The federal government has allocated the first $660,000 of its $4.9 million Global Connections fund, aimed at promoting further commercialisation of early stage ideas, by connecting small- and medium-sized firms with researchers overseas.
Grants of between $35,000 and $50,000 have been awarded to a range of projects across the Turnbull government's five main growth sectors – advanced manufacturing, food and agribusiness, medical technology and pharmaceuticals, mining equipment, technology and services and oil, gas and energy resources.
Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Greg Hunt, said grants were also going toward Australian researchers, to help them partner with international businesses to solve wide-reaching problems.
"The funding will support Australian businesses to be globally competitive, helping them to commercialise their products by collaborating with researchers overseas," he said.
"Australian researchers will partner with companies from China, France, Germany, India, Italy and Spain and the US. In turn, Australian companies will work with researchers from the Czech Republic, France, Italy, UK and the US."
The funding is going towards projects such as creating a prototype of hardware and accompanying software system that assess the progress of spinal cord injury victims and other neuromuscular conditions, smart sensors that communicate data about the structural health of civil engineering projects and building technologies for the development of low-cost selective gas sensors, capable of detecting explosives, drugs and air and food quality.
University researchers benefit
The majority of initial funding recipients have come from universities, with researchers from places such as RMIT, the University of New South Wales and the University of Technology Sydney and Curtin University, making up eight of the 14.
The small businesses and organisations that were given capital include Imagine Intelligent Materials, Ecoseal Developments, Circa Group and Spinal Cord Injuries Australia.
The Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering is responsible for delivering the fund, with the financial backing of the government as part of its $1.1 billion National Innovation and Science Agenda (NISA), which it launched a year ago.
"The funding will allow these successful projects to grow in scope and scale and to test commercialisation and proof of concept," Mr Hunt said.
"Supporting collaboration between Australian and international researchers and businesses is a key element of the Turnbull government's $1.1 billion NISA."
Also part of the NISA is the government's $23 million incubator support program, the first $8 million of which was awarded this year.
