Key information
- Status: Open
- Grant amount: From $500,000 to $2,000,000
- Application opened: 6 March 2026
- Application closes: 29 April 2026, 10:00 am
Program objective
The ETCF is an open competitive fund that aims to address market gaps that limit NSW’s ability to translate innovation into economic growth. Its objectives are to:
- Progress emerging technology innovations to commercial deployment: ETCF will de-risk emerging technology innovations by progressing them along the TRL pathway towards commercial deployment.
- Improve commercial viability and investment readiness: ETCF will strengthen recipients’ commercial viability and investment readiness – so they are better positioned to generate early revenue and attract further private investment.
- Generate long-term economic benefits for NSW: ETCF will scale jobs and capabilities in NSW – strengthening NSW competitive advantages in Government priority areas (for example, local manufacturing, housing and net zero), building a stronger innovation ecosystem and supply-chain capabilities.
This program is administered by Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer.
Eligibility
Who can apply
- Be one of the following:
* a company incorporated under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), or
* an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Corporation registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and /or Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (Cth)
- Be a for-profit entity
- Not be listed on any public stock exchange.
- Have an active Australian Business Number (ABN).
- Be headquartered in NSW.
- As of 1 January 2026, have more than 65% of their Full Time Equivalent Employees employed in NSW.
- Have revenue of less than $2.5 million per year in the last financial year (FY2024/25).
- Not be a subsidiary of another company.
- Own the IP or have an exclusive license to commercialise the IP in Australia and globally.
Types of projects funded under this grant
- Be TRL 3-7 on the TRL Scale at the time of applying for the ETCF
- Progress along the TRL Scale an existing physical prototype of a device, technology, or product. OR Progress along the TRL Scale a proof-of-concept of a biological or life sciences innovation.
- Be completed within two years (unless there are exceptional circumstances).
- Not have received grant funding for the activities specified in the application.
- Not be eligible for the Medical Devices Fund (MDF) funded by NSW Health.
What costs you can't apply for
- The purchase of land or property.
- Expenses incurred in the preparation of a grant application or related documentation.
- Expenses incurred prior to an offer of funding made to successful applications (no retrospective funding will be awarded).
- Expenses that are already the subject of another government grant, subsidy or financial assistance (no overlap of costs for the same project activities).
- General business expenses including sales, marketing, office rent and travel.
- Solutions designed to improve internal business processes.
The Department, at its absolute discretion, may deem expenses to be eligible upon request of the applicant.
The Department may ask applicants to verify the project cost and request evidence of costs such as supplier contracts, quotes and invoices. Grantees must demonstrate value for money by ensuring project costs are reasonable and reflective of actual costs incurred and reasonable market rates.
Example projects
- prototyping, product development and piloting studies
- manufacturing and/or scaling
- conducting market research, testing and trials
- regulatory approvals and other relevant certifications
- salaries and access to external expertise that is directly related to delivery of the project
- commercialisation strategies and commercial feasibility studies
- project consumables directly related to delivery of project outcomes
- specialist equipment and/or infrastructure necessary to progress the project
- intellectual property protection or advice
- prototyping, product development and piloting studies
What your application needs to include
Prepare your application with this checklist
You must attach supporting documentation to the application form in line with instructions provided within the online form. For preliminary applications, you should only attach requested documents. We will not consider information in attachments we do not request.
Applicants are required to provide the following attachments as part of their Preliminary Application (Stage 1):
- A pitch video pitch (no longer than 5 minutes). The pitch video should address the five Preliminary Application assessment criteria in the Program Guidelines. The pitch video should reflect how you would pitch the solution and company to prospective investors.
- A table showing ownership structure of the applicant company (Capitalisation Table).
- A chart displaying management structure of the applicant company (Organisation Chart).
Applicants who are invited to submit a Full Application (Stage 2) will receive instructions on how to do this including requested attachments. Applicants will be requested to provide further attachments as part of their Full Application (Stage 2) including, but not limited to:
- Intellectual property documentation
- Financial statements and management accounts
- Copies of capital raising presentations (if applicable)
- Resumes
Address the eligibility criteria
Each applicant, as part of an application response, must confirm that they meet the eligibility criteria.
Applicants that do not address the eligibility criteria in full may be excluded from the application process at the department's discretion.
Start the application
To apply you must:
- Complete the Preliminary Application form at https://chiefscientist.smartygrants.com.au/ETCF2026
- Include all requested attachments
- Submit your application by the timelines outlined in the Program Guidelines
Note: If you are a new applicant to SmartyGrants, you will need to register and create a password. If you are already registered, you can log in with your existing username and password.
Apply now
After the application is submitted
Successful applications will be decided by: Minister for Innovation, Science & Technology
The assessment of applications will be led by the OCSE Grant Delivery Team. Your application will be considered based on a two-stage process. Where the OCSE Grant Delivery Team considers an application unsuitable or unsatisfactory against any criteria, we may exclude that application from further evaluation. Only eligible applications will move to the next stage. We consider eligible applications through an open competitive grant process.
An independent probity advisor will be present to provide guidance to the Department and the Subcommittee and Expert Panel on integrity, fairness and accountability, and ensure transparency of the Program's administration.