Offers a free eight-week program that connects SMEs with practical guidance and R&D expertise to turn their ideas into a viable health care solution.

Applications are now open for CSIRO's eight-week Innovate to Grow program, helping Australian small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) transform health care innovation ideas into research and development (R&D) projects.

The free eight-week online course provides practical guidance and tools to help SMEs identify and refine R&D opportunities, build compelling R&D business cases, and navigate funding pathways. Applications close on Sunday 13 July 2025.

The program will assist you in:

• Refining your innovation idea and learning how to transform it into an R&D opportunity
• Accessing tools and information for a comprehensive understanding of R&D collaboration and key considerations at each step
• Applying this knowledge to advance your technology or R&D concept
• Gaining industry insights from experts, researchers and your mentor
• Collaborating with like-minded SMEs and expanding your professional network.

Key program benefits:

• Personalised support to refine your idea: We'll step you through the process of turning your idea into a viable research project
• Confidential feedback: All submissions through the program portal will receive prompt expert feedback
• Mentor: You will be provided with a R&D coach paired with a researcher from CSIRO or a university to answer your questions about working on R&D projects and to help find an expert in the sector to introduce you to
• Build your network: You will build key contacts in your sector, including researchers and other SMEs.

This program is open to any SMEs based and operating in Australia who are working on health care innovation in any of these sub-sectors:

• Biomedical devices
• Multi-omics, biostatistics and bioinformatics
• Medical imaging and genomics
• Drug discovery, vaccines and therapeutics
• Advanced cell models
• Digital health
• Public health and wellbeing
• Other

Selection criteria (essential):

• A business based and operating in Australia that is registered with an ABN
• A business classified as a small to medium or startup (less than 200 employees)
• A business currently, or in the early stages of, exploring R&D opportunities for their business and have a health care innovation idea to work on throughout the course.

Click here to view full funding guidelines on the provider's website.