Thirteen Australian inventions will be turned into commercial success stories, with the support of the Commercialisation Australia Program.
$3 million will be invested in the projects through Commercialisation Australia, the Australian Government’s flagship initiative for Australian entrepreneurs.
Announcing the successful applicants, Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr said he was pleased to help talented researchers and entrepreneurs capitalise on their good ideas.
In 2010, its first year of operation, Commercialisation Australia awarded a total of $33.6 million for 88 projects. See Round 3 recipients, Round 2 recipients and Round 1 recipients.
“Commercialisation Australia is achieving remarkable results for a large and diverse group of Australian companies and entrepreneurs.” Senator Carr said. “The opportunities we are opening will keep Australia powering ahead in the global knowledge economy.”
| Applicant | Grant | Description |
| Ulco Engineering | $184,000 | Ulco has been awarded Commercialisation Australia funding to engage an experienced executive to accelerate the final development and lead the commercialisation of the company’s key innovative products and technologies for use in the medical community, and implementing the company’s business strategy to meet the emerging opportunities |
| IPscape | $825,000 | IPscape has developed a ‘Cloud’ based contact centre management system. It enables organisations with temporary or limited contact centre requirements to set up very quickly and to pay only for the capacity they need. It enables rapid scaling for emergencies, natural disasters and seasonal campaigns and supports the employment of remote workers as call centre agents. The system allows organisations to ‘burst’ capacity (from the Cloud), use the technology immediately, switch seamlessly between voice, email, SMS and social media such as Twitter and pay for it all on per second usage. It will make contact centres more adaptable, so they can provide a much improved customer experience. The technology has the potential to make Australian call centres more competitive and to reverse the call centre employment trend offshore. Commercialisation Australia funding will assist IPscape to put in place the international partnerships and support arrangements necessary to become a global player in this market. |
| Fairlight Instruments | $200,900 | Fairlight Instruments plans to bring to market a new class of music synthesiser (digital musical instrument) using leading-edge FPGA (field programmable gate array) chip technology with the benefits of software synthesisers displaying excellent functionality, upgradability and user interface with dedicated hardware instrument features of excellent reliability, sound quality and real time responsiveness. The new synthesiser will have a strong international export focus and the potential to diffuse FPGA technology and developed skill sets for application in a broad range of non music industry sectors. Funding from Commercialisation Australia will help Fairlight Instruments construct a prototype. |
| HEARD Systems | $50,000 | This project will commercially assess the potential medical device applications of HEARD Systems novel and patented sensor and bioamplifier circuit technology. These include ECG, EEG, and foetal/maternal monitoring applications. Commercialisation Australia funding will be used to develop a complete and ‘investable’ business plan for a spinout firm in the human medical device sector. |
| Neural Diagnostics | $497,280 | Neural Diagnostics is developing EVestG, a technology with potential to enable diagnosis of many disorders that affect brain health, as well as to monitor the effectiveness of drug and physical treatments. Commercialisation Australia funding will help Neural Diagnostics validate biomarkers that distinguish between depression and bi-polar disorders within one hour, and to understand future market requirements. |
| New Vision Biotech | $250,000 | Chondroitin Sulfate is a naturally occurring substance which is a major component of cartilage. It is essential for healthy joints in the human body. Diseases like osteoarthritis can lead to a gradual degeneration of the cartilage between the bone joints. Chondroitin Sulfate supplements are an anti inflammatory which can provide relief for osteoarthritis sufferers for these joints. New Vision Biotech will use Commercialisation Australia funding to test the commercial viability of an economical, natural, non-toxic, and environmentally friendly way to produce Chondroitin Sulphate using CSIRO developed technology. |
| Tilta Industries | $236,573 | Tilta Industries is developing a mechanical system to quickly convert conventional tip trucks into dynamic emergency response vehicles capable of being deployed as fire fighting appliances, carry and relocate tanks, reposition emergency shelters and recover disabled vehicles. Tilta Industries is developing the skid based system in collaboration with fire-fighting agencies and local government. The Commercialisation Australia funds will help Tilta Industries verify that its proven tilt and tip technology can quickly and safely turn trucks into multi-purpose response units and allow the company to build a strong business model from a regional base. |
| VRT Innovations | $50,000 | VRT Innovations has developed an infinitely variable transmission which allows an engine to operate at optimum revs, with the vehicle speed changing to suit driving conditions. The system can achieve infinite variability in forward and reverse gears without the need for a clutch. The founder of VRT Innovations, Steve Durnin, was the episode winner of The New Inventors (ABC TV) prize and The New Inventor’s People’s Choice award, and finalist in 2010 for his infinitely variable geared transmission (d-Drive). Funding from Commercialisation Australia will help VRT Innovations to commercialise the d-Drive. |
| NewAudio | $248,993 | NewAudio has received funding from Commercialisation Australia to develop acoustic holography for global telepresence. Telepresence is an optic/acoustic communication technology that seeks to maximise effectiveness by enabling all participants to feel that they are physically present at a single ‘face-to-face’ meeting. NewAudio’s precise replication of originating threedimensional sound is a major step in telepresence achieving this objective. |
| ImmersaView | $249,072 | ImmersaView are creating fully immersive 3D visual displays with significant cost benefit.. Once fully developed the technology could be used for flight simulators, medical simulations, training organisations and for sophisticated visual group communication. Funding from Commercialisation Australia will help ImmersaView to refine its software and hardware to suit a range of applications and create a full production model. |
| Hypervibe | $144,750 | Whole Body Vibration Machines use either pivotal or lineal motion to intensify exercise, forcing muscles to work harder. Hypervibe has built a machine that combines pivotal and lineal settings, which will benefit athletes, the elderly and the physically impaired. Commercialisation Australia funding will help Hypervibe enhance its business planning and management and validate the production pathway of its invention. |
| ZAG Beverages | $208,455 | ZAG Beverages has developed a branded range of novel functional drinks made from naturally based ingredients with the potential to deliver real consumer. OSKI ® – Little Clever Drinks are naturally based with no caffeine, low in calories, and specially formulated to help consumers find a better way to consume functional drinks. Funding from Commercialisation Australia will help ZAG Beverages finalise the ingredients and formulations for a number of variants/consumer offerings, review the scientific literature to define the final ingredients, develop packaging and validate the manufacturing process. |
| Industrial Composite Contractors | $450,000 | ICC has developed composites and processes which strengthen (Sitecure) and repair (Sitefusion) large scale steel and concrete structures affected by corrosion. ICC’s solutions will deliver improved durability, cost effectiveness and safety. Sitecure and Sitefusion will be of particular benefit to the oil and gas mining industries. With funding from Commercialisation Australia ICC will engage an experienced executive and undertake a proof of concept project to gain independent industry validation for the oil and gas and mining industries. |
| TOTAL | $3,595,023 |
