Manufacturers awarded $3.7 million in grants through commercialisation fund






A tranche of grant funding worth $3.7 million has been awarded to six manufacturers through the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre Commercialisation Fund.

A statement from industry minister Christian Porter highlighted Western Australian company Alcolizer, which is developing a rapid antigen-based Covid-19 test. 

Alcolizer was awarded $742,363 to work with research and industry partners — combining breakthroughs from the University of Technology Sydney and hardware technologies developed by Alcolizer — to develop a new medical device called the Virulizer, able to produce a result for symptomatic and asymptomatic infectees in under ten minutes.

The Virulizer had previously earned a $150,000 grant from the Innovative Manufacturing CRC. Alcolizer’s core business is in breath tests for alcohol and other drugs. These tests are used by police, mine site operators and others. 

Recipients (see the five others below) sharing in the $3.7 million are from the federal government’s six National Manufacturing Priorities.

AMGC Managing Director, Dr Jens Goennemann said, “These are not grants for grants sake. AMGC has fine-tuned the impact of its grant program over the past 5-years. We know what works and we know how to derive value for the manufacturer, the industry, and the taxpayer.”

Funding covers up to 50 per cent of a project’s cost, and is targeted at manufacturing businesses with a product between Technology Readiness Level 7 and 9.

The Commercialisation Fund was announced by former industry minister Karen Andrews only three months ago, and is budgeted at $30 million in total, meaning approximately $26 million in grants will be awarded in future.

Other recipients:

  • Harvest B Pty Ltd (Condell Park, NSW) has received $1 million to help develop its production facility for a variety of textured plant-based proteins for plant-based meat applications, initially for the domestic but in the future through export internationally, replacing protein ingredients which are currently imported.
  • Omni Tanker (Smeaton Grange, NSW) has received $700,000 for the development of two types of carbon fibre tanks for storing and transporting cryogenic liquid propellants such as fuel for space rockets.
  • Loupe Geophysics Pty Ltd (WA) has received $408,745 for its portable electromagnetic system device that helps locate mineral deposits.
  • Glyde It (Sydney, NSW) has received $425,500 to help manufacture its revolutionary biodegradable tampon insertion product.
  • Zeroco.com.au Pty Ltd (Byron Bay, NSW) has received $461,496 to help design, develop, test and build a world-first machine to clean and sanitise reusable pouches for personal-care and home-cleaning products.

Picture: https://www.imcrc.org/2020/11/10/alcolizer/

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