Deadline Date: Ongoing
CSIRO Kick-Start is an initiative for innovative Australian start-ups and small businesses, providing funding support and access to CSIRO’s research expertise and capabilities to help grow and develop their business.
Through an eligibility-based application process, the program offers dollar-matched funding to help businesses undertake research and development projects that support new ideas, improved products, or advanced testing activities.
Eligible companies can receive a Kick-Start voucher valued between $10,000 and $50,000, with CSIRO SME Connect matching the company’s cash contribution. The minimum total project cost is $20,000, and while projects may exceed $100,000 in value, the voucher contribution is capped at $50,000 per project. Businesses that successfully complete an initial Kick-Start project may apply for a second voucher, subject to continued eligibility and reporting requirements.
Projects are delivered by CSIRO research units and facilities across a wide range of disciplines, including agriculture and food, data and digital technologies, energy, health and biosecurity, environment, manufacturing, mineral resources, space science, disease preparedness, and national research facilities. Each project must be completed within 12 months and is developed collaboratively between the business and CSIRO researchers, with budgets, scope of work, intellectual property arrangements, and payment schedules agreed by both parties.
Kick-Start voucher funding contributes to the costs incurred by CSIRO in delivering the project, including researcher salaries, travel and accommodation where required, and administrative and operating expenses. A limited portion of the budget may be used for consumables and project-critical external services, while capital works and infrastructure costs are excluded from funding.
To be eligible, businesses must be registered and operating in Australia, hold an Australian Company Number or Indigenous Corporation Number, be registered for GST, and be non-tax-exempt. Applicants must also have annual turnover and operating expenditure below $10 million in the most recent financial year or have been registered for less than three years. Australian subsidiaries of foreign entities are not eligible.
Following the successful completion of a first project, businesses may apply for a second Kick-Start voucher, provided they continue to meet eligibility criteria, have completed all required reporting, and have not previously received more than one voucher. Through this program, CSIRO Kick-Start enables Australian businesses to access world-class research expertise and facilities, supporting innovation, growth, and commercial success.
For more information, visit CSIRO.
