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Funding to develop solutions for market-led challenges using quantum technologies
Critical Technologies Challenge Program Round 2
Opening date: Wednesday 15 January 2025 10:00am AEDT Wed 15 Jan 2025 10:00am AEDT
Closing date: Wednesday 26 February 2025 5:00pm AEDT Wed 26 Feb 2025 5:00pm AEDT
What do you get?
Grants from $100,000 to $500,000 for a Stage 1 Feasibility project.
If your Stage 1 Feasibility project is successful, you may receive up to $5 million for a Stage 2 Demonstrator project.
Who is this for?
Consortia that include at least one Australian industry-based partner and one Australian research organisation.
About the program
This program provides consortia with funding to develop quantum technology solutions or a component(s) that contributes to a solution for market-led challenges of national significance. Solutions may also involve the use of other advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics.
[Black panel appears with white writing: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that the following video may contain images of people who have died.]
[Music starts. The opening page shows a purple panel with the title in the lower left corner: Dr Cathy Foley AO, Australia’s Chief Scientist, Jan 2021 to Dec 2024.]
Dr Foley is speaking to the camera: The Australian Government has set 4 Quantum Challenges for round 2 of the Critical Technologies Challenge Program.
[A white panel with a faint grey striped pattern near the edges appears. Text appears:
Priority areas:
- Biosecurity (graphic of a purple cargo ship over 2 wavy red lines appears above text)
- Energy (graphic of 2 purple high voltage towers appears above text with connecting red power lines with a small yellow lightning bolt on each tower)
- Transport (4 graphics appear above the text connected by purple lines moving in a circle, clockwise; red location pinpoint, purple and red cargo ship, red plane, and purple and red truck)
- First Nations Health (graphic of a purple heart with a white lifeline in the middle appears above text)]
Dr Foley says: Challenges fall in priority areas of biosecurity, energy, transport and health outcomes for First Nations peoples.
[An image appears of Dr Foley with a purple background. She is speaking to the camera]
Dr Foley: I encourage industry and research partners to team up and apply for up to half a million dollars to test the feasibility of your quantum solution.
[A white panel with a faint grey striped pattern near the edges appears. Text appears: Apply for up to $500k feasibility funding to test your quantum solution.]
[Image moves back to Dr Foley speaking to the camera with a purple background]
Dr Foley: If your feasibility project is successful, I'm advised you will be invited to apply for up to $5 million in demonstrator funding to help progress your quantum solution to market.
[A white panel with a faint grey striped pattern near the edges appears. Text appears: Successful applicants will be invited to apply for up to $5m demonstrator funding.]
[An image appears of Dr Foley with a purple background. She is speaking to the camera]
Dr Foley: This is more than just a call for ideas. It's about turning concepts into commercial solutions for adoption by innovative Australian businesses, their customers and the community.
[A white panel with a faint grey striped pattern near the edges appears. A purple graphic of a person appears turning their head from the left side to front with a thin red line circling around them once and disappears. More graphics appear including from top left clockwise. These are a heart with a white lifeline in the middle; red location pinpoint, purple and red cargo ship, red plane, and purple and red truck; microscope; electricity towers; tractor; stethoscope; 3 people above a world globe; brain; bacteria, and a cargo ship over 2 wavy lines.]
Dr Foley says: This is more than just a call for ideas. It's about turning concepts into commercial solutions for adoption by innovative Australian businesses, their customers and the community. Quantum technology will transform the way we live and work and solve some of our most significant national challenges. It's a great time to get involved and help capitalise on Australia's world leading research to grow our quantum industry and benefit all Australians.
While Dr Foley is speaking these clips appear:
- 2 quantum computers rotating against a black background
- machine with interchanging red and green lasers
- motorway with blue laser lines connecting moving vehicles
- 2 scientists in white lab coats and face masks looking through microscopes. Behind them sits another scientist in a white lab coat
- a doctor in a white lab coat presses a button, moving a person lying down into an MRI machine
- amber bottles moving clockwise on a quick automation bottle-filling machine
- a white truck driving on a highway surrounded by open fields at sunset, with 2 round blue glowing circles moving outwards from it
- a man and woman smile while holding a baby together, standing in a corner with white walls behind them
- a man and woman hugging and smiling with a bush background
- wind turbines rotating with green grassy fields and mountains behind
- 2 large cargo ships docked at a busy port, surrounded by stacks of colourful shipping containers and a red crane, with the ocean and coastline in the background
- a tractor spraying crops in a green field, surrounded by glowing green circles with a forest in the background
- a man and woman wearing white hardhats with illuminated lines appearing around them
- a row of connected high voltage towers with glowing red and blue lights travelling along the lines, set against trees and a sunrise.
[An image appears of Dr Foley with a purple background. She is speaking to the camera]
Dr Foley: Get ready to apply for funding to test the feasibility of your solution through the Critical Technologies Challenge Program. Applications will open soon.
[A white panel with a purple shape in the top left corner appears with the text: The Australian Government, Department of Industry, Science and Resources grey crest and logo appear in stack format to the left. Purple text appears to the right of this logo: Critical Technologies Challenge Program.]
