FAQs

Yes, please direct all enquiries to venturer@biointelect.com. Before reaching out, please review the Round 2 Funding Guidelines and FAQs available on the Biointelect Venturer website.  

To ensure a fair and transparent assessment process, applicants must not contact members of the Biointelect Venturer IRC, Steering Committee, CAG or Biointelect Board directly regarding their application or the selection process. Any enquiries received outside official channels will be referred to the Biointelect Venturer mailbox or enquiry booking form. 

All eligible EOIs and full applications are assessed by the Investment Review Committee (IRC) — an independent committee of experts with experience spanning the scientific, clinical, and commercial translation of health technologies for prevention of infectious disease. All reviewers are bound by confidentiality and conflict-of-interest agreements. All IRC recommendations are subsequently reviewed by the Biointelect Venturer Steering Committee and Biointelect Board.

Projects should be between TRL 3 and 6 at the time of application. However, projects at TRL 2 may be considered by exception if they can demonstrate they are about to progress to TRL 3 or have a credible plan to reach TRL 4 within the Biointelect Venturer funded project period.  

Biointelect Venturer funding is intended to support local innovation from Australian SMEs that are registered in Australia and operate primarily within the Australian innovation ecosystem. 

An Australian-incorporated subsidiary of an international company may be eligible, provided: 

• It is a registered incorporated Australian entity with an ABN 

• It employs fewer than 200 staff  

• It conducts substantive project activities in Australia 

• IP ownership for the technology resides in Australia 

However, subsidiaries that act primarily as sales, distribution, or administrative offices for overseas parent companies, or where decision-making and IP ownership reside offshore, are not eligible. Applicants must clearly outline the entity structure, ownership, and IP arrangements within their submission to confirm compliance with program requirements. 

Yes. Collaborations between an eligible Australian SME and international partners are eligible where they strengthen the proposed project – for example, by providing access to specialised expertise, technology, or facilities not available in Australia. 
However: 

• The lead applicant must be the Australian SME, which must meet all eligibility criteria (including being a registered Australian entity with an ABN and employing fewer than 200 staff). 

• The majority of project activities and expenditure must occur in Australia. 

• Any overseas components must be clearly justified as essential to achieving project objectives and approved in advance and with evidence of cost estimate. 

International partners may participate under subcontract or collaboration agreements, but they cannot receive direct funding from Biointelect Venturer. 

All information provided through the Biointelect Venturer application portal is handled in accordance with Biointelect’s privacy and data-management policies (www.biointelect.com/privacy). Application materials are treated as commercial-in-confidence. All IRC members, reviewers, and Biointelect staff involved in the assessment process are required to sign confidentiality and conflict-of-interest declarations before accessing application information.

No. Biointelect Venturer supports preventative technologies that have a direct human application. Eligible projects must involve technologies that act directly on humans and/or deliver a clear, direct impact on human health in the prevention of infectious disease. 

Innovations that act only at the environmental, systems, or population level (e.g., air or water purification systems, environmental controls, building-level interventions, PPE, or sanitation technologies) are not eligible, as they fall outside the incubator’s focus on human-directed products. 

Yes, vaccine and prophylactic immunotherapy platform technologies are eligible. All applications must demonstrate that the technology is intended for the prevention of infectious disease. Applicants should determine the TRL based on the lead indication or lead product for the platform.

Biointelect Venturer funding supports technologies between TRL 3 – 6 and will therefore support early-stage clinical or translational studies that are critical to demonstrating feasibility, safety or preliminary efficacy. Projects beyond TRL 6 – including those proposing large-scale pivotal trials – are considered out of scope. Please refer to the Round 2 Funding Guidelines, Appendix 1 for eligible expenditure categories.

Funding will be released in tranches aligned with agreed milestones as outlined in the approved project execution plan. Continued funding is subject to satisfactory progress against agreed deliverables and reporting obligations.

No. Matched funding is not required, but projects demonstrating co-funding, in-kind contributions, or partnerships that strengthen the commercial/commercialisation opportunity and amplify Biointelect Venturer’s funding will be viewed favourably.

Yes. Applicants may combine Biointelect Venturer funding with other non-Commonwealth sources, such as industry partnerships, venture capital, or philanthropic investment. Projects demonstrating co-funding, in-kind contributions, or partnerships strengthen the commercial/commercialisation opportunity and amplify Biointelect Venturer’s funding will be viewed favourably. 

Applicants who already hold MRFF, NHMRC, or other government funding may also apply, provided the proposed Biointelect Venturer activities are distinct, non-overlapping, and complementary to any existing government-funded work. Biointelect Venturer cannot support specific activities, equipment or supplies already funded through another MRFF, NHMRC, or government grant. 

All existing or planned funding arrangements must be disclosed in the application and confirmed prior to contracting. 

Intellectual property (IP) arising from projects remains the property of the participating organisation or company. Biointelect does not claim ownership or rights to participant IP. See the Round 2 Funding Guidelines, Section 3.3 Intellectual Property Eligibility for details. 

Yes. Researchers based at Australian Universities, Medical Research Institutes or hospitals are eligible to apply if they commit to establishing a new company that meets the SME eligibility requirements prior to contracting. Biointelect Venturer funding cannot be used to cover incorporation or company formation costs. Applicants must ensure their institution supports company creation within the proposed timeframe. 

Applicants should ensure that proposed project activities are operationally distinct from institutional research and that IP ownership and contracting arrangements are clearly defined and transferable to the new entity. 

Funding may support IP-related strategic activities (e.g. freedom-to-operate analysis, IP strategy development, patentability assessments) if these are included in the approved project plan. 

Direct patent filing or maintenance fees are considered ineligible expenditure under MRFF funding guidelines. 

All members of the Biointelect Venturer Investment Review Committee, Steering Committee, and advisory groups operate under strict confidentiality and conflict-of-interest policies. Any potential conflicts are declared and managed in line with best-practice governance standards to ensure fair, unbiased assessment.

Biointelect Venturer funding agreements include milestone-based tranches. Continued funding is contingent on satisfactory progress and compliance. Biointelect Venturer reserves the right to withhold or terminate funding if obligations are not met or if material non-compliance occurs.

No. There is no requirement to enter an IP Deed Poll with Biointelect or the Commonwealth.

All application information is treated as commercial-in-confidence during the review process. However, Biointelect Venturer may publicly announce successful applicants and use non-confidential project summaries for communication, reporting or promotional reporting purposes. Non-confidential summaries will be provided to successful applicants for approval prior to publication. Confidential information will not be disclosed without consent.

Applicants who have submitted an eligible EOI, whether successful in progressing to a full application or not, will receive high-level individual feedback. Similarly, applicants who submit a full application, whether successful in progressing to the next stage or not, will also receive individual feedback. 

Feedback reflects key considerations arising from the assessment process based on the information available at the time of assessment and in the context of the competitive funding round. Feedback is intended to support applicant capability building and future development and should not be interpreted as an exhaustive assessment of the project or technology. 

No. Engaging Biointelect’s services does not provide any advantage in the Biointelect Venturer assessment and selection process. All eligible applications undergo an independent assessment process as detailed in the Round 2 Funding Guidelines, Section 4.2 Application & Selection Process and decisions made based on the merits and relative competitiveness of applications. Any conflicts of interest are managed in line with best-practice governance standards to ensure fair, unbiased assessment.