The federal government has launched a review into Australia’s research and development performance but may not live to see the result. The year-long review strategic review will be led by Robyn Denholm, chair of Telsa and the Tech Council of Australia, founder of Wollemi Capital, and operating partner at VC fund Blackbird. The review was announced… Read more »
Fintech Kashcade has raised an additional $1 million from existing investor Prandium Capital and several high net worths, alongside a $22 million warehouse facility funded by asset-backed lending specialist Rixon Capital. The digital lender offers startup founders non-dilutive capital and will use the debt warehouse to expand into the R&D lending space, so companies can… Read more »
The Australian economy would be $100 billion bigger and boosted by 42,000 new jobs if investment in research and development (R&D) was increased to 3% of GDP, according to Science & Technology Australia, the peak body for science and tech. STA president Professor Sharath Srira spoke at the National Press Club in Canberra this week, prosecuting… Read more »
Australia’s oldest venture fund, university-backed Uniseed, has doubled its research partners from five to 10 as it looks to back more startups focused on research commercialisation. Joining its founding ‘sandstone’ uni group – Queensland, NSW, Melbourne, and Sydney, plus science agency CSIRO, are Monash as a full partner, alongside a collaboration partnership of four NSW universities… Read more »
Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, is offering a new online learning program for free for startups focused on innovation in agrifood. The ‘Innovate to Grow: Agrifood’ program runs for 10 weeks from November and is designed to help early-stage companies assess how they can advance their technologies, solutions and ideas through research and development (R&D).… Read more »
This article is part of a series on big ideas for the Universities Accord. The federal government is calling for ideas to “reshape and reimagine higher education, and set it up for the next decade and beyond”. A review team is due to finish a draft report in June and a final report in December… Read more »
The NSW budget, announced last week, delivered the single-largest investment in scientific research, innovation and technological development in the state’s history – $832.7 million boost over four years. Total investment topped $1.1 billion with $270 million also announced to boost to biomedical research, on top of $119.1 million over 10 years for RNA research and… Read more »
The NSW government has opened applications for three new grant initiatives offering up to $95 million research, development and commercialisation of clean technologies. NSW treasurer and energy minister Matt Kean said the grants will help drive innovations developed by scientists and startups as part of the push towards net zero by 2050. “Boosting emerging innovations… Read more »
Each dollar invested in research and development (R&D) would earn an average of A$3.50 in economy-wide benefits for Australia, according to evidence compiled in a new report from CSIRO. Many Australians know research and development drives economic growth and improves our well-being and prosperity. However, few could describe the size of the relationship between Australia’s… Read more »
NSW is making a play to be at the cutting edge of drug and vaccine development with a new university-based lab and pre-clinical trial space to create early-stage mRNA and RNA-based drugs. mRNA is the new science behind the Pfizer and Moderna Covid vaccines. While Australia has played a key role in research and development… Read more »
Melbourne startup investment firm Fundsquire, has an extra A$75 million in the kitty to back local tech ventures thanks to a debt and equity raise from fintech investment firm Fasanara Capital. Fundsquire plans to launch new funding products in Australia, Canada, and the UK with the cash injection, as well as enable tech development and market… Read more »
The NSW government is offering to new funding schemes to help startups commercialise ideas to address impacts of Covid-19. The new $6 million R&D Fund targets innovative products developed by NSW businesses. Proposals to scale R&D products will be assessed by a panel of judges with expertise in commercialisation, venture capital, academia, government and industry.… Read more »
Australia’s long run of economic growth from the early 1990s to early 2020 inspired much boasting by incumbent politicians. But behind the hubris and headlines lies a less flattering story — about Australia riding a wave of dumb luck, with exports to China and relatively high levels of immigration masking mundane economic performance. The most… Read more »
Australian companies face five key barriers to unlocking value in innovation in a new report from the CSIRO. Talking to private and public sector leaders, the Value of science and technology report by the CSIRO Futures team, identified a range of issues, including declining investment in innovation – despite the push into tackling Covid-19 in 2020… Read more »
The Research and Development Tax Incentive (R&DTI) program is one of the most crucial yet fraught programs supporting the growth of Australian startups. The R&DTI helps offset some of the costs that businesses invest into eligible R&D and the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources is looking at reforms to improve how companies engage… Read more »
Nearly 9000 taxi drivers just scored $152 million from Uber as compensation for its illegal launch in Australia 
Fresh from its $272 million win against Uber, class action lawyers Maurice Blackburn are now eyeing off Google’s adtech 
Zip cofounder Larry Diamond makes his exit to focus on philanthropy 
SISTER ACT: Nicola Forrest drops $100 million into an investment fund to back women 
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