West Tech Fest week always comes with a number of announcements from the WA state government. The first of those announcements is the latest round of Innovation Booster Grant and Commercialisation Bridge Grant recipients.
In total, the 12 recipients of this round will share in $736,157 of grant funding — the ten Innovation Booster Grant recipients will share in $380,157, while the two Commercialisation Bridge Grant recipients share $356,000 between them.
Innovation and the Digital Economy Minister Stephen Dawson said a quarter of these recipients had come from female-founded businesses — from a digital PCR for fast and reliable assessment of biologicals to an emotional support teddy bear, which has an interactive app and a testing regime to accurately measure antibacterial activity in honey.
Digital Economy Minister Stephen Dawson commented, “There were over 230 applications received between the two grant programs, which goes to show how this local ecosystem is burgeoning and is being fed by a great pool of local innovators.”
Since early 2022, more than $8 million has been awarded across 176 Innovation Booster Grant and Commercialisation Bridge Grant projects.
“The Cook Government is focused on building our local innovation ecosystem, and our very successful grants program is having a profound impact on driving competition in this exciting market.”
“Our Government continues to find new ways to foster and support this local talent and ensure they have what they need to develop and grow right here in WA,” Minister Dawson added.
Innovation Booster Grant recipients
| Business Name | Project Title | Grant |
| Forrest Farm Vets | Autonomous Cattle Eye Disease Detection System | $36,821 |
| Rapid Inflation Systems | Rapid Inflation Systems Retrofittable Central Tyre Inflation System | $40,000 |
| Ocean Hex Pty Ltd | SEED: Enabling large-scale restoration of marine coastal ecosystems | $40,000 |
| Ghost Fire Systems Australia | Blank Firing Simulator Mark 1 (BFS Mk1) | $40,000 |
| QL Space Pty Ltd | Comprehensive Blue Carbon Monitoring: Integrating Ground Truth and Space Data | $40,000 |
| MALDIID Pty Ltd | Implementing digital PCR for fast and reliable assessment of biologicals | $36,336 |
| Sea Dragon Botanicals Pty Ltd | Commercialisation and Market Entry for a Circular Soap | $40,000 |
| Tedology Pty Ltd | Research, Development & Commercialisation of an Emotional Support Teddy Bear & App | $40,000 |
| Innovation Fishing WA Pty Ltd | Innovational Technology to reduce Carbon Emissions and Environmental Impact | $40,000 |
| Y-Trace Pty Ltd | Quantifying the bioactivity of peroxide honey | $27,000 |
Commercialisation Bridge Grant recipients
| Business Name | Project Title | Grant |
| Agora Square Pty Ltd | Scaling The Agora Platform: Accelerating Team Readiness Through Diversification | $156,000 |
| Facilitate Tech | Project Immerse – enabling powerful immersive learning experiences | $200,000 |
