.jpg)
The New South Wales Government will open applications for its new $20 million Emerging Technologies Commercialisation Fund (ETCF) on Friday, aiming to address a critical funding gap faced by startups during the scale-up phase.
The first funding round, capped at $7 million, will provide grants of up to $2 million to NSW-headquartered deep-tech startups developing physical devices and advanced life sciences technologies.
Recommended under the NSW Innovation Blueprint and funded in the previous state budget, the ETCF is designed to move early-stage technologies closer to commercial markets. The program will replace two earlier initiatives — the Biosciences Fund and the Physical Sciences Fund — which together have provided around $10 million in support since 2019 and 2023.
At a launch event held at the Greenhouse Climate Tech Hub, NSW Innovation Minister Anoulack Chanthivong announced the fund alongside six new grants awarded through the Biosciences Fund and the RNA Pipeline Grants Program.
“This is an important night for NSW. We gather to celebrate globally significant innovations being developed by NSW companies, which will have tangible impacts on people around the world,” Chanthivong said.
Among the grant recipients are AgTech startup Number 8 Bio, biotechnology company Platypus Bio, Macquarie University green-hydrogen spin-out HydGene Renewables, and genomics firm Swan Genomics, which has developed a novel DNA sequencing platform.
When it opens, the ETCF will focus on projects aligned with NSW strategic priorities, including net zero, housing, and local manufacturing. The fund will support companies working at Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 3–7, targeting technologies with early validation that require further development before large-scale investment.
To qualify, companies must:
- Be headquartered in NSW
- Generate less than $2.5 million in annual revenue
- Own their intellectual property or hold an exclusive licence to commercialise it in Australia
Similar to the Physical Sciences Fund, the grants will be repayable once a company’s earnings before tax exceed $500,000, and at least 65% of the funding must be spent within NSW.
According to Chanthivong, the ETCF is intended to de-risk development and accelerate commercialisation for emerging technologies.
“Stemming from our Innovation Blueprint, the ETCF targets the well-known ‘gap’ in the innovation pipeline: the stage where promising technologies have early evidence but still need funding and support to mature into investable, scalable solutions,” he said.
Check this link for more information: https://npd-web.matrix.squiz.cloud/ocse/industry-development/commercialisation-grants/emerging-technologies-commercialisation-fund
