SA companies to receive $27 million

The distribution of grant funding available under the federal government's Research and Development Start Program has continued to flow.

Federal Industry, Science and Resources Minister Nick Minchin said 31 companies in SA would receive a total of $27 million in grants for research and development. 10 projects in the biological sector will receive around $11million, 12 in engineering and manufacturing will receive $10 million, and 9 in information technology and telecommunications will receive $6 million.

Mr Minchin said that nationally, 249 projects would receive $208 million in funding this year, an increase of almost $30 million on the expected funds that will be available each year until June 2006. The R&D Start Program, available to non-tax-exempt Australian companies, is a merit-based program designed to assist Australian industry to undertake research and development.