Cooperative Research Australia (CRA) has expressed its support for the announcement by the Minister for Industry and Science, Ed Husic, of 23 newly funded Cooperative Research Centre Projects (CRC-Ps).
These projects, funded under Round 16 of the Cooperative Research Centres Program, will receive over $55 million in grants to drive innovation across critical sectors, including critical minerals and renewable energy.
The projects involve 109 partners, with 81 Australian industry collaborators, of which 64 are small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and 28 Australian research organisations.
This round of funding was specifically designed to encourage SMEs to participate, with a focus on projects that deliver tangible solutions to industry challenges through innovative products, services, or processes.
CRA CEO Jane O’Dwyer highlighted the importance of these projects in bolstering Australia’s competitiveness, productivity, and sustainability.
“CRC-P grants support partnerships that bring together science, research, and business, to improve the competitiveness, productivity and sustainability of Australian industries,” said CRA CEO Jane O’Dwyer.
She noted that these 23 new CRC-Ps bring the total number of projects supported by the program to 276.
The selected projects span a wide range of industries, including emergency healthcare, AI-enabled technology for the beef industry, mining digitalisation, mental health drug discovery, and offshore wind turbine solutions.
These initiatives align with the Government’s “Future Made in Australia” agenda, which aims to maximise the benefits of the transition to net zero and ensure Australia’s economic and strategic positioning in a changing global landscape.
O’Dwyer praised the program’s impact, noting, “We congratulate all 23 successful Round 16 CRC-P participants and partners. It is a highly competitive program, and all 23 of those who have been funded are projects that will make a real difference.”
For a full list of grantees, click here.
