WA Collaborative Research Grant

WA Collaborative Research Grant – Round 7

  • Applications for Round 7 are open until 21 November 2025.
  • Each project may request up to $200,000 in funding. While a co-contribution is not required, proposals that include financial or in-kind support from team members will be viewed more favourably during evaluation.
  • Projects are expected to run for a duration of 12 to 18 months.

The Collaborative Research Grant (CRG) is a