Funding now open for the NSW Small Business Innovation & Research Program
NSW Small Business Innovation & Research Program is looking to fund innovative SMEs. Photo: Pexels.
The 2022 Small Business Innovation & Research program (SBIR) Round Two Challenges have been announced and the Office of the NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer (OCSE) is now accepting Feasibility study grant applications.
The SBIR program is a $24 million initiative of the NSW Government that provides competitive grants to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to collaborate and develop solutions to complex problems in new and innovative ways.
SBIR program challenges are well-defined problems currently faced by the NSW Government, which require innovative technologies that are not yet commercially available. The SBIR program will assist challenge agencies to identify solutions, assess technology feasibility and pilot, trial and demonstrate the solution to develop a commercial product.
Up to $12 million is allocated for the 2022 SBIR program round.
Companies will first apply for a Feasibility study grant of up to $100,000 for a project of up to three months.
Companies which successfully complete a feasibility study will then have the opportunity to apply and be assessed for a further proof-of-concept grant of up to $1,000,000 to carry out a more in-depth demonstration of their solution's ability to meet the needs of the challenge agency through a project of up to 15 months,
Challenge statements
Proposed solutions address one of the 2022 SBIR challenges. Each challenge describes a current NSW Government agency problem requiring an innovative solution.
Seven challenges have been defined for the 2022 SBIR round:
· Waste Recovery and Management
· Biosecurity Surveillance
· Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Services
· Recycled Content Verification
· School Zones Alerting System
· Urban Heat Island
· Vital Sign Monitoring
The NSSN encourages our SME sensing industry partners to apply. We can help with linking your organisation with our member universities and research capabilities.
The NSSN has previously worked closely with companies to secure funding in prior rounds, with two projects successfully graduating to Phase 2 proof of concept stage.
Please contact Nicholas Haskins if you require assistance.
The NSW Smart Sensing Network (NSSN), a consortium of nine leading universities across NSW and the ACT, is a not-for-profit innovation network that brings together universities, industry and government to translate world-class research into innovative smart sensing solutions that create value for NSW and beyond.