Australia · Commercialisation
What Australia funded to take university research to scale
Australia’s first Economic Accelerator Innovate round awarded more than A$93 million to 39 research commercialisation projects in 2025. Seven examples show how funding was used to test technologies for industry, from modular housing to underground connectivity.
Sources checked
Each bar is an awarded amount for a selected project. The round allowed grants of up to A$5 million.
The grants paid for proof of scale
The department describes Innovate as a programme for university-led research commercialisation. First-round grants could fund work for up to 24 months, with a maximum of A$5 million. The programme focused on developing technology beyond proof of concept toward real-world application at scale. Source 2 Source 3
A prototype faces different tests underground
The University of Sydney’s project received A$1,587,748 for long-range Wi-Fi for underground mines and other large industrial settings. The department highlighted the use of connectivity for emergency communication and tracking. The funding describes the planned work to adapt and test the system. Source 1 Source 2
One priority grouping includes several industries
The renewables and low emission grouping in this sample includes turbine blades, specialty alumina, sodium-ion batteries and modular housing. The grant list tracks a national priority separately from each project’s specific technology and lead university. The grouping can therefore cover projects with different end users and manufacturing methods. Source 1
An award is one point in the commercialisation record
The values show approved grant funding. Later records are needed to establish milestone completion, sales or production. The department says its 2026 to 2027 Budget ended funding for new Economic Accelerator projects beyond 2025 to 2026 and that current grants continue with existing milestones and payments. Source 1 Source 4