Western Australia’s New Industries Fund Unveils Major Grants: A Leap for Innovation

In Western Australia the winds of innovation are shifting. On 22 September 2025 the state government unveiled fresh grant opportunities under the New Industries and Innovation Fund (NIIF) to accelerate the next wave of WA-based innovators. (Western Australian Government) These are not merely grants. They are strategic signals: that early-stage ideas, commercialization risk, and underrepresented founders deserve structural support.

What’s on Offer: IBG and CBG

Two flagship programs are now open:

• Innovation Booster Grant (IBG)
  Tailored for early-stage founders, innovation-driven SMEs, and startups in WA, the IBG supports capability building, ideation, testing, validation, protection and certification of innovations. (Western Australian Government) Since its inception in 2021, the IBG has awarded over $5.5 million across 182 local innovation projects. (Western Australian Government)

• Commercialisation Bridge Grant (CBG)
  Designed for enterprises with established prototypes or early market traction, CBG helps push products and services toward domestic and international marketplaces. (Western Australian Government) To date, over $2 million has been distributed across 11 WA innovators. (Western Australian Government)

Crucially, the maximum CBG funding has been raised, now ranging from $50,000 to $250,000 per recipient. (Western Australian Government)

Applications are currently open. IBG applications close 10 October 2025, 4:00pm AWST, while CBG applications close 14 October 2025, 4:00pm AWST. (Western Australian Government)

What’s Different This Round

This funding round carries enhancements and strategic adjustments that deepen its impact:

• Expanded support for underrepresented founders
  New provisions expressly support businesses founded by women, First Nations people, or based in regional WA. (Western Australian Government)

• Larger grant ceilings
  The higher ceiling for CBG reflects a recognition that moving from prototype to scale requires more capital and runway. (Western Australian Government)

• Continuity and scale
  The NIIF is the state’s core mechanism for delivering on its innovation strategy and diversifying the WA economy. (Western Australian Government)

Real Impact: Examples

Already NIIF grants have translated into meaningful progress for local ventures:

• Healthigence used IBG support to develop an AI-powered medication safety system for neonatal intensive care units. (Western Australian Government)

• Aquila Scientific leveraged IBG funds to advance automated diagnostics for infectious diseases in agriculture and veterinary sectors. (Western Australian Government)

• Facilitate Tech received a CBG to further develop a virtual reality training platform tailored to industries such as mining, energy and aviation. (Western Australian Government)

These are not academic pilots. These are ventures already moving toward market and scaling.

Strategic Implications and Risks

This funding round raises the bar—but the challenges are real.

What this enables:

• More startups can stay in WA rather than migrating east or overseas to access capital

• Increased diversity in innovation (gender, regional, Indigenous)

• Stronger bridges between concept and commercialization

What must be monitored:

• Whether the increased ceiling is enough to truly de-risk commercialization

• How accessible the grants are to smaller teams with limited grant writing or resource capacity

• Matching private investment and follow-on capital to sustain momentum

• Longitudinal tracking of outcomes: job creation, founder retention, revenue growth

Why This Matters

In many innovation ecosystems the stretch between prototype and scale is where ideas with promise fade. WA’s refreshed grant funding under NIIF signals a willingness to intervene at that critical juncture. It suggests a more mature innovation posture: not just seeding ideas but shepherding them toward impact.

For founders, this is a timely window. If your project aligns with innovation in health, advanced manufacturing, tech, environmental or social domains, this round could be a game changer. For ecosystem enablers—incubators, accelerators, universities, regional hubs—this funding offers anchor points to coordinate capability, outreach, and mentorship.

At TMFS we believe that capital without strategy is wasted. These grants must be matched with coaching, network access, peer support, and ecosystem alignment. If done well, the ripple effect will extend beyond individual ventures—reshaping WA’s innovation landscape.

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