AEA connects industry leaders and investors with cutting-edge university research to drive commercialisation and ensure projects are market-ready.
By partnering with AEA-funded university researchers, you’ll gain access to Australia’s brightest minds, cutting-edge intellectual property and world-class research infrastructure, helping you develop new products, services and platforms with market-ready innovations.
How to get involved
While AEA funding is awarded to universities, industry and investors are encouraged to reach out to universities about potential commercialisation projects.
When approaching universities for collaboration discussions, you can identify problems where there is an opportunity for AEA investment to deliver a solution and a pathway to real-world impact.
If you’re a potential partner, an AEA Priority Manager can discuss your needs and answer your questions. Head to contact us to make an enquiry that will be directed to the relevant priority manager.
Intellectual property access and commercial terms are negotiated directly between the university and its partners.
Priority areas of investment
AEA is strategically aligned with sectors where Australia has a natural competitive advantage, such as critical minerals, renewable hydrogen, and advanced manufacturing. By investing in priority areas, AEA ensures that research breakthroughs are focused on industries with the greatest potential for economic growth and global impact.
These priorities are outlined in the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation (Priority Areas) Declaration 2023. Within these priorities, the first round of AEA grants will prioritise projects that align with one or more of the following focus areas:
- critical and strategic minerals processing
- sustainable fuels
- digital agriculture
- quantum
- artificial intelligence (AI)
- advanced manufacturing.
If your business or industry operates in any of these areas, now is the time to collaborate with leading researchers and position yourself at the forefront of technological and industrial advancement.
What sets AEA apart
It’s designed to deliver fast outcomes. We expect projects to reach commercialisation value inflection points quickly. This means a fast win/fast fail outcome and a shorter project time.
It requires researchers to be entrepreneurs. Commercialisation and translation are the focus rather than academic publications.
It’s supported by our own AEA Priority Managers as business and technology experts. The priority managers are highly qualified, experienced, and motivated business and technology specialists. They will work closely with the university and industry/investor partners to guide the project team and keep the project on track to benefit all partners.