CSIRO Kick-Start: A Guide for Australian Start-ups and SMEs.

Many Australian start-ups and small businesses have an R&D idea they can't progress alone, because they don't have the scientific expertise or lab capability in house. CSIRO Kick-Start pairs those businesses with CSIRO researchers and matches their cash contribution dollar for dollar, so they can investigate a technical challenge, refine a concept or test a new product.

Read the official program page here: CSIRO Kick-Start Program, CSIRO.

What is CSIRO Kick-Start?

Kick-Start is run by CSIRO SME Connect, part of CSIRO, Australia's national science agency. It provides start-ups and SMEs with a Kick-Start voucher that dollar-matches the company's cash contribution, and that money is used to work with a CSIRO research team.

The program is eligibility based and has an ongoing application process. CSIRO says you can apply year-round, subject to change and to the availability of funding. There is no fixed closing date.

How much funding is available?

According to the Kick-Start Program and Eligibility Guidelines (Version 3, August 2026):

• The Kick-Start voucher is between $20,000 and $60,000 per project.
• The voucher is matched dollar for dollar to the company's cash contribution.
• The minimum total project cost is $40,000.
• Projects can be larger than $120,000, but the voucher is capped at $60,000 per project.
• Projects must be less than one year in length.
• After completing a first Kick-Start project, an eligible business can apply for a second voucher.

It's important to understand where the money goes. The voucher funds are transferred inside CSIRO to the research group doing the work. They cover researcher salaries and on-costs, travel if required, and operating costs. Consumables and project-critical external facilities, services or contractors are capped at 20 per cent of the total project budget combined. The voucher does not cover capital works, capital expenditure or infrastructure costs.

Who can apply?

Kick-Start is for Australian start-ups and SMEs. The guidelines say a business must:

• Be registered, and have its primary place of business, in Australia (Australian subsidiaries of foreign companies are not eligible).
• Be an operating business with an Australian Company Number (ACN) or Indigenous Corporation Number (ICN).
• Be a non-tax-exempt company registered for GST.
• Have an annual turnover and operating expenditure of less than $10 million in the last complete financial year, or have been a registered company for less than three years.
• Be able to provide matched funding for the project.

If your company is part of a corporate group, CSIRO may ask for more information about the group structure.

What kinds of projects qualify?

An eligible project must include at least one of these activities:

• Research into a new idea or discovery with commercial potential.
• Development of a novel or improved product or process.
• Testing of a novel product developed by the company, to inform R&D.

Projects must be delivered by CSIRO research units or facilities, which include areas such as Agriculture and Food, Technology, Energy, Health and Biosecurity, Environment, Mineral Resources and National Facilities and Collections. Each project needs a budget and scope of work agreed between the business and the CSIRO research team.

How to apply

1. Check your eligibility against the criteria above.
2. Submit an expression of interest (EOI). Download the EOI form from the Kick-Start page and email it to the Kick-Start team, describing your R&D challenge or idea.
3. Work with CSIRO to shape the project. The SME Connect team connects you with the most suitable research team. The full application is completed by the CSIRO researcher or business development professional together with your company.
4. Sign and submit. The application must be signed by a director or authorised officer of your company and an authorised CSIRO representative, then emailed to [email protected].
5. Sign the research agreement. If approved, the agreement must be signed within 60 days or the offer may be withdrawn.

Successful companies take part in end-of-project reporting and agree that their name, logo, project title and voucher amount may be published by CSIRO.

How StepSharp helps businesses turn R&D into working systems

StepSharp is an Adelaide software, AI and automation company that implements AI, ERP, MES and IoT systems for Australian businesses. Kick-Start funds the research done by CSIRO; StepSharp's work sits around that research and helps you put the results to use:

• Data readiness so your production, sensor or customer data is organised and accessible before a research project starts.
• IoT sensors and data capture to collect the real-world measurements a trial or prototype test depends on.
• AI implementation to take a model or method proven in a research project and build it into a tool your team uses every day.
• ERP and MES integration so a new or improved process feeds into the systems you already run for production, inventory and costing.

Got an R&D idea that could make your product or process better? Contact StepSharp to talk through how the outcome could be implemented in your business, and check the full details on the official CSIRO Kick-Start page before you apply.