(TheAustralian) - CHALLENGES faced by the Australian wine industry such as climate change will be the focus of a new research project at the University of Adelaide.

The university will receive $2.4 million from the federal government to set up the Training Centre for Innovative Wine Production.

Professor Vladimir Jiranek says the centre will provide new knowledge, methods and technologies, as well as skilled researchers, to help the wine industry tackle its big challenges.

"The Australian wine industry is facing major challenges through climate change, water restrictions, changing consumer preferences and rising wine alcohol content," he said in a statement on Wednesday.

"This research training initiative comes at a critical time for the industry and will help in retaining the global competitiveness of Australia's wine industry."