New ideas backed
A $55 million funding injection hopes to turn innovative ideas into industries.
The Federal Government has announced $55 million in funding to boost Australian-led innovation through Round 16 of the Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) initiative.
A total of 23 projects across critical minerals, renewable energy, health technologies, and more have been awarded grants.
The grants, which range from $100,000 to $3 million over three years, aim to foster collaboration between industry and research organisations in sectors such as clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and health technologies.
Among the grant recipients, CPC Engineering has received nearly $3 million for a pilot plant using membrane technology to separate iron, aluminium, and other metals, potentially reducing both costs and environmental impact.
WaveX, another recipient, secured $2.4 million to develop shared helical anchors for offshore wind and wave energy installations.
This effort aims to strengthen local supply chains and enhance Australia’s role in renewable energy development.
The health sector has also seen significant investment.
NanoCube Health was granted $3 million to develop early detection and treatment technology for pancreatic cancer, while Atomo Diagnostics received $2.4 million to develop the nation’s first at-home syphilis test capable of distinguishing between active and past-treated infections.
Other projects include Miniprobes’ AI-powered beef quality scanner and Emesent’s autonomous mining data platform, each awarded $1.5 million and $2.4 million respectively.
The CRC-P initiative, established in 1990, has funded projects across a range of industries, aiming to commercialise technologies and foster industry-research partnerships.
A full list of grant recipients is available here.