CRC-P grants deliver $55 million boost for Australian innovations in energy, mining, and health
Government support will help scale cutting-edge technologies across key sectors, including hydrogen storage and pancreatic cancer detection.
The Federal Government has announced more than $55 million in grants to support Australian innovations in critical minerals, renewable energy, and other industries.
The funding, unveiled today by Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic, is part of the Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) grants program, which encourages short-term, industry-led research collaborations. The grants range from $100,000 to $3 million, with successful projects spanning up to three years.
Among the 23 projects funded in Round 16 is a cutting-edge hydrogen storage initiative led by Rux Energy. The project, in partnership with the University of Sydney, Vireo Energy, ANL Container Line, and South Australian Hydrogen Hubs Incorporated, will focus on developing advanced nanoporous materials for bulk hydrogen storage and export. This collaboration seeks to address key challenges in efficiency, safety, and cost by leveraging green manufacturing processes.
The project, valued at $8.78 million, has received $3 million in CRC-P funding and will run from January 2025 to December 2027. It aims to position Australia as a leader in hydrogen export markets, with pilot manufacturing and industrial validation trials planned to advance the commercialisation of the technology.
Other successful grant recipients in this round include Nonocube Health, which received $3 million to develop technology for early detection and treatment of pancreatic cancer, and Miniprobes, awarded $1.5 million to deliver an AI-enabled optical scanner for assessing beef quality. Emesent received $2.4 million to pioneer an innovative autonomous mining platform to collect and merge data from field robots and sensors.
Minister Husic noted the importance of supporting Australian businesses, saying, "More than $55 million for scaling up good ideas is what will help drive business in the longer term." He added, "We're backing Aussie businesses and that's how you create jobs for Aussie workers."
Since its inception in 1990, the CRC Program has helped fund the commercialisation of technologies across a variety of industries, including agriculture, clean technology, mining, and health.
