CSIRO supporting critical minerals SMEs
CSIRO has opened applications to its free eight-week online program, Innovate to Grow: Critical Minerals, for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The program is designed to help SMEs with innovative ideas investigate new research and development (R&D) opportunities, refine their concepts and better position themselves for growth in Australia’s critical minerals sector.
CSIRO critical minerals lead and Australian Critical Minerals R&D Hub Operations Group chair Dr Chris Vernon says the program helps connect businesses with research expertise and industry knowledge.
“We’re at a unique moment where global supply chains are being rewritten and Australia is well placed to capitalise on this opportunity,” he said.
“The country has both the resource endowment and research capability to be a major player in downstream processing, but businesses need the right R&D partnerships to compete effectively.
“Innovate to Grow helps SMEs advance their critical mineral innovations toward investment-ready propositions by giving them the tools and connections to learn how to scale their solutions and capture real market value.”
CSIRO’s Innovate to Grow: Critical Minerals is open to SMEs developing or supplying solutions in the following sub-sectors:
- Discovery
- Hard rock mining
- Processing
- Sensing and sorting
- Characterisation
- Sustainable mining technologies
- Battery technology
- Other
Iondrive chief executive Dr Ebbe Dommisse, who participated in the program last year, says the specialist advice from topic experts was fantastic.
“CSIRO was outstanding in understanding the research field and requirements for development and commercialisation activities and immediately made connections within CSIRO and other participants to assist with progressing the technology,” he said.
Applications close on September 21 2025.