sites, research spanning the core areas of each of the Programs will be integrated – from risk assessment and site characterisation, to remediation and end-point land use, and societal perceptions and acceptance of options and solutions. These demonstration sites provide an additional unifying outcomes focus for the CRC’s research Programs.