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How can we assist your business?

SME Connect offers four programs, including two 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.

View the SME Connect program matrix

[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.

[Image changes to show a facing view of Simon talking to the camera]

Our facilitators actually sit down with companies and researchers, make sure that they understand each other.

[Image changes to show a facing view of Simon talking to the camera]

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.

[Image changes to show Simon talking to the camera]

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.

[Image changes to show a facing view of Simon talking to the camera]

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.

[Image changes to show Simon talking to the camera]

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.

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