Health Security Stream

The Health Security Stream provides grant funding of up to $500,000 (per project) for promising projects that improve Australia’s preparedness and responsiveness to human health threats.

This program, supported by CSIRO, focuses on the development of therapies or other assets that improve Australia’s health security.

Australian health security and countermeasures can include but are not limited to vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostic technologies, devices and/or activities that would have an impact in improving Australia’s human health security or address a known capability or capacity gap for national health security, including:

• infectious disease resilience;
  • preparedness and response; or
  • manufacturing related to health security

Successful projects that meet their milestones may be eligible for top-up funding and may attract further interest from the CSIRO.

CSIRO will have the option, but not the obligation, to contribute further funding to the recipients of Health Security Stream funding to accelerate project development, which may include further research grants and/or to seek commercial investment.

All Health Security stream awardees are invited to apply for additional grant funding through this stream (up to an additional $500,000) upon successfully meeting key milestones and project outcomes.

The goal of top-up funding is to further support the de-risking and maturation of projects towards successful commercialisation outcomes. Applicants are not guaranteed top-up funding. Top-up funding is awarded through a competitive, multi-stage process:

1. Application: CUREator awardees will be invited to submit an Additional funding application to CUREator, to be assessed by the CUREator Investment Review Committee (IRC), including a nationally representative sub-committee of the Brandon BioCatalyst IRC, CSIRO representative and independent members with significant sector expertise.
2. Presentation: If shortlisted for top-up funding, applicants will be required to address feedback from the CUREator IRC in written format and will be invited to present to the committee.
3. Due Diligence and execution: If selected for funding, the CUREator team will work with the company including the legal and business development team to complete corporate due diligence, IP (Intellectual Property) review, project planning, timing, budgets and milestones.

Top-up funding for the Health Security Stream is offered through one competitive funding round. The first round and final round is currently under review. Awardees of the Health Security Stream can be found here