Funding Support - Impact Innovation

If you’re preparing a funding proposal, we can help.

Choose a current program below for quick tips on key R&D impact considerations.

We help publicly funded research organisations build compelling, competitive funding proposals by aligning the value propositions of diverse stakeholder groups. Our strategic approach to project and program design brings stakeholders together, shapes impactful narratives, and gives R&D investors confidence.

Our tailored consultation methods support access to funding through CRC, ARC, and other national programs, as well as corporate, industry, and government sources.

Whether you’re designing a bid from scratch or refining an existing one, we help you build a strong investment case that stands out. Contact us for a complimentary discovery call: info@impactinnovation.com

Future Made in Australia Innovation Fund

The FMA Innovation Fund, administered by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), provides up to $1.5 billion in grant funding to support pre-commercial innovation, demonstration and deployment of renewable energy and low-emission technologies to support Australia's transition to net zero. The program is ongoing with three priority areas: $750M – Green Metals; $200M – Renewable Energy Technology Manufacturing (RETM); $250M – Low Carbon Liquid Fuels (LCLF).

Key R&D impact considerations

Proposal Requirements	Response Considerations
Merit Criterion A: Contribution to Program Outcomes Demonstrate how the project contributes to FMA Innovation Fund outcomes within the chosen Priority (Green Metals, RETM, or LCLF).	How does your project accelerate uptake, manufacturing capability, supply chain strength, or workforce skills in a priority area? What is the technology readiness level (TRL 3+) and what does the pathway to commercial deployment look like? How does your project add genuine additionality – would it proceed without ARENA support?
Merit Criterion B: Applicant Capability and Capacity Demonstrate the team has the skills, resources, partnerships, and track record to deliver the project.	Does the team combine technical R&D expertise with commercialisation and industry engagement experience? Are roles, responsibilities, and FTE commitments clearly defined? Do you have personnel and resources allocated to deliver an impact pathway alongside the technical work?
Merit Criterion C: Project Design and Methodology Provide a clear, evidence-based project plan including objectives, milestones, risk management, and KPIs.	Are outcomes measurable and validated with industry – what does success look like at each TRL milestone? What is your approach to Monitoring & Evaluation and how will governance arrangements enhance impact delivery? How are risks (beyond technical) identified and managed across the project lifecycle?
Merit Criterion D: Financial Viability and Co-Funding Demonstrate value for money and at least 1:1 co-contribution (cash or in-kind) from industry.	Are costs justified and directly linked to project deliverables and program outcomes? How will ROI for ARENA and Australia be demonstrated through adoption, commercialisation, and impact tracking? Is the commercialisation plan resourced and running in parallel, not trailing behind the R&D?
Community Benefit Principles and Portfolio Fit Alignment with the Future Made in Australia Act 2024 Community Benefit Principles and ARENA's portfolio approach.	How will the project create jobs, develop workforce skills, and engage communities in impacted regions? How does your project differentiate from or complement existing ARENA-funded projects in the same priority area? Does the translation package address the impact gap to enable partners to adopt and scale the solution?

Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P)

The CRC-P Grant supports short-term (up to 3 years), industry-led research collaborations. It provides matched funding of between $100,000 and $3 million to develop new technologies, products, or services. Round 19 launched 18 March 2026, closes 12 May 2026, with approximately $40 million available. A new priority area has been added: artificial intelligence systems and technologies (aligned to the National AI Plan). Robotics and automation has been removed as a priority area. Outcomes expected mid-2026.

Key R&D impact considerations

Proposal Requirements	Response Considerations
Explain how your project will foster high-quality research through industry-led and outcome-focused collaborative industry-research partnerships (8 points)	How will the solution be defined and how will the research feed into it? How will impactful collaboration occur and when is the best timing to deliver high-quality research?
Describe the research you will do and the methodologies you will use, including the role of your partners in the project (10 points)	What other research is needed to validate the potential solution to fast-track the project? What impact-related methodologies should be used?
Explain how your research will address the identified problem, build on the current body of knowledge and enhance the adoption of new technologies (8 points)	What are the adoption pathways and what evidence is required to support adoption? What resources are needed to support adoption and why are they required?
Describe the education and training opportunities your project will provide to build capability and capacity in the industry and research sectors (7 points)	What activities will enhance industry capability and capacity? How will these activities also enhance research sector capability and capacity?
Describe how you will manage and monitor your project, explaining the governance and planning arrangements, including security (8 points)	How will the governance arrangements enhance the ability to deliver impact? How will monitoring work and how will it enhance impact?
Explain the commercial potential of your project, including the expected commercial outputs such as new products, processes or services, and expected spill over benefits and plans at the end of the project (9 points)	What are the risks around solution development and deployment that need to be addressed by this project? How will spill over benefits be designed and delivered?

Australia’s Economic Accelerator (AEA Innovate)

The AEA Innovate Grant supports mid-stage research commercialisation. It provides funding up to $5 million over up to 24 months to reach proof-of-scale in an industry-relevant environment (TRL 5–7). Work must be done in partnership with businesses. Round 3 EOIs are expected to open in Q2 2026.

