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About the ON Innovation Program

The ON Program accelerates Australia’s most promising research breakthroughs from mind to market. We empower brilliant researchers with the skills, networks and pathways to translate big ideas into real-world impact.

Through a series of events and experiences, our ON programs provide researchers with the skills and knowledge to realise the pathways to growth, beyond academia and commercialisation.

Since its development in 2015, the ON program has delivered training and support to thousands of people, creating a legacy and community of researchers, founders, industry experts, advisors, and investors that participants can lean into.

Whether you are curious about creating real-world impact or have founder ambitions, we exist for all researchers ready to take their leap to something more.

Important statistics

7800+

Participants upskilled through ON programs since inception

700+

Jobs supported by new companies formed by ON alumni

$336+ million

Commercialisation grants attracted by ON alumni

$415+ million

Investment capital raised by new companies

Australia’s community of deep-tech founders

With ON's network of researchers, founders, industry experts and investors, we help validate and de-risk tech innovation, accelerating the translation of cutting-edge research into real-world technologies that will shape the future.

However, every pathway to growth is different and the opportunities for impact will be unique.

Explore the stories of those who have completed the ON program and hear about the learnings they discovered on their journey.

[Music plays as an image appears of a split screen of an ON Program banner on the left and a rear view of an audience watching a presentation on the right]

[Images move through to show a range of split screens with audiences, various speakers presenting, and interacting colleagues, and text appears: World Leading Innovation Catalyst, Inspires Australian Scientists, Creating Real World Solutions, Our Greatest Challenges]

Narrator: The ON Program has become a world leading innovation catalyst because it inspires Australian scientists to take science from mind to market, creating real world solutions to some of our greatest challenges.

[Image changes to show a split screen of Christine Carson talking to the camera on the right and text appears on the left: Christine Carson, Researcher and ON alumni]

Christine Carson: We have learned a lot during the ON Accelerate program.

[Images move through to show a range of split screens with audience members, various speakers presenting, presentation slides, and then Christine talking to the camera with text on the left: Christine Carson, Researcher and ON alumni]

I think it’s really helped us think much more deeply about our value proposition, and we have just reached a whole new level of sophistication in how we present our ideas to people, particularly investors and potential partners.

[Images move through to show a range of split screens with David Ireland talking to the camera, and various views of colleagues interacting seated around tables, and text appears: David Ireland, ON Program Facilitator]

David Ireland: Some of the work that we do trying to help these teams is helping them get clarity and proof that this problem actually exists, working out who their first customers are, thinking about their business models that they are going to be able to use to take that product and get it out into the market, and have that impact that we want them all to have.

[Music plays as the image changes to show some ON Innovation Program information text on the left and a blue “Creating Impact “ circle on the right, and text appears: >$330m in commercialisation grants secured post completion, 81 new companies formed, >700 jobs created, >$414m investment capital raised]

[Image changes to show split screens of David interacting with colleagues on the left, and then the split screen image changes to show two females talking on the right, and text appears: Innovation thrives on, doing things differently]

Narrator: ON also recognises that innovation thrives on doing things differently.

[Images move through to show a range of split screens with presenters talking, audience members talking, and various colleagues interacting, and text appears: Skills and Confidence, Pivot Away from the Publish or Perish Mentality, Consider new Pathways, To Research Translation]

We give researchers the skills and the confidence to pivot away from the publish or perish mentality and consider new pathways to research translation.

[Image changes to show a split screen with a medium and then a close view of Jasmin Ward talking to the camera on the right, and text appears on the left: Jasmin Ward, ON Program Facilitator]

Jasmin Ward: If you are a team in a deep tech background looking to test your solutions, looking to accelerate, looking to learn from experienced mentors and coaches. It is amazing.

[Music plays as the image changes to show some ON Innovation Program information text on the left and a blue “Driving Cultural Change” circle on the right, and text appears: Participants from 62 Australian Research Organisations, >44,000 customer conversations reported throughout program, >1,430 teams supported, >7,800 participants upskilled in ON Programs]

[Image changes to show three circles with text inside: Desirability, Viability, Feasibility]

Narrator: And that is the genesis of the ON Program.

[Image shows the circles morphing into a dark blue circle, and text appears: Innovation]

It captures the very essence of the change that we need for our future.

[Images move through to show a range of split screens with science work in a lab, diagrams, colleagues working together, powerlines, traffic, and text appears: There’s no problem we can’t solve]

If we don’t just stop at inventing but go all the way to innovation, there’s no problem we can’t solve.

[Music plays and a blue screen appears with text: The ON Innovation Program gives research teams the skills and confidence they need to translate their solutions into positive economic, environmental and social impact]

[Image changes to show new text: Find out more at – csiro.au/ON]

[Image changes to show a white screen with the CSIRO logo, and text appears: Australia’s National Science Agency]