Experts in advanced manufacturing have been added as industry advisers to the Albanese government’s flagship commercialisation and scale up program, as its grants trickle out to local startups.
Industry minister Ed Husic on Thursday announced the addition of the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre and industry group AusBioTech as a partner organisation for the government’s $392 million Industry Growth Program, which has now dished out 20 grants.
Led by Dr Jens Goennemann, the AMGC has championed Australia’s manufacturing capability and supported emerging ventures since 2015, counting companies like Samsara Eco, Harvest B and Vaxxas among its supported projects.
AMGC joins the program under a $1.9 million grant and will provide expert advice to participants in the manufacturing sector and a focus on ventures in transport, Defence and value-add to resources.
“AMGC has a track record for working cross-industry and cross-discipline to deliver positive outcomes for industry,” Dr Goennemann said. “Our appointment as an Industry Partner Organisation will complement our ongoing commitment to Australian manufacturers.”
AusBioTech, led by chief executive Rebekah Cassidy, has also been added to provide its sector specific advice to participants.
The other IGP Industry Partner Organisations are fellow not for profits MTPConnect, the Advanced Robotics For Manufacturing Hub, and the Food and Agribusiness Network Limited, all also on near-$2 million grants. The Australian Hydrogen Council is also an adviser on a $920,000 grant.
“We’re serious about backing local know-how, that’s why we’re ensuring growing businesses have the support they need to increase our manufacturing capability and keep more jobs here in Australia,” Industry minister Ed Husic said in a statement.
Mr Husic also celebrated the IGP’s 20th grant in five months since the first were awarded.
The program offers two grant streams to Australian ventures. An Early-Stage Commercialisation grant ranges from $50,000 to $250,000 to help establish the commercial viability of an product, process, or service. The other Commercialisation and Growth stream offers grants from $100,000 to $5 million to help move ideas from prototyping through to market readiness stages.
Recipients are selected based on the advice of innovation experts and also gain access to a support network of individual advisers and the industry partner groups.
Advice and admin costs will swallow more than 25 per cent of the IGP’s $392 million budget, leaving $105 million less in funding for early-stage commercialisation grants.
The program ends a funding gap for early-stage companies after the incoming Albanese government scrapped the Entrepreneurs Programme in 2022 to help seed its own commitments.
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