Key R&D impact considerations

EOI Requirements (before application/proposal)	Response Considerations
4.1.1 EOI: Innovation and technology readiness 1.4 Current TRL, and where the solution aims to be at the end of the project (technology readiness and commercial development)	Do you have baseline data in support of the TRL you will be starting the project at? What tools are you incorporating into your proposal to demonstrate Readiness progression during the project?
4.1.3 EOI: Commercial potential and market opportunity 3.1 Commercialisation pathway outlined and realistic with evidence of end-user need3.2 Strong evidence of IP position and IP Management Plan3.3 The extent of current market (domestic and International) and/or industry interest in the innovation, or a potential new market opportunity3.4 The commercial and/or societal opportunity or problem the solution looks to address, and where the technology being explored will make a meaningful impact, including the estimated, realistic size and value of the market	Has the impact R&D been developed to inform the pathway to adoption and commercialisation? Do you have a well-developed translation plan to address the impact gap? Do you have data in support of end-user requirements and has your research plan been iterated in support of user needs? How developed are your other measures of commercial readiness - Supply Chain, Market and Financial Readiness? Are you adequately resourced to develop the research activities associated with defining the pathway to having a deployable solution beyond the impact gap?
4.1.4 EOI: Capacity, capability & resources to deliver project 4.1 Composition and strength of the team	Does your project have dedicated personnel allocated to implementing impact elements of the research and, if so, are they using best practice frameworks and methodologies? Do they have SME knowledge in commercialisation pathways and supporting readiness for the next investor?
4.1.5 EOI: Project impact 5.1 Achievable and realistic overview of project plan and why it will move towards commercial success 5.2 Potential for benefits to Australia and internationally 5.3 Description of next steps (technical and commercial)	Do you have your project’s pathway to impact mapped out? Are your outcomes clearly defined and measurable? How are you stacking outputs to support outcomes? Does the translation package address the impact Gap to enable a partner to adopt and implement the solution in their daily practices?

Application/Proposal Requirements	Response Considerations
4.2.1 Innovation and Technology Readiness The approaches and methodologies proposed to develop and validate the innovation as it progresses through the TRL The expected results/KPIs/metrics for the successful validation of the innovation, and whether the validation can be completed within the proposed project period Industry validation to demonstrate that this outcome will be recognised by them as having achieved the required TRL The governance, risk and QA processes proposed to review or audit the readiness of the innovation throughout the project.	What methodologies and tools will you be utilising to track readiness levels relating to Technology, Supply Chain, Market and Financial Readiness? Are the metrics for the project defined based on a collaborative consultation to ensure clarification of the specific, measurable, trackable and achievable aspects of the defined outcomes? What does your risk management methodology look like How will governance arrangements enhance the ability to deliver impact?
4.2.2 Engagement with industry/commercial partner Input from industry/investors regarding project objectives and key technical and commercial questions that need to be satisfied (incl. risks) Partner involvement to develop, deploy and commercialise the innovation	Have your partners shaped the project’s direction from day one? Do your partners have the support needed to map out the translation and impact pathway as well as develop, scale and deploy the solution operationally and/or commercially?
4.2.3 Commercial potential and market opportunity The commercialisation strategy to take your innovation to the market Current market/industry interest in the innovation The commercial/societal opportunity or problem being addressed where this technology will make a meaningful impact	Does your TTO / industry partner need support/resources to undertake research relevant to a commercialisation strategy? What real-world signals show there’s demand (not just need)? What does your approach to M&E look like and how will it enhance impact?
4.2.5 Project impact Alignment with AEA objectives and outcomes, and the benefits that could result in the short, medium and long-term for Australia Potential for further investment opportunities via university-led research commercialisation pathways, both in Australia and internationally	How does the project drive Impact value beyond the grant term? What’s the plan to scale and who’s likely to invest next? How will you showcase momentum and outcomes to stakeholders?

FDF Drought Resilience Adoption & Innovation Hubs

The Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hubs program supports regionally anchored consortia to co-design and deliver research, development, extension, adoption and commercialisation across rural Australia. A new open competitive grant round is expected to launch by the end of March 2026, with $104 million available over 6 years from 2026–27.

Key R&D impact considerations

Proposal Requirements	Response Considerations
Contribution to Objectives, Priorities & Public Good (~ 30%) Relevance to FDF goals and ability to enhance drought resilience across industry, community or environment	Are your outcomes defined and measurable in considering public-good benefits for long-term resilience?
Innovation (~ 20%) Novelty and feasibility of the concept, product or service; potential to address unmet needs	How are you demonstrating a plan to develop deeper evidence or market intelligence validating unmet need and disruption potential?
Outcomes & Impact (~ 20%) Demonstrated benefits and potential scale of impact in drought resilience and adaptation	Have you clearly defined what success looks like and how it will be measured? Are you ready to build a logic model or impact framework that links activities to scalable change?
Delivery, Feasibility & Risk Management (~ 15%) Feasibility, resourcing and team capacity to deliver outcomes	Is your delivery model supported by robust governance, risk mitigation, and resourcing? Have you identified capability gaps that could affect execution or reporting? Could a strong M&E approach de-risk your bid?
Collaboration and Partnerships (~ 10%) Depth of cross-sector engagement and co-design	Does your project reflect meaningful collaboration or co-design with end users and stakeholders? Have you planned for ongoing knowledge exchange and two-way engagement throughout delivery? Would facilitation or stakeholder strategy design help you activate your network more effectively?
Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (~ 5%) Strength of the evaluation framework and potential to contribute to broader FDF learnings	Does your M&E framework support being used as a management tool and how do you stack your outputs to support outcomes towards systems change? What approach will you take to developing metrics, baselines, or a Theory of Change aligned to program objectives?