Australian inventors are helping improve hospital bedside care, generate zero emissions electricity and keep senior Australians connected with their families and the community, by partnering with the Gillard Labor Government to get their innovative products into the marketplace.
Announcing almost $8 million in funding for 19 innovative Australian companies under the Government’s Commercialisation Australia program, Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr said the Government was working with innovators to turn research into reality and create a richer, greener and fairer country.
“This funding will help smart companies commercialise their products, delivering a wealth of benefits for Australians,” Senator Carr said.
“For example, Signostics Limited will use the funding to commercialise its new hand-held ultrasound device with the hope of getting it into medical centres around the country. This device could alleviate the need for patients to travel long distances to hospitals for this type of procedure.
“The funding will also help Metis Technologies commercialise its pollution control system for power generation and other industrial processes. This new technology will help industries transform to meet the needs of a clean energy future.”
Since it opened to applications in early 2010, Commercialisation Australia has awarded almost $58 million to 145 Australian companies, researchers and inventors. Funding offers range from $50,000 to $2 million.
Program participants can access a national network of 22 Case Managers, many of whom have built their own businesses and operated at senior levels in start-up and early stage companies across all industry sectors.
“The rich source of market intelligence, networks and business experience grant recipients can access under Commercialisation Australia gives them a better chance of commercial success.”
| Applicant | Grant | Project Description |
| Endoluminal Sciences | Proof of Concept Grant 227,500 | Breakthrough sealing technology for minimally invasive aortic valve replacement The project involves demonstration of superior efficacy and positive user feedback (ease of use and procedural compatibility) of the Endoluminal Sciences’ sealing technology on commercially available minimally invasive aortic valves. This will be achieved by performing end-user studies on prototypes in the hands of experienced physicians (interventional cardiologists). |
| Applied Physiology | Early Stage Commercialisation Grant 1,695,967 | Commercial integration of Navigator clinical decision support system software into global patient monitoring platform The commercial integration of Navigator clinical decision support system software into global patient monitoring platforms. The projects key steps are: specification, design and adaptation of Navigator technology; completion of successful pilot site programs leading to global distribution agreement with Philips and other major platform providers; achieve regulatory approvals and clinical equivalency approvals; and development and delivery of educational, marketing and training materials. |
| Ecobuild Solutions | Early Stage Commercialisation Grant 448,198 | Commercialisation of EasyFix wall cladding installation system and associated products Ecobuild Solutions’ owns a patented installation system (“EasyFix”) which, together with its associated wall cladding products, provides great benefits to both new and existing homes/buildings. In order to prove the commercial viability of their innovation, Ecobuild Solutions now need to consolidate their patents, build “full building” prototypes locally, train new installers and prospective distributors, develop a robust sales and marketing infrastructure, follow-up overseas leads and secure a supply chain |
| CIMTECH | Experienced Executives Grant 200,000 | Commercialisation of a novel skincare product line CIMTECH are aiming to commercialise a novel skincare product line based on the traditional medicine of the Cook Islands. Product development including formulation and marketing plans are required to successfully launch the product. CIMTECH requires an executive with experience in skincare and cosmetics to drive this product to market. |
| Metis Technologies | Skills and Knowledge + Experienced Executives Grants 250,000 | High temperature fibre technology for custom engineered pollution control filtration Metis Technologies is commercialising advanced fibre technology for pollution control filtration for cleaner power generation and other industrial processes such as aluminium production and cement. |
| KNOG | Early Stage Commercialisation Grant 994,966 | Urban cycle accessories for a global market KNOG is an Australian company designing and manufacturing unique bicycle accessories. They have developed a new range of innovative, cutting edge products spanning three categories. Release nationally and internationally is planned for 2012 and 2013. Funding from Commercialisation Australia will help ensure a smooth transition of these innovative products to market, and provides KNOG with the tools to continue to lead the market through 2012 and 2013. |
| gT-Energy Technologies | Early Stage Commercialisation Grant 600,000 | Next generation turbo-alternator heat engine power generator gT-Energy Technologies locally designs and manufactures heat engines for converting heat sources into electrical power using well proven closed loop thermodynamic cycles with zero emissions. Heat engines are required by a fast growing global market in waste heat recovery and renewable thermal energy that is serviced by few heat engine producers internationally. With funding from Commercialisation Australia, gT-Energy Technologies will develop heat engines employing fully integrated turbo-alternators that provide in excess of a 20% reduction in component pricing and significantly improved reliability when compared to existing products on the market. |
| New Media Innovation | Proof of Concept Grant 240,000 | Multi-catalogue, a multi-channel (online and mobile) digital commerce ordering and cataloguing solution Multi-Catalogue is a Digital catalogue that will have uses in a wide variety of industries where catalogues are used by wholesalers/manufacturers to sell their goods by a mobile sales force to an increasingly mobile customer base. Multi-Catalogue is an innovative multi-channel / multi-access / multi-deployable / multi-branded software technology that will allow a catalogue of stock items to be visualised and made available for ordering not only on Web, Mobile and Tablet browsers but also via a Tablet Based client application allowing offline viewing of catalogue information and seamless synchronisation to the backend database. With Funding from Commercialisation Australia New Media Innovation Pty Ltd will ready the Multi-Catalogue platform for Australian release in early 2012 followed by a global rollout in the following months. http://www.government-grant.com.au/ |
