The SRN Seed Project funding scheme is a competitive program that supports collaboration between NSW/ACT-based businesses and SRN universities. A key catalyst for collaboration between Space industry SMEs and academia is the provision of seed funding for early-stage proof of concept projects. The purpose of the SRN Seed Projects is to grow space industry capability within NSW/ACT. Network funds will be used to prime proof of concept projects that have the potential to lead to innovations and solutions that are well suited to leverage further R&D funding, and lead to technology transfer and commercialisation opportunities.
SRN support for Seed Projects is based on a co-investment model. Successful proposals can be funded up to $75,000 per project to match industry project contributions. Matching industry co-funding is a pre-requisite for a successful application, with at least 25% of co-funding cash from SMEs (up to 200 employees) and matching funding from larger entities.
Eligibility
To be eligible, projects must be led by NSW/ACT-based enterprises in collaboration with SRN universities. Both SRN funding and Industry cash contribution must be used to conduct R&D activities at the partner university.
Application process
Proposals for the SRN SPL scheme should be submitted electronically to admin@srn.org.au by the due date.
Assessment
All complete applications will be assessed by the Technical Review Panel on a competitive basis relative to the selection criteria:
- Novelty and potential to become world-leading
- Degree of research excellence, making reference to novelty, significance, and ambition
- Identified need in space
- Demonstrates high potential to satisfy an existing or emerging space capability need or a current or emerging space industry need
- Potential for impact and implementation pathway
- Relevance and potential impact for the NSW space sector
- Capacity and capability of applicants to commercialise project IP
- Team track record
- Team’s ability to deliver proposed project, including appropriateness of track record, balance of skills within the project team, and feasibility given requested/available resources
Timeline
| 01 Aug 22 | Applications open |
| 16 Sep 22 | Applications due |
| Nov 22 | Review period |
| 02 Dec 22 | Result announced |
| Dec 22 – Jan 23 | Contracting |
Documents
Funding Outcomes for Round 1, 2022-23
| ID | Project | Investigator(s) | Lead University | Institutional Partner | Industry Partner | Announced | Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP220201 | Spaceborne bushfire modelling and validation. Major bushfires have been exacerbated by climate change. Hence, UNSW, UTS, Imperial College London, and Spiral Blue propose to work together to combine bushfire modelling and validation within the challenging satellite environment. UNSW and UTS will focus on the mapping of bushfire for the validation of modelling results. Imperial will contribute with their unique bushfire modelling algorithms. Spiral Blue and UNSW will prototype the bushfire modelling and mapping algorithms into the computing environment on-board the Spiral Blue satellites to demonstrate an impactful application of the concept of space edge computing that is pioneered by Spiral Blue. | Dr. Henry Zhong, Prof. Linlin Ge; A/Prof. Chun Tung Chou; Prof. Alfredo Huete; Dr. Andrea Giusti | University of New South Wales | University of Technology Sydney; Imperial College London | Spiral Blue Pty Ltd | 2/12/2022 | $75,000 |
| SP220202 | Domestic and global market segment analysis for new and emerging space photovoltaics. Given recent surge in space activities with many becoming “commercial”, spacecraft needs to be supported by on-board-power-generation that needs to be accessible and economical. For this purpose, EurokaPower’s new space photovoltaic technology has the low-cost and high-power-to-weight-ratio attributes to compete with the incumbent. However, knowledge on the market segments: their base, characteristics, and capacity are lacking. This project aims to address this gap enabling strategic positioning of technologies that target high value segments. Outcomes will also enable development of business plan and intellectual property portfolio that align well with market needs with unique advantages compared to the incumbent and new start-ups. | Prof. Anita Ho-Baillie; Dr. Jason Held; Prof. David McKenzie | University of Sydney | EurokaPower Pty Ltd | 2/12/2022 | $75,000 |