The first round of Australia's Economic Accelerator (AEA) grants is now open, with $180 million in funding available for researchers and industry partners to commercialise research related to the Federal Government's priority areas.
The AEA is designed to build a research commercialisation ecosystem from discovery research through to commercialisation, ensuring Australia reaps the benefits of investment in research within the university sector.
The $1.6 billion AEA programme currently offers funding through AEA Ignite (proof-of-concept) and AEA Innovate (proof-of-scale) grants for projects
AEA Ignite provides up to $500,000 per grant for TRL 3, 4, or 5 projects for up to 12 months, while AEA Innovate provides up to $5 million per grant for TRL 5, 6, or 7, for up to 24 months respectively.
AEA-funded projects must be in one of the National Reconstruction Fund (NRF) Corporation priority areas, which include renewables and low emission technologies, medical science, transport, value-add in the agriculture, forestry and fisheries, value-add in resources, defence capability, and enabling capabilities.
Within these priorities, the first round of AEA funding will prioritise projects that align with one or more of the following areas: critical and strategic minerals processing, sustainable fuels, digital agriculture, quantum, artificial intelligence (AI), and advanced manufacturing.
Organisations must be an Australian public university, Australian private university, or an Australian organisation in the 'University College' category to be eligible for funding.
The AEA will initially run over ten years from 2023 to 2032, supported with funding from the $1.6 billion investment by the Australian Government in the research commercialisation ecosystem. The program is part of the Australian Government's research commercialisation agenda, and forms part of its efforts to supercharge commercialisation of Australia's world leading research in the university sector.
