University of Queensland biotech startup NexGen Plants bags $3 million
Schenk tells StartupSmart the technology poses an alternative to genetically modified produce, allowing for cross-breeding of plants to introduce desirable traits by adding only the genome that’s required for that trait. There are big parts of certain plants’ genomes that are “hidden treasures”, Schenk says, and by extracting those genomes and placing them into other plants, the […]
Three new government-supported accelerators to boost Victorian startups
More than 170 Victorian startups will benefit from a $13.45 million investment by the state government to establish three new startup accelerators. As part of the LaunchVic funding round, two Australian teams – SBE Australia and Skalata Ventures – will establish and operate accelerator programs exclusive to Victoria. Techstars, an international organisation, is also in the early stages […]
Advance Queensland innovation fund gets AU$73m Budget boos
The Queensland government has handed down its 2018-19 Budget, with jobs and innovation once again a focus for the state. The state’s innovation fund Advance Queensland, launched three years ago during the 2015-16 Budget, will be receiving a further AU$73 million over four years, bringing the total kitty to AU$650 million. Specifically, the new cash injection […]
Universities accelerate their leadership role for start-ups
Australia’s technology start-up sector has gone from scant activity to an explosion of interest, people and capital in less than a decade, and by some measures Australia has one of the fastest growing start-up sectors globally. Investment in start-ups is growing faster than in Europe or the US; we have seen more than 60 per […]
Penn State-Monash collaboration progresses, seeks proposals for seed funding
The Monash-Penn State partnership began in the early 1990s and has since evolved to an institutional level. The collaboration now includes strategic work on common areas of research to better leverage the capabilities of both universities. “Penn State and Monash have committed to a strategic partnership focusing on teaching, research and service, using the complementary […]
IBM and University of Melbourne present seizure prediction system through POC project
Researchers from IBM and the University of Melbourne have developed a proof-of-concept seizure forecasting system that predicted an average of 69 percent of seizures across 10 epilepsy patients in a dataset. The system, which the scientists claim is “fully automated, patient-specific, and tunable to an individual’s needs”, uses a combination of deep-learning algorithms and a […]
Swinburne University and IIM announce graphene smart composites project
Imagine Intelligent Materials and Swinburne University have announced a collaborative six-month project aiming to develop graphene-reinforced smart composites. The composite will be able to report on the condition of large structures, and will have major commercial potential in the transport sector, including automotive and aerospace. The project is supported by a $20,000 Seed grant from the university […]
Airtree and Blackbird Ventures back Sydney University AI mining exploration platform
Two of Australia’s largest technology venture capital funds have backed a seed round for EARTH AI, a start-up that uses artificial intelligence to help mining firms find resources. Airtree and Blackbird Ventures are both looking to get in at the ground floor of the mineral exploration platform in a $500,000 round, which is smaller than the […]
UK fund’s A$200M investment commitment validates Powerhouse university investment model
London Stock Exchange-listed IP Group’s decision to invest A$200 million over 10 years in commercialising scientific innovations from universities Down Under validates the business model of ASX-listed tech incubator Powerhouse Ventures, says its new chairman Russell Yardley. Powerhouse has a portfolio of 19 companies developing intellectual property spun out of New Zealand research institutions with […]
$500k fund raised by millennials for millennial start-ups
A $500,000 investment has been raised by a group of youth to be invested in start-ups founded by those under the age of 30. First Cut Ventures (FCV), made up of mostly students, has 12 members including four University of Auckland students, a University of Waikato student, three recent graduates working in the venture capital […]