ON Accelerate is a three-month, free commercialisation acceleration program for entrepreneurial researchers who are ready to translate their great idea into a research-driven company.

Through personalised coaching and group work, ON Accelerate will:

1. Equip, empower and energise teams to tackle the research commercialisation journey.
2. Support the whole team to develop entrepreneurial skills including networking, pitching and investor engagement.
3. Assist teams with identifying their customer and the specific problem that they are solving.
4. Build and validate investment ready, innovative, sustainable and scalable business models.
5. Introduce teams to venture funding opportunities, helping them develop a network of experts, investors and supporters and preparing them to succeed.

Throughout the program, you will be connected to a network of experts and coaches who will support (and challenge) you. The domain coaches you may work with are specialists in the following areas:

• performance coaching
• IP
• finance and contract management
• investor relations
• media management
• team building.

In addition to funding the total cost of participation (valued at over $150,000*), the ON Accelerate program offers non-dilutive funding to fast-track their market traction and venture creation during and post-program.

This figure includes:

• $20,000 per team, provided to Tech Transfer Officers (TTOs) at the conclusion of Immersion
• Up to $400,000 of funding to be distributed to high-performing teams within the cohort (max. funding of $80,000 per team)
• Bespoke coaching with domain experts throughout the program, plus additional coaching post-program for teams who fully meet the participation requirements.

*Value estimated based on calculations made over the course of 2024-2025 and takes into account the projected program budget for 2025-2026.

To be eligible for ON Accelerate, your team must meet all the following criteria:

• Team size: 3-6 members.

• Team diversity: Include people with varied expertise, such as:
  
  • Colleagues from your organisation
  • Researchers from other Australian universities or publicly funded research organisations (PFRO)
  • Industry partners
  • Community representatives
  • University students or staff from research services, TTOs, or communications teams.
• Location: All team members must be based in Australia for the program duration.
• Time commitment:
  • At least three core members must attend all in-person workshops and coaching sessions.
  • Your team must commit the equivalent of one full-time person (shared across the team) to work on the venture outside of sessions.
• Research involvement:Your team must include
  • A researcher at an Australian university or PFRO, OR
  • A PhD student or recent graduate (within the last 24 months) from an Australian university or PFRO.
• Startups/SMEs: Teams from Australian startups or SMEs that have licensed or acquired IP from an Australian university or PFRO are eligible - but must include a member from the originating university or PFRO.
• For venture capital readiness: Your team must be a registered company with authority to transact using the IP.

• Email: on@csiro.au