Deadline Date: January 22, 2026
The Western Australian Future Health Research and Innovation Fund is accepting applications for its Innovation Seed Fund to support WA innovators to develop and commercialise their health and medical innovations through start-up companies operating in WA, creating high-value jobs and enhancing the biomedical support and manufacturing capacity of the State.
It focuses on bridging the gap between early-stage innovation and market-ready solutions, enabling innovators to demonstrate feasibility, refine their concepts, and progress along a clear pathway to real-world impact for the people of Western Australia.
Funding is offered across two dedicated streams that reflect key areas of health innovation. The first stream supports devices, diagnostics, and digital technologies that aim to prevent, diagnose, treat, or monitor health conditions. These innovations may include medical devices, digital health tools, diagnostics, or implants that improve safety, effectiveness, accessibility, timeliness, or cost compared with existing practices. The second stream focuses on therapeutics and vaccines, supporting the development of drugs, compounds, and biologics such as novel medicines, vaccines, immune modulators, and other products derived from chemical or biological materials that enhance patient outcomes, safety, and quality of care.
The Program is open to a broad range of applicants, including start-ups, spin-outs, small to medium enterprises, health service providers, universities, and medical research institutes. Eligible organisations must be engaged in health and medical innovation and demonstrate a clear intention to commercialise their innovations, including through the creation of spin-out companies where appropriate.
Successful applicants can access substantial funding to support their innovation activities. Grants of up to $750,000 are available for projects within the devices, diagnostics, and digital stream, while projects in the therapeutics and vaccines stream may receive up to $1.5 million. All funded activities must be completed within a maximum period of 24 months, ensuring momentum toward validation and commercial readiness.
Eligibility for the Program is clearly defined to ensure strong local impact and responsible delivery. The responsible entity must hold an active Australian Business Number and maintain a physical and operational presence in Western Australia. The activity lead must meet residency, citizenship or visa requirements, hold a formal role or affiliation with the responsible entity, and be free of overdue reporting obligations from previous grants. Provisions are also in place to manage conflicts of interest and protect intellectual property, particularly where applicants have roles within the public health system or multiple institutional affiliations.
Proposed activities must fall within a defined innovation maturity range and demonstrate freedom to operate, with intellectual property rights appropriately held or accessible to enable delivery of the innovation. The Program excludes activities considered business-as-usual, those that duplicate existing work, or those associated with industries that negatively impact physical or mental health. Applicants must also demonstrate financial sustainability beyond the grant funding itself.
The application process is competitive and structured, beginning with an expression of interest stage. Only applicants invited by the administering body may proceed to submit a full proposal. Through this rigorous approach, the Program aims to support high-quality, impactful innovations that strengthen Western Australia’s health innovation ecosystem and deliver tangible benefits to patients and the broader community.
For more information, visit Government of Western Australia.
