What this program funds
The Commercialisation stream backs Australian SMEs turning innovative products into revenue. It funds the expensive middle: pilot manufacturing, regulatory approvals, first commercial deployments and market validation - the stage where most deep-tech companies run out of money.
Grants are matched, meaning the program contributes up to 50% of eligible project costs and your business covers the rest. Priority sectors include medical science, renewables and low-emission technology, robotics, defence capability, agriculture and enabling technologies.
Are you eligible?
Your real odds - and how to improve them
Roughly 1 in 5 applications is funded. Applications with prior program advisory engagement, signed customer evidence, and quantified commercial projections historically score materially higher. Most consultants won't tell you this number - we lead with it.
Assessors score four criteria: the novelty of your innovation, the credibility of your commercialisation path, your team's capacity to deliver, and value for public money. Weak applications fail on the second - vague market claims without customer evidence. If you have letters of intent, pilots or pre-orders, they belong front and centre.
What the application involves
A two-stage process: an initial Expression of Interest reviewed by an Industry Growth adviser, then a full application if invited. Budget 20–40 hours for a self-written full application - or use the Application Builder to compress it into days with a guided Q&A that drafts every section in the assessor's scoring language.