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Recipients of the 2021 Innovation Vouchers announced

Desiree Durrani
Desiree Durrani
(L to R) Eddie Pahor, Commercial Director, Zipform Packaging, Dr Josephine Muir, CEO Noisy Guts, the Hon. Don Punch MLA and Professor Barry Marshall, Nobel Laureate.
// // 21 WA companies were chosen for this year's Innovation Vouchers Program.

The Innovation Vouchers Program is an initiative of the WA Government’s New Industries Fund, which assists WA startups and small businesses to commercialise their ideas and innovations and expand to create jobs.

Since its inception in 2011, the state government has awarded just under 200 vouchers worth approximately $3.7 million to promising early stage businesses. Many previous voucher winners have since grown exponentially, expanded into international markets and built local workforces in WA.

Last year, during the height of the initial Covid lockdown, 36 vouchers were awarded, mainly in the med tech, health and resources sectors. This year, 21 have been announced, the maximum grant being $20,000 (which has to be matched with 20% contribution, i.e. $5,000 for the full grant amount).

One such recipient of this year’s program is Dr Josephine Muir, CEO and Co-Founder of NoisyGuts, a startup on a mission to improve the lives of people suffering from chronic gut health issues such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) which affects one-fifth of Australians across the nation.

We are delighted to receive a 2021 innovation voucher and (we would like to) thank the Hon. Minister Punch for championing WA startups.

We are using the voucher to engage a high-level growth marketing specialist to transfer knowledge to our team so that we can sustain a competitive edge in ad placement, channels, timing and audience segmentation to build an e-commerce strategy that converts interest to repeat sales.

Dr. Josephine Muir, CEO and Co-Founder of NoisyGuts

Noisy Guts performed quite a pivit this year, moving away from their IBS wearable device detector to a new brand of ‘super shakes’, which contain 7g of unique superfood fibre-blend to boost gut health. This shake will now be packaged in a 92% paper fibre tub, thanks to another WA business ZipForm Packaging, which was established in 2010.

Recipients of the 2021 Innovation Vouchers announced
Noisy Guts’s new SuperFlora shake. Image Supplied.

Another recipient, EarBuddy, is a medical device that helps ventilate children’s middle ears as they swallow, designed to provide non-invasive treatment for children suffering with Otitis Media with Effusion (OME), commonly known as glue ear. The technology has the potential to avoid the need for surgery and reduce developmental delay caused by hearing difficulties, addressing an unmet clinical need with an innovative solution.

The device was engineered and is now being manufactured locally by Atamo Innovations in Belmont, demonstrating the local job-creating power of home grown innovations. EarBuddy will use the $20,000 voucher funding for registering its intellectual property.

The Hon. Don Punch, Innovation and ICT Minister believes that innovation is the “key to diversifying the State economy”.

I would like to congratulate the 2021 Innovation Vouchers Program recipients and wish them every success in using the funding to create a business that brings jobs to Western Australia.

 As both Minister for Innovation and Minister for Disability Services, it is fantastic to see innovators using technology to provide greater choice and control to people with disability on this year’s list of recipients.

Hon. Don Punch MLA, Innovation and ICT Minister

Vouchers are awarded in four categories in Research and Development, Product Development, Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property, and Commercialisation Support Services.

Full list of the 2021 Innovation Voucher recipients:

  • Alcolizer  –  Scale-Up of production of Alcolizer’s COVID-19 rapid antigen test.
  • Avicena Systems – Ultra-high throughput, accurate, rapid screening system for COVID.
  • Beelu Forest Distilling Company  – Premium Australian organic spirits distilled with novel proprietary koji strain.
  • Clean Plant – Clean Chute.
  • COREIOT  – Visible Machines.
  • EarBuddy – EarBuddy Device.
  • Ex Planta  – Developing bio-synthetic natural plants compounds for human and animal health products.
  • Gas Capture Technologies  – Carbon capture use and storage development.
  • Medivitals  – Artificial Intelligence based remote monitoring platform with medical grade wearables.
  • Metabolic Health Solutions  – WA Metabolic Health Database for Artificial Intelligence.
  • NMR Services Australia  – BMR-40 instrument development.
  • Noisy Guts  – Shaking it Up! 
  • OLP Robotics  – Automated system for refurbishment.
  • Onetide Modular Systems  – SpeedReelTM Universal Spool Fuel Hose Stand: Land Deployment.
  • Portable PPB  – Portable PPB (detectORE) machine design and manufacture.
  • Primary Sales Australia  – Robotic weed rouging tool.
  • Safehouse Australia – Development of Pressurised Habitat Control System to AS/NZS 60079-13 standard.
  • Technology for Ageing and Disability WA – TADWA Voice Control Module.
  • TeleMedVET – Diagnostic scanner to predict and prevent fractures in thoroughbred racehorses.
  • Touchline Connect  – UX/UI analysis and enhancement: REACH Boarding System.
  • Unpollute  – Dewatering Tailings: An environmental improvement in mining.

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For more information on the 2021 winners, click on the NIF website.

Read more of the latest news from the startup ecosystem here

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Desiree Durrani

Desiree Durrani

When not working on a creative project or typing away behind a screen, Desiree can be found watching the football (the round one!), volunteering at motorsport events in Western Australia or listening to "Rock DJ" on repeat.
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