Vic govt offering grants for high-tech projects

The Victorian Government has launched a new round of its Technology Implementation voucher program, giving the state’s life science sector a chance to again take advantage of the opportunity.

The program will allow Victorian companies to apply for vouchers worth up to $250,000 for technology implementation projects designed to improve their products, processes, services and competitiveness.

The voucher round, launched by Minister for Technology Gordon Rich-Phillips, forms part of the state government’s wider $8 million Technology Voucher program. The other types of vouchers available under the program cover technology development and student ICT research projects.

The state government in April awarded Technology Implementation vouchers worth $1.6 million to seven companies. Two of the seven winners were biotechnology projects.

IntelliMedical Technologies won funding for a project to develop IntelliWire, a steerable micro-guidewire device for use in interventional medical procedures. Universal Biosensors (ASX:UBI) meanwhile got a voucher to help develop a device for cardiac marker biosensor development.

Other winning projects include a cloud-based livestock weight management system, the development of a new forensics diagnostic tool and a renewable solvent to replace existing petroleum-derived products.

The Technology Voucher initiative is itself part of the $150 million ‘Victoria’s Technology Plan for the Future’ policy.

Rich-Phillips said implementation vouchers “focus on projects that create more competitive [companies] through the application of small technologies, industrial biotechnology or advanced information and communication technology in innovative or novel ways”.