Assistant Minister for Science, Jobs and Innovation, Mr Zed Seselja, has announced the opening of the fifth round of Australian Government CRC Project (CRC-P) grants.
Making the announcement, Mr Seselja said the program is targeting short-term industry-led collaborative research projects that will develop products, services or processes to deliver tangible outcomes and commercial benefits to participants and their industry sectors.
“The CRC Program remains a cornerstone of the Australian Government’s commitment to driving collaboration to strengthen our industries,” Senator Seselja said.
“We’re helping Australian industries capitalise on our world-class research capabilities to improve their competitiveness, productivity and sustainability, and to help them grow and create new jobs.”
Businesses, research organisations and industries will apply for grants of up to $3 million to work together to develop practical solutions to challenges in industry, and Mr Seselja is confident that the program will attract strong interest from a broad range of industry sectors.
“CRC Projects are an important part of the Government’s broader CRC Program, and to date we’ve invested $133 million in 63 projects,” the Senator Seselja remarked.
“Discovered in 2004, Graphene is the lightest, strongest, thinnest, best heat and electricity-conducting material that exists today. A $1.8 million grant for further research to study how this material can be utilised for new generation products with enhanced performance was awarded in the fourth round of the CRC-P grants.”
“This project will address a number of industry knowledge gaps with regard to specific applications of this material in the polymers industry, and the potential for value-adding opportunities across a range of Australian manufacturing sectors.”
According to the Minister, applications to the fifth CRC-P round close on 27 March 2018, with funding outcomes to be announced in June 2018.