| Signostics Limited | Early Stage Commercialisation Grant 1,965,803 | Application specific handheld ultrasound platform Patients requiring a procedure which involves ultrasound must currently attend radiology centres or well resourced hospitals able to afford this expensive equipment. This leads to delays with performing procedures, which can potentially cause medical complications. Signostics Ltd has developed a low-cost handheld ultrasound device, adaptable to several clinical uses, for use in any medical centre or facility. Commercialisation Australia funding will help Signostics Ltd complete early stage commercialisation of its product. |
| Real Time Data | Skills and Knowledge + Proof of Concept Grants 280,000 | Intuitive fisheries data recording and reporting system Real Time Data has developed Deckhand, an inexpensive, easy to use portable electronic logbook which enables commercial fishermen to record and report catch, effort and location data in real-time. Funding from CA will help with enhancing the existing software, including customising it for different fisheries. The system will be trialled in 3 fisheries to prove the concept to project partner, the Western Australian Fishing Industry Council (WAFIC). Funding will also assist with various aspects of commercialisation planning, in preparation for first sales of Deckhand. |
| Thereitis.com | Proof of Concept Grant 250,000 | Thereitis.com business and consumer market readiness project Thereitis.com Pty Ltd has developed computer software which enables users of Internet applications such as social media and e-commerce, to find and sort data visually, faster than existing methods. Funding from Commercialisation Australia will be used to prove the technology to commercial partners and adapt the technology platform to capture a global consumer market. |
| Yackstar | Experienced Executives + Proof of Concept Grants 333,918 | Yackstar – using internal social networks to improve employee engagement and business results Social media has forever changed the way people communicate at home. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are now part of our daily routines. Enterprises now can use similar technology within their organization to communicate, collaborate and engage with their workforce. Yackstar is a secure, private enterprise social network that harnesses the social energy of employees. By encouraging people to share content, give recognition and feedback and form collaborative teams, Yackstar can improve productivity and employee engagement within a business. With assistance from Commercialisation Australia Yackstar will develop innovative case studies to show how social businesses are more productive and engaged with their workforces. |
| Shift Geophysics | Proof of Concept Grant 198,434 | Development and commercialisation of an Unmanned Airborne Geophysical Platform Shift Geophysics proposes to commercialise a magnetometer and spectrometer system on an unmanned airborne platform. Shift Geophysics will use the grant funds to develop a stable slow moving platform that will integrate a forward looking sensor to drape the aircraft over terrain whilst recording a gradient magnetometer and spectrometer. Clients will receive a safe platform where harm to a pilot has been eliminated, data with a noise floor 10 times less and 9 times the resolution over competitors data producing an enhanced likelihood of detection of certain deposit types and attitude corrected three dimensional magnetic inverted data greatly improving drilling accuracy. |
| Sage Health Systems | Skills and Knowledge Grant 50,000 | SmartWard – automated patient care system for improved care in hospital wards at lower cost Nurses on hospital wards still use handwritten notes to record patient details. SmartWard is a new computer system, comprising sophisticated software run on robust and sterilisable hardware, that will automate patient care and management at the patient bedside. Sage Health Systems will use the Commercialisation Australia skills and knowledge grant to independently test the system with clinicians and hospital administrators. |
| Built by Team 16 | Skills and Knowledge Grant 16,160 | DATE OR DUD’© – a pioneering online multi-platform speed dating comedy show ‘DATE OR DUD’TM is an Australian created, pioneering multiplatform comedy show that utilises social media in a way that will redefine expectations of web generated content. The core innovation is bringing together an enabled online video conferencing technology and new version of the speed dating entertainment format to create the first online speed dating comedy show of its kind. |
| Tribewire Australia | Skills and Knowledge Grant 18,888 | Tapestry is an innovative technology solution which targets the needs of senior Australians, helping them stay connected with their families and the community at large. This Skills & Knowledge project will provide the Intellectual Property protection and commercialisation capabilities needed to help launch Tapestry into the market. |
| Icon Global Link | Skills and Knowledge Grant 49,896 | Business and IP strategy for Integrated Standards Enforcement System (ISES®) Food and water industries around the world are facing increased regulatory compliance and supply chain risk management requirements. Icon Global Link has developed an integrated suite of software to meet the needs of these and other industries. Commercialisation Australia is providing funding to support the development of a sound business and IP strategy for international commercialisation of this solution. http://www.government-grant.com.au/ |
| Uniquest | Skills and Knowledge Grant 50,000 | Red Bayberry commercialisation project Red Bayberry is a fruit grown in China that has extensive potential as a new fruit crop in Australia and other markets. The fruit is not currently grown in countries other than China. Researchers at The University of Queensland have selected elite varieties and have successfully grown these varieties in Queensland and Victoria. The Commercialisation Australia project will assist in defining optimal production and marketing strategies aimed at expanding the industry in Australia whilst also establishing Red Bayberry industries in other markets. The Commercialisation Australia project will also enhance propagation efficiencies to a stage where the industry can rapidly expand its production area. |
| Rytech Australia | Skills and Knowledge Grant 50,000 | Wave Energy Conversion Device (WECD) Power generation is moving away from generation using traditional fossil fuels to generation systems with a cleaner and renewable energy focus. Rytech Australia Pty Ltd has developed a Wave Energy Conversion Device that converts ocean energy directly into zero emissions green electricity. With funding from Commercialisation Australia, Rytech Australia Pty Ltd will develop a strong business plan to commercial. |
| TOTAL | 7,919,730 | Government Grant Consultant – http://www.government-grant.com.au/ |
