24 manufacturers awarded $ 9 million in commercialisation grants

The latest round of grants under the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre’s Commercialisation Fund has been announced, with 24 manufacturers sharing in $9.03 million in assistance to commercialise products including a super-fast Covid-19 test, quality hardwood from timber waste, and “smart shoes”.

Private investment was roughly four times the value of grants, according to a statement from AMGC, with manufacturers investing $32.4 million in projects. Each of the projects falls under the federal government’s six National Manufacturing Priorities: Recycling and Clean Energy, Medical Products, Food and Beverage, Resource Technology and Critical Mineral Processing, Space, and Defence.

Recipients (a full list is reproduced below) include: 

• • Diagnostics developer Examin, which was awarded $647,665 to commercialise a two-minute COVID-19 breath test (pictured) with 97 to 98 per cent accuracy;
  • 3RT, which makes robotic cells – which turn wood residues into a product with the properties of 100-year-old hardwood – in collaboration with Bosch Advanced Manufacturing Solutions and other partners. It earned $698,420 to scale up manufacturing of their technology; and
  • Reid Print Technologies, which gained $300,000 for field trials and commercial certification of orthotic inserts for diabetes sufferers.

“This latest tranche of co-investment demonstrates the broad capability of Australian manufacturing and its ability to drive jobs growth across the entire spectrum of manufacturing roles, known as the Smiley Curve – that is jobs in R&D, Design through to production, distribution, and highly-sought after sales and services positions,” said AMGC Managing Director Dr Jens Goennemann in a statement on Thursday.  

Approximately $29 million of a $30 million funding pool had been allocated 10 months after the launch of the program. According to Goennemann this represented, “the appetite for co-capital investment and the manufacturing industry’s willingness to match or better Federal investment to commercialise Australian ideas for domestic and international markets.”

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RECYCLING AND CLEAN ENERGY

• Allthread Industries (NSW) – Recycling and Clean Energy – Develop and automate a new thermal arc spray line to manufacture corrosion-resistant structural fasteners, which offer superior value and environmental performance when compared to imported hot-dipped galvanised fasteners. Total project commitment $8.86 million ($367,860 from Commercialisation Fund)
• Plantabl (VIC) – Recycling and Clean Energy – Commercialisation and manufacture of Great Wrap’s biopolymer resin (cling wrap) derived from organic waste, to produce a compostable stretch wrap that can replace plastic cling, silage, and pallet wraps. Total project commitment $6.41 million ($534,760 from Commercialisation Fund)
• 3RT (VIC) – Recycling and Clean Energy – Development of large-scale manufacturing capability for 3RT’s innovative and patented technology which converts low-value wood residue into a new hardwood with the same properties as 100-year-old timber. Total project commitment $3,326,840 ($698,420 from Commercialisation Fund)
• Sustinet (NSW) – Recycling and Clean Energy – Commercialisation of a scalable process utilising sugarcane waste to make value-add products such as mushroom grow bags. Once implemented, the Sustinent process will also be able to address problematic waste from cotton, rice, or wheat crops. Total project commitment $2.94 million ($499,500 from Commercialisation Fund)
• Endua (QLD) – Recycling and Clean Energy – Development of onshore manufacturing capability for affordable hydrogen power banks that will deliver 100% renewable energy, on demand, as electricity. Total project commitment $2.28 million ($984,240 from Commercialisation Fund)
• Solar Analytics (NSW) – Recycling and Clean Energy – Manufacturer of SolarConnect product to manage energy generation and consumption from rooftop solar, inverters and batteries to achieve maximum benefit from rooftop solar systems. Total project commitment $1.44 million ($500,000 from Commercialisation Fund)
• Venlo (QLD) – Recycling and Clean Energy – Manufacture of a100% recycled, repairable pallet, managed within a circular & closed-loop automated repair and remanufacturing system that is tracked/traced and serviced within a global network driving critical continual improvement in safety, security, providence and cost reduction outcomes. Total project commitment $710,900 ($450,000 from Commercialisation Fund)
• Geofabrics (NSW) – Recycling and Clean Energy – Integration of recycled materials into Geofabrics’ new and improved drainage products for infrastructure sector via a purpose-built manufacturing process to meet market demand for circular recycling solutions. Total project commitment $607,000 ($252,000 from Commercialisation Fund)
• TomKat Global (QLD) – Recycling and Clean Energy – Manufacture of a new thermal container for the transportation of temperature sensitive and perishable produce. The KoolPak has superior thermal performance to a polystyrene container, it is multi-use, fully traceable and recyclable. Total project commitment $555,000 ($267,500 from Commercialisation Fund)
• YOUC (VIC) – Recycling and Clean Energy – Commercialisation of a new ‘Smart Box’ system which will enable the tracking and tracing of boxes through the manufacturing process allowing for real-time restocking, reordering and waste reduction. Total project commitment $710,900 ($297,500 from Commercialisation Fund)

