$30M grants program to support local manufacturing
The Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Hon Karen Andrews MP has launched a $30 million Commercialisation Fund for Australian Manufacturers, offering grants ranging from $100,000 and $1 million which will be matched by industry.
The fund will be managed and administered by the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) in collaboration with five fellow Growth Centres NERA, MTP Connect, AustCyber, METS Ignited and FIAL, and CSIRO.
The Commercialisation Fund will co-fund projects that focus on the six National Manufacturing Priorities recently announced by the Australian Government as part of its Modern Manufacturing Strategy:
- Resources Technology & Critical Minerals Processing
- Food & Beverage
- Medical Products
- Recycling & Clean Energy
- Defence
- Space
The Commercialisation Fund has been devised to support Australian manufacturing projects to transition a new product or process from the pilot/prototype stage to full commercial operations, with the total Commercialisation Fund pool of $30 million will be administered over 18-months.
The Fund will provide matched grants to Australian manufacturers to assist with commercialising new products and processes that finish between Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 to 9. Applications for the co-funding grant must satisfy eligibility criteria and partake in an evaluation process.
The Fund is intended to invest in later stage commercialisation, not early-stage research-based programs. However, project applicants are strongly encouraged to include collaboration with research partners and other Australian manufacturers.
Further information regarding the co-funding grants and application process can be found here.
Fund background
The Modern Manufacturing Initiative (MMI), as announced as part of the 2020-21 Federal Budget, sets out three major funding streams:
- Manufacturing Collaboration — for very large projects which support B2B and B2R (research) collaborations
- Manufacturing Translation — to assist manufacturers to translate good ideas into commercial outcomes
- Manufacturing integration — assist manufacturers to integrate into local and global supply chains
The Commercialisation Fund exists to support the MMI by providing a pathway for companies to build capability and competitiveness across manufacturing SMEs.