Submit your ideas for the Biosecurity Innovation Program
The challenge
Biosecurity protects Australian livelihoods and is vital to strengthening and supporting our environment and economy, including tourism, trade, and agriculture. It underpins many aspects of our way of life.
The Australian biosecurity landscape is changing quickly and growing in complexity. We are operating in a 24-hour business context, facing increasing volumes of international trade. We are facing increasingly complex global supply chains and changes in the environment, including climate change.
Globalisation, complexity of international supply chains and changes to the Australian operating environment including the COVID-19 pandemic are making biosecurity risk management more challenging.
What we are looking for
Industry plays an essential role in safeguarding Australia’s biosecurity. We want to collaborate with innovators from the business sector, universities, and domestic and international research entities.
Together, we want to identify bold new ideas to support the long-term effectiveness and sustainability of Australia’s biosecurity system.
Tell us your ideas for technologies and approaches that will contribute to a sustainable and effective national Australian biosecurity system, and ways to modernise our current biosecurity risk management practices.
The program will provide financial support for projects that could improve:
- biosecurity screening of goods and passengers
- biosecurity risk detection — for example, drone surveillance, artificial intelligence, robotics, next generation sequencing and new biological controls
- the effectiveness and efficiency of our national biosecurity system in a changing environment.
How to get involved
Applications for 2021-22 financial year funding round opened on 9 November 2020 with submissions closing on 12 February 2021.
Send a short description of your idea to the Biosecurity Innovation Program team (100-300 words) and we will be in touch.
Contact the team early so they can connect you with a project sponsor. The sponsor will champion your idea within the department and work with you to develop your project proposal, including to ensure your idea is aligned to the department’s priorities and the program objectives.