MEDICAL PRODUCTS

• Ceramisphere (NSW) – Medical Products – Development of a manufacturing capability of transdermal (skin) drug delivery system using its unique nanocomposite patch technology for pain relief. Total project commitment $2.17 million ($471,000 from Commercialisation Fund)
• Elenium (VIC) – Medical Products – Develop a biometric device that can be deployed into a range of environments to automate biometric identification for access control, ticketing, contact tracing (requiring Government integration), vaccination and antigen test status, and the capability to perform contactless fever detection once approved. Total project commitment $1.35 million ($553,364 from Commercialisation Fund)
• Examin (QLD) – Medical Products – Commercialisation of a 2-minute COVID-19 breath test using a novel electrochemical biosensor that detects viral load at a molecular level with a sensitivity and specificity of 97%-98%. Total project commitment $1.3 million ($647,665 from Commercialisation Fund)
• Vaxxas (QLD) – Medical Products – Scaling and automation of manufacturing capability to produce a novel, needle-free vaccination platform. The High-Density Micro-projection Array Patch (HD-MAP) aims to improve the efficacy, reach, safety and economics of vaccination. Total project commitment $1.59 million ($600,000 from Commercialisation Fund)
• Minomic Int (NSW) – Medical Products – Commercialisation of the MiCheck® Prostate test that is designed to detect life threatening aggressive prostate cancer in its early stages.  MiCheck® Prostate overcomes the low accuracy of conventional screening tests to reduce unnecessary intervention such as painful biopsies and improve overall management of the patient. Total project commitment $793,856 ($396,928 from Commercialisation Fund)
• Reid Print Technologies (QLD) – Medical Products – Field trials and commercial certification of a novel ‘Smart Shoe Insole’ (Smart Orthotics Sensor Skin), used to monitor the onset of foot ulcers that commonly afflict diabetes sufferers. Total project commitment $690,000 ($300,000 from Commercialisation Fund)

FOOD AND BEVERAGE

• TPS (QLD) – Food and Beverage – Commercialisation of advanced digital sensors for testing of water quality parameters in the food and beverage sector. Total project commitment $1.31 million ($444,875 from Commercialisation Fund)
• ICEE (VIC) – Food and Beverage – Commercialisation of Bouncee, a reusable and collapsible insulated crate and coolant system for short transit perishable logistics, such as click and collect, and home delivery. Total project commitment $1.31 million ($444,875 from Commercialisation Fund)

DEFENCE

• Premcar (VIC) – Defence – Development of a manufacturing program to support the installation of a new, latest-technology, powertrain into land-based defence vehicles for local and export applications. Total project commitment $1.53 million ($699,931 from Commercialisation Fund)
• Microbio (QLD) – Defence – Establish sovereign manufacturing of Microbio’s unique InfectID PCR testing technology that provides rapid, highly sensitive bacterial, fungal, and viral pathogen identification in clinical samples for defence and civilian use. Total project commitment $1.11 million ($407,119 from Commercialisation Fund)

RESOURCE TECHNOLOGY AND CRITICAL MINERAL PROCESSING

• EQ Resources (VIC) – Resource Technology and Critical Mineral Processing – Commercialisation and scaling of EQ Resources’ large-scale x-ray (XRT) and hyperspectral imaging (HIS) sensors for front-end loaders enabling the sorting of tungsten from historic mine waste stockpiles. Total project commitment $2.17 million ($471,000 from Commercialisation Fund)
• Technofast (QLD) – Resource Technology and Critical Mineral Processing – Commercialisation of Technofast’s Hydraulic Head Nut, which replaces original retaining nuts used to fasten the conical “mantle” in massive gyratory ore crushers. Because crushers are subject to rapid wear and need regular replacement, the new fasteners allow for rapid replacement and maintenance, thereby reducing machine downtime and increasing operational safety for workers. Total project commitment $518,970 ($259,485 from Commercialisation Fund)

SPACE

• Spiral Blue (NSW) – Space – Commercialisation of Rainbow Python: a world-first integrated hyperspectral instrument and onboard computer that allows for the chemical analysis of any location on earth from space for use in agriculture, forestry, mining, and other sectors. Total project commitment $2.97 million ($578,000 from Commercialisation Fund)
• Black Sky Aero (QLD) – Space – Establish sovereign manufacture of vital precursor materials for solid rocket propellant not currently produced in Australia. This will lead to significant domestic and export market opportunities. Total project commitment $1.1 million ($497,750 from Commercialisation Fund)