How can we assist your business?
SME Connect offers seven programs, including four that have matched-funding grants for projects and placements for SME businesses of all sizes. We help SMEs by:
- streamlining the connection and collaboration process between SMEs and research organisations
- providing assistance at all stages of the collaboration process from start to finish
- defining the business problem to be solved, and/or identifying the research opportunity
- locating the right research capability to meet those needs
- facilitating the project scoping and design
- accessing and applying for grant funding
- assisting with project agreements and contracting.
[Image appears of text “CSIRO” in the foreground and a person going downstairs can be seen in the background, and text appears: SME Connect]
[Images move through to show a side view of Simon Hanson talking on a Smartphone, Simon talking to the camera, and then a close view of Simon talking on the phone, and text appears: Simon Hanson, Director, SME Connect – CSIRO]
Simon Hanson: I’m Simon Hanson. I’m the Director of the CSIRO’s SME Connect team and our role is to connect Australian start-ups and SMEs with the research sector.
[Image changes to show a side view of Simon talking to the camera]
We’ve got great businesses in Australia, great researchers.
[Image changes to show a facing view of Simon talking to the camera]
The challenge has always been to actually bring them together to do productive collaborations, productive projects.
[Images move through of Simon putting on a headset and talking to a colleague on the computer screen]
Our role is to act as an intermediary between business and research.
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Our facilitators actually sit down with companies and researchers, make sure that they understand each other.
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Researchers have their own language. Businesses have their own language.
[Images move through to show a side and then facing view of Simon talking to the camera, and then a rear and then facing view of Simon and a female walking down a corridor in a building]
We bring them together to make sure that they’re, they’re aligned and that the project that the research team does meets the businesses priorities.
[Image changes to show Simon talking to the camera]
We get a lot of really stand out moments. Sometimes it’s the simpler projects that deliver the biggest impact.
[Image changes to show a medium view of Simon talking to the camera, and then the image changes to show a female sitting down at a table next to Simon]
I remember one with Australian Plant Proteins in our Kick-Start programme.
[Images move through to show Simon and the female looking at a computer together and talking]
We helped Australian Plant Proteins work with CSIRO.
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We managed to enhance the, the efficiency of their protein extraction process.
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They built a, a fantastic manufacturing facility in, in Horsham in Victoria worth tens of millions of dollars, and they’ve now gone on to expand that facility.
[Images move through of a close view of a female working in a lab, and then Simon watching the female work in the lab]
And I think it’s a great example of where we can work with a company, work with a research team, to bring about a really high impact outcome.
[Images move through of Simon and the female in conversation in the lab, and then the image changes to show a side view of Simon talking to the camera]
We’ve done over 2,000 projects between industry and research over the last several years.
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There’s great opportunities to amplify that, to expand that.
[Camera zooms in on Simon talking, and then images move through of Simon and the female talking together in the lab, and Simon watching the female at work]
What it means I think for Australia is it means growing companies, it means exports, it means employment, it means vibrant industries.
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In SME Connect we’ve got a number of programmes and businesses, wherever they are at their journey, we’ve got an offering for them.
[Image changes to show a side view of Simon talking to the camera, and then images move through to show Simon and Dr George Feast seated on a park bench in conversation]
We can help you find the right researcher and we can ensure that the project will meet your business priorities.
[Image changes to show Simon talking to the camera]
And very importantly, we can get you access to funding to offset the costs of doing the project.
[Image changes to show views of Simon talking talking to the camera, and then a close and then medium view of Simon talking to a female client]
So, wherever you’re up to in the business journey, we can help you.
[Image changes to show a medium view of Simon talking to a female client, and then the image changes to show the CSIRO logo on a white screen, and text appears: CSIRO, Australia’s National Science Agency]
Who knows where it can take you but we’re confident we can help you get to the next level.
Important statistics
2500+
SMEs and start-ups supported through SME programs
$240M+
Invested in research and development
$25B
Total alumni company valuation
$5B
Investment capital raised by alumni companies