The NSW Government has launched a $20 million funding program aimed at supporting small businesses developing high-tech innovations, with a particular focus on boosting local manufacturing capabilities.
Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology Anoulack Chanthivong announced the new Emerging Technologies Commercialisation Fund at an event at Greenhouse, Sydney’s climate tech hub, alongside the announcement of successful recipients of the Biosciences Fund and RNA Pipeline Grants program.
“This is an important night for NSW. We gather to celebrate globally significant innovations being developed by NSW companies, which will have tangible impacts on people around the world,” Chanthivong said.
The Emerging Technologies Commercialisation Fund is a multi-year initiative designed to help startups turn research into market-ready products, services, and systems, supporting high-value job creation and positioning NSW as a leading hub for innovation. The first round opens on 6 March with a $7 million funding pool.
The Biosciences Fund, a $4.75 million program supporting biotechnology and life sciences startups, awarded grants to four companies. Recipients include All G, developing infant nutrition closer to human breast milk; HydGene Renewables, producing green hydrogen from waste biomass; Number 8 Bio, creating a methane inhibitor to reduce livestock emissions; and Swan Genomics, which has developed a simplified DNA sequencing technology suitable for regional deployment.
The RNA Pipeline Grants program, a $6 million initiative supporting RNA-based therapies and vaccines, awarded grants to Platypus Bio, which is developing a targeted RNA cancer therapy, and Vaxosome, which is working on a multiplexed mRNA tuberculosis vaccine.
The program complements the NSW Government’s $119 million RNA R&D initiatives and the upcoming RNA Research and Manufacturing Facility.
Chanthivong said the Emerging Technologies Commercialisation Fund addresses a known gap in the innovation pipeline, supporting companies that have early evidence for their technologies but require funding to scale.
“The new Fund does this through repayable grants that help de-risk development and accelerate commercialisation outcomes,” he said.
The NSW Government said the program combines elements of previous biosciences and physical sciences funding, while placing enhanced emphasis on innovations that strengthen local manufacturing capabilities.
“Stemming from our Innovation Blueprint, this initiative ensures that promising technologies can mature into investable and scalable solutions, generating real economic and social benefits for the people of NSW,” Chanthivong said.
