A high-tech gas turbine engine, featuring increased fuel efficiency and greater reliability for the recreational aircraft market is one of 12 Australian projects sharing in $4.9 million in funding under the Liberal-National Government’s latest Accelerating Commercialisation grants.

The funding will be offered to help businesses from Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia take their products to market through trials, development and market testing.

Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Karen Andrews said the grants were designed to speed up the development of high quality projects with strong local and export market potential.

“These grants are part of the Liberal-National Government’s Entrepreneurs’ Programme and support business innovation, which helps businesses expand and hire more workers,” Minister Andrews said. 

“The projects show the ingenuity that will help keep Australian businesses competitive on a global stage and stimulate more economic growth - that’s why the Coalition is committed to supporting them through this funding.

“Since the Coalition began the programme in 2014, 347 grants worth $171.5 million have been offered to Australian businesses to commercialise their ground-breaking technologies.”

Each of the grants will be matched by industry funding from the businesses. The latest funding offers will assist:

• Three South Australian businesses:
  • Turbine Aeronautics to design, distribute and supply the global recreational aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicle markets with their high-tech small gas turbine engines, which feature increased fuel efficiency and greater reliability;
  • Measurement Engineering Australia to globally commercialise its advanced data collection system for the agricultural sector, which aids in improved crop production and more efficient water allocation; and
  • Biosensis to commercialise and export its kits designed for medical researchers which allow detection and measurement of diseases previously not possible with other methods.
• Five Victorian businesses:
  • Relectrify to commercialise its battery management system that increases the lifetime and performance of battery storage systems for households, businesses and the power grid;
  • ReNerve to commercialise and gain US regulatory approval for its new material to repair damaged peripheral nerve tissues;
  • Navag8 to commercialise a mobile platform providing a modern, cost effective, business-to-business savings and investment service.
  • Handdii to commercialise its software to connect insurance companies and their policy holders to tradespeople so they can commence claim repair work immediately; and
  • Future Grid to conduct trials with a major United States utility of its software system which allows electricity network operators to use smart meter data to manage the impact of solar, battery and electric vehicles on electricity network assets.
• One Queensland business:
  • Alkira Software to commercialise its voice user system for internet access. This system for people with low or no vision takes their voice transactions on the web to a new level.
• Two New South Wales businesses:
  • Persollo to develop a commercial product from its ecommerce platform that allows users to click-purchase straight from digital ads, social media posts, digital magazines and newsletters; and
  • Pokit Innovations for commercialisation, development and expansion of functionality of its smart, hand-held oscilloscope for the electronics engineering market.
• One Western Australian business:
  • Delta Kilo to conduct field tests and commercialise its business process management and business intelligence workflow system for the logistics and warehousing industries. Based in the cloud, it replaces phone, email and spreadsheet systems.

Accelerating Commercialisation grant applications can be lodged any time and consist of matched funding of up to $1 million to cover eligible commercialisation costs, helping companies take their products to market.

More information on the recipients is available at www.business.gov.au/ac-funding-offers.

Applications for an Entrepreneurs’ Programme Accelerating Commercialisation grant can be made at www.business.gov.au/ep

Media contact: Minister Andrews' office 02 6277 7070