Addressing global health challenges, championing sustainability through circularity, and advancing the realms of advanced manufacturing, are some of the areas of innovation teams selected for the next stage of CSIRO's ON Accelerate program are advancing.
Australia's national science agency, CSIRO, has revealed the 12 deep-tech project teams forming part of the program's next phase to develop high-potential innovative ventures for launch into the Australian market.
ON Accelerate is a structured accelerator for entrepreneurial researchers, providing them the tools and resources to translate their great ideas into real-world impact as a startup.
The program provides researchers access to a network of industry experts and investors, enabling them to refine and validate their ideas for commercial success, ultimately helping them secure funding and build a company.
CSIRO Chief Executive, Doug Hilton said the ON program has reshaped Australian innovation since its 2015 launch.
"ON Accelerate is about creating national benefits for Australia by giving researchers the skills they need to navigate their ideas along the often-fraught road between the lab and the market," Dr Hilton said.
"Research commercialisation, science entrepreneurship and technical collaboration are all critical skills for Australia's future and the ON program is equipping the next generation of innovators with the skills they need to make a difference for our future."
The 12 teams moving to the next stage of ON Accelerate include:
- Jessie Technology, from the Australian Catholic University and supported by Microsoft, has developed an autonomous data entry technology that enhances the quality of care for aged care residents by reducing the time needed for workers to input data and compliance documentation while also enhancing workforce retention and meeting aged care provider compliant requirements.
- Automated Policy Management Systems (APMS), supported by the Australian National University, simplifies the security accreditation process for SMEs entering the Defence Industry by mapping relationships between security documents, streamlining DISP (Defence Industry Security Program) applications, and supporting ongoing compliance.
- ErythroSight, also from the Australian National University, is tackling a major challenge in treating retinal diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration, by developing a novel therapeutic from patients' own red blood cells.
- AquaTone Solutions, hailing from Griffith University, is harnessing the convergence of life sciences and machine learning to pioneer intelligent prawn farm management and deliver timely alerts to stakeholders on a local and global scale.
- Infinite Bioworks, from James Cook University, is a startup specialising in advanced starter cells to fuel the future bio-revolution. The team's goal is to partner with customers to develop advanced materials and ingredients that positively impact the planet.
- RestorTOL, from Monash University, has developed an immune tolerance platform that identifies disease-causing epitopes and immune cell receptors in healthy humans. The technology can be used to create therapeutics such as vaccines and cell-based therapies for incurable diseases.
- Originating out of the University of Newcastle, Wild Yeast Zoo's technology leverages native yeast strains from Australia's diverse ecosystems, isolating and characterising them to unlock novel pathways for industries like brewing, baking, pharmaceuticals, and biofuels.
- Plasmid Therapy is a joint effort team from The Westmead Institute for Medical Research and The University of Sydney. The team is working on a technology that addresses the global threat of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) infections. Removing AMR genes from bacteria and keeping them out with an affordable and safe oral solution makes common treatments safer and more effective.
- Environmental Measurement Unit Systems or EMUS, from The University of Sydney deliver advanced heat stress management systems for athletes that in real-time optimises performance and keeps players safe.
- From the University of Western Australia and partners, Cytophenix's patented technology is an AI-boosted antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST), delivering clinically actionable evidence of antibiotic effectiveness in 3-5 hours, compared to the current 2-5 days.
- CSIRO's Mycena Biochemicals team has developed a novel manufacturing technology that is more versatile, productive, and sustainable than conventional bioreactor fermentation systems. It has the potential to make bioproducts more accessible and enable new products to come to market.
- Continuous3D, another team from CSIRO, offers a fully automated solution for efficiently repairing critical metal components using sensors and advanced algorithms, significantly reducing robot program development time from weeks to minutes.
In February, the teams drawn from universities and research institutions nationwide will embark on an intensive immersion week, setting the stage for a rigorous three-month ON Accelerate program.
They will collaborate with a carefully selected group of experts, engaging in personalised coaching and development plans.
The program aims to provide the cohort with comprehensive insights to transform their projects into market-ready ventures.
Teams that complete the full ON Accelerate program will graduate with a robust business model, a well-defined route to commercialisation, and be viable startups.
For additional images of participating ON Accelerate 8 teams, please click here.
Fast Facts:
- 12 deep-tech project teams forming part of ON Accelerate program's next phase to develop high-potential innovative ventures for launch into the Australian market.
- More than 4800 researchers from over 1200 teams from 52 Australian universities and publicly funded research organisations have developed their research translation skills through ON.
- Since the program was established, ON alumni have formed 70 new companies, employed more than 600 people and raised more than $311 million in investment capital.
- Over $305 million in commercialisation grants have also been secured by ON alumni.
