The creators of five NSW technologies will share in $5 million from the NSW Government to bring their industry-changing ideas to market, thanks to the NSW Physical Sciences Fund.
Planning and Public Spaces Minister Rob Stokes said the fund translates scientific innovation into tangible real-world outcomes to benefit communities, the State’s economy and the environment.
“NSW is renowned for its innovative science sector, which is why we’re not only investing in developing and nurturing ideas but commercialising them too,” Mr Stokes said.
“Our inaugural winners are turning rubbish into luxe building products, using drones to save the environment, improving the efficiency of mines and the wine industry, and literally pulling water from thin air,” he said.
NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte said bringing great ideas to market is a challenge facing universities and small companies.
“In addition to giving financial support, the Physical Sciences Fund provides advice and facilitates collaborations to ensure that each project’s scientific rigour is matched with seasoned entrepreneurial know-how,” Professor Durrant-Whyte said.
The inaugural recipients include a light-weight data gathering drone, a magnetic resonance analyser, architectural surfaces manufactured from recycled materials, agricultural technologies and a device that produces drinking water from atmospheric moisture.
Almost 60 applications were received for the fund, with the five winners assessed and selected by an independent expert panel.
More information on the Physical Sciences Fund can be found here.
Further detail on the successful grant recipients
MEDIA
Teaghan Wilson | Minister Stokes | 0455 151 398
Bruce Ritchie | Office of the NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer | 0429 412 426