The NSW government is putting $20 million into a program for startups to fund commercialisation, but it comes with a catch – they have to pay it back.
The Emerging Technologies Commercialisation Fund “is designed to help NSW startups turn world-class research into market-ready products, services and systems”, creating high-value jobs and ensuring NSW remains the best place in Australia to start and grow an innovative business” a media release from innovation, science and technology minister Anoulack Chanthivong said, with preliminary applications for the first $7 million in funds open until April 29.
The ETCF is geared to back startups aligned with state’s strategic priorities, including net zero, housing and local manufacturing.
While the minister calls them grants, they have to be repaid in instalments once the startup’s EBITDA tops $500,000. The loans are worth between $500,000 and $2 million.
“The Emerging Technologies Commercialisation Fund targets the well‑known ‘gap’ in the innovation pipeline: the stage where promising technologies have early evidence but still need funding and support to mature into investable, scalable solutions,” Chanthivong said.
“The new Fund does this through repayable grants that help de‑risk development and accelerate commercialisation outcomes.”
But getting the cash will require patience, since the three-step competitive process will see applicants told in July if they’ve been invited to make a full application, followed by interviews in September, and finally, the recipients announced in October 2026, six months after applications close.
Guidelines and the application form are here.
Meanwhile, the government has opened round 3 of MVP Ventures grants program.
It has two streams: the first offers a maximum grant of $50,000 with a minimum co-contribution of 50%; the second is for eligible women-owned, regional, and Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander businesses, worth up to $75,000 with a minimum co-contribution of 25%.
Applications close Sunday, 5 April, 2026. Information and to apply at MVP Ventures Program.
Bioscience grants
The government also announced grant recipients for two research commercialisation programs the Biosciences Fund and RNA Pipeline Grants program.
The Biosciences Fund, worth $4.75 million, is for NSW startups in biotechnology and life sciences. The recipients are:
All G, which is replicating the composition and function of breast milk for human nutrition.
HydGene Renewables, a biocacatalyst technology that converts waste biomass into green hydrogen for producing key primary molecules at low cost – such as ammonia and methanol – without fossil fuels.
Number 8 Bio, which is tackling livestock carbon emissions with a methane inhibitor molecule that can be produced at scale and low cost, which is ingested by cattle and sheep, and dissolves in the stomach over 4-6 months.
Swan Genomics, DNA sequencing tech that’s simpler and cheaper than conventional platforms for regional hospitals, diagnostic labs, and field sites.
The $6 million RNA Pipeline Grants program went to two companies: Platypus Bio, which is developing ‘TRICK’ – Trigger RNA-Induced Cell Killing, which activates in cancer cells to destroy the diseased cell while sparing healthy tissue; and Vaxosome, a mRNA vaccine for tuberculosis treatment.
