The India Australia Rapid Innovation and Startup Expansion (RISE) Accelerator provides support to startups and small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) who are working on innovative technology and are considering overseas expansion between India and Australia.

The RISE Accelerator delivers a comprehensive learning program made up of both online self-paced and in-person sessions.

Over the course of nine months, you will benefit from the expertise and support of our delivery teams spanning India and Australia, including facilitators and subject matter experts for one-to-one guidance and B2B facilitation.

At a glance:

• 9-month program split into two phases: discovery phase and pilot phase
• Discovery phase: e-learning and funded in-person travel within Australia and India
• Pilot phase: test and or demonstrate your technology or solution in your target market
• Grant: subject to achievement of program milestones up to A$75,000 for Australian organisations, or INR 4.5 million for Indian organisations
• Coaching and connections: dedicated facilitators and subject matter experts guide startups’ and SMEs’ cross-border planning and activities, and provide network connections.

The Grant for each Australian Participant Organisation is up to $75,000, paid in two $37,500 tranches in accordance with the Participation Agreement schedule.

The RISE Accelerator is delivered through a powerful partnership between:

• CSIRO – Australia’s national science agency
• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog – the Government of India’s flagship initiative to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the country.

To be considered, you must meet all the following:

• a company incorporated in Australia with ABN and ACN or an incorporated trustee applying on behalf of a trust 
• be headquartered or domiciled in Australia
• incorporated for less than 10 years 
• registered for GST 
• has not had revenue of more than $20 million in any of the last 3 financial years 
• have a technology or solution at TRL 7 or higher. We may consider solutions at TRL 5-6 that have a clear potential to rapidly advance through expansion into India 
• have or be actively developing a technology or solution that aligns with one or more of the RISE Accelerator Round 2 Challenge Statements on page 7 of the guidelines document.

Who is not eligible?

You are not eligible to apply if you are: 

• an individual
• a partnership
• an unincorporated association 
• a trust (however, an incorporated trustee may apply on behalf of a trust)
• a Commonwealth, state, territory or local government agency or body (including government business enterprises) 
• a non-corporate Commonwealth entity 
• an employer of 100 or more employees that has not complied with the Workplace Gender Equality Act (2012) 
• an organisation included on the National Redress Scheme’s website list of ‘Institutions that have not joined or signified their intent to join the Scheme’
• any organisation that does not satisfy the eligibility criteria specified in section 4.1 of the guidelines.

• Email: riseaccelerator@csiro.au