The AICCTP provides funding to support Australia-India collaborations that will help shape a global technology environment that meets Australia and India's shared vision of an open, inclusive, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific, where the rules-based international order is upheld.

The AICCTP contributes to the Australian Government's commitment to work with the global community to ensure greater security and prosperity for everyone underpinned by the safe and fair development and use of critical technologies.

The priority areas of the AICCTP's 2025-26 Round 5 grant opportunity are:

1. Development of international standards to support the deployment of transparent and securely designed technologies (including but not limited to artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, digital public infrastructure, biotechnologies and emerging space technologies):

• Brokering and supporting industry-led multi-stakeholder research collaboration between Australian and Indian researchers on setting international standards, to ensure technology markets are transparent and competitive, and that products/services are secure and safe by design.
• Increasing collaboration between industry, research institutions and government to advance the adoption of trusted and secure technologies in the Indo-Pacific, including through innovative use-cases that cater to regional priorities.
• Collaborating on ethical models and pathways to drive access to, and adoption of, trusted and secure technologies in the Indo-Pacific, including securing supply chains and promoting 'safety by design' practices.

2. Building cyber resilience and security in the Indo-Pacific

• Collaborating on research and pathways that support countries in the Indo-Pacific region to improve their cyber resilience and adopt trusted technology and ICT services, cybersecurity services, and digital public infrastructure.
• Collaborating on building the resilience of critical infrastructure assets, including submarine cables, combatting cybercrime and securing supply chains.

3. Defending an open, free, secure and interoperable internet in international forums through governance mechanisms

• Collaborating on research that promotes a multi-stakeholder model of internet governance and strengthens the capacity for all stakeholders, including industry, civil society, academia, and the technical community, to develop and engage on internet governance mechanisms.

To be eligible the lead partner must be a research institution located in Australia and have a partner institution that is located in India for the purposes of the activity or located in India and have a partner institution that is located in Australia for the purposes of the activity and be one of the following entity types:

• a company incorporated in Australia or India;
• a company incorporated by guarantee;
• an incorporated trustee on behalf of a trust;
• an incorporated association;
• a partnership;
• a joint (consortia) application with a lead organisation;
• a think tank or research organisation;
• an Indian or Australian sub-national government body.

• Email: aicctp@dfat.gov.au