Experimental Development Program
Overview
The SIEF Experimental Development Program (EDP) is designed to address a significant gap in current funding options available for progressing technology development to a stage suitable for attracting commercial investment and market uptake. The EDP will play an important role in the overall SIEF Portfolio, complimenting current SIEF programs and activities.
If you are considering submitting a proposal to the SIEF EDP, please contact the SIEF Team prior to commencing your application to discuss key aspects including eligibility.
Objectives
To support research that:
- is at the experimental development end of the research continuum
- translates research for commercial impact
- moves discoveries along the pathway to commercialisation
- accelerates commercialisation and entrepreneurial activities
- ‘de-risks’ for future commercial investors
Eligibility Criteria
- Lead Applicant must be an Eligible Organisation in the Industry portfolio (Eligible organisations are: CSIRO, ANSTO, AIMS, Geoscience Australia).
- Research activities must primarily be conducted by the Lead Applicant
- Pre-screening for commercial viability must have been conducted by the Lead Applicant
- Research activities must align with the SIEF Primary Purpose
- Funding will only be available for activities that fall under the definition of ‘Research’; and specifically ‘Experimental Development’
- Application must be endorsed by all Collaborating Organisations and by an authorised delegate
- Lead Applicant/institution and researchers must comply with the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (2018).
- Successful Applicants must enter into a SIEF Funding Agreement by the specified date
Please refer to the EDP Guidelines for further information.
Level and Period of Funding
- All amounts referred to are to be read as exclusive of GST (if any), unless expressly stated otherwise
- On a case by case basis, SIEF funding under the EDP is expected to be in the range:
- $0.25m – $2m total. The total funds requested from SIEF must be met through co-investment by the Lead Applicant (and collaborators) with in-kind and cash contributions.
- over a period of 6 months to 2 years
- SIEF funding will be structured in a stage-gated manner based on milestones against expenditure
Assessment Process
The process for awarding EDP funding will be an open call to Eligible Organisations (refer Guidelines). The aim is to review, and if approved by the Trustee, execute a Funding Agreement within 6-8 weeks of submission.
Assessment of proposals will be conducted by the SIEF EDP Panel who may also seek advice from external experts as necessary (on a confidential basis); Applicants may be requested to attend an interview with the SIEF EDP Panel. The SIEF EDP Panel will include at least one member of the SIEF Advisory Council (or nominee), together with independent experts with commercialisation and/or technical domain specific expertise. Recommendations from the EDP Panel will be made to the Trustee; all recommendations will remain confidential; all investments are subject to final decision by the SIEF Trustee; no funding will be granted unless a SIEF Funding Agreement has been entered into between the successful Applicants and the Trustee within a specified timeframe.
The SIEF EDP Panel has developed a set of Common Issues and Questions arising during the assessment process. You don’t necessarily need answers to all these questions at the Application stage, but you should indicate that these issues have been/are being considered.
Both successful and unsuccessful Applicants will be notified of the Trustee’s decision. The SIEF Trustee’s decision is not subject to appeal; appeals against administrative processes may be considered.
It is expected the Lead Applicant will have conducted a review process to ensure only high quality proposals that meet all the eligibility criteria are submitted; in particular, through this review, the Lead Applicant must ensure:
- that the technology is at least at a TRL4
- commercialisation planning is well advanced;
- a clear path to end users (including potential partner companies) can be presented; and
- technical matters associated with the proposal have been adequately considered.
If you are considering submitting a proposal to the SIEF EDP, please contact the SIEF Team prior to commencing your application to discuss key aspects including eligibility.
Post award reporting
Milestones will be provided in a stage-gate fashion in the Application; SIEF funds will be associated with each Milestone.
Time between Milestone Reports will be determined on a case by case basis but must be at least every six months (for short projects, this may be at more frequent intervals).
Content of each Reports:
- Lead Organisations must provide confirmation that the project is still supported and on track to deliver, endorsed by the authorised Lead Organisation Delegate
- Brief report showing evidence Milestones have been met
- Outline of ‘other activities’ (eg BD, IP) that are tracking in parallel (to provide confidence the commercialisation side of activities is progressing also)
- Financial declaration – confirmation that intended funds have been expended and co-investment are as per the Funding Agreement
Forms and Templates
Experimental Development Program Application
Experimental Development Program Guidelines