[A white panel with a faint grey striped pattern near the edges appears with the text: Access the full grant guidelines and learn more at business.gov.au/CTCP2]
End of transcript
The challenges are:
- Challenge 1: Improve biosecurity outcomes by enhancing the detection of invasive pests or diseases, and cargo inspection processes.
- Challenge 2: Improve life expectancy, health outcomes and access to health technology for First Nations peoples.
- Challenge 3: Optimise transport routes, logistics and supply chain operations.
- Challenge 4: Optimise the performance, sustainability, and security of energy networks.
There will be two grant opportunities as part of this program.
Stage 1 – Feasibility grant opportunity
The purpose of the Stage 1 Feasibility grant is to test and demonstrate the technical viability of your proposed solution or component(s) of a solution.
Stage 2 – Demonstrator grant opportunity
The purpose of the Stage 2 Demonstrator grant is to support you to build on your Stage 1 Feasibility project and produce working prototypes or demonstrations.
Only applicants that complete a Stage 1 Feasibility project will be invited to submit an application for Stage 2 Demonstrator funding.
Making connections
Looking for consortia partners for the Critical Technologies Challenge Program Round 2?
The Contacts Directory can help you to find and connect with other organisations interested in preparing a submission for the program.
You are encouraged to review the grant opportunity guidelines and supporting information before using the Contacts Directory. The directory is a way for you to reach potential application partners if you choose to use it. You are not required to use the Contacts Directory to make a submission.
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Check if you can apply
You can apply if you meet the eligibility criteria. The eligibility criteria are a set of rules that describe who we can consider for this grant. You can apply if you:
- are an eligible entity that is applying on behalf of an eligible joint (consortia) collaboration
- have an eligible project
- have eligible expenditure.
The rules are in the grant opportunity guidelines.
An eligible lead applicant must apply on behalf of an eligible joint (consortia) collaboration. The lead applicant should be the main driver of the project.
You can apply as a lead applicant for a Stage 1 Feasibility grant if you:
- have an Australian business number (ABN)
- are registered for the goods and services tax (GST)
- are an entity incorporated in Australia
- are applying on behalf of an eligible joint (consortia) collaboration.
You can’t apply as the lead applicant if you are:
- an organisation, or your project partner is an organisation, included on the National Redress Scheme’s list of Institutions that have not joined or signified their intent to join the Scheme
- an employer of 100 or more employees that has not complied with the Workplace Gender Equality Act (2012)
- a research organisation
- an international organisation
- an unincorporated association
- a trust or an incorporated trustee on behalf of a trust
- a Commonwealth, state, territory or local government body (including a government business enterprise)
- a non-corporate Commonwealth entity
- a corporate Commonwealth entity.
Partner with other organisations
To be eligible, consortia must:
- include a minimum of two project participants, inclusive of the lead applicant, during the Stage 1 Feasibility project
- include a minimum of three project participants, inclusive of the lead applicant, during the Stage 2 Demonstrator project
- include and maintain for the duration of the Stage 1 Feasibility project and Stage 2 Demonstrator project at least:
- one Australian industry-based partner; and
- one Australian research organisation.
The lead applicant must fill out the application form and meet the eligibility criteria.
If your consortia is successful, the lead applicant:
- receives the grant funding
- signs the grant agreement
- is responsible for ensuring you and your project partners adhere to the terms of the grant agreement.
All information regarding eligibility requirements can be found at section 5 of the grant opportunity guidelines.
The maximum Stage 1 Feasibility project period is 6 months.
Your Stage 1 Feasibility project must:
- be aimed at testing the feasibility of using quantum technology to solve one of the challenges (or component(s) that contribute(s) to solving a challenge) provided in section 3 of the grant opportunity guidelines
- have at least $100,000 in eligible expenditure
- include eligible activities (provided in section 6 of the grant opportunity guidelines).
How to apply
Check if you’re ready to apply for a grant
Finding a suitable grant opportunity is just the start of the process to get funding. The application process can take time and effort. Understanding the entire process will help you be grant ready and may improve your chances of getting funding.
Use our checklist to find out what it takes to apply for a grant.
When you're ready to apply
When the online form is available, you must submit your application through the online portal. You’ll need to set up an account when you first log into the portal. The portal allows you to apply for and manage a grant or service in a secure online environment.
First we check that you meet the eligibility criteria. If eligible, your application will be assessed against the assessment criteria. Only eligible applications will proceed to the assessment stage.
An independent committee will assess your application against the assessment criteria and against other applications. Each application is assessed and ranked within the relevant challenge.
The assessment criteria are a set of rules that describe how we must assess each application.
We give each criterion a certain number of points.
We’ll decide whether to award you the grant based on the total number of points we give your application.
- Assessment criterion 1: Project alignment with the selected challenge and pathway to market (30 points)
- Assessment criterion 2: The quality of your project (30 points)
- Assessment criterion 3: Capacity, capability and resources to deliver your project (40 points)
The amount of detail and supporting evidence you provide should be relative to the project size, complexity and grant amount requested.
The program delegate makes the final decision.
Past rounds
Contact
Need help?
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Key documents
Stage 1 Feasibility - Project budget template
xlsx · 0.06 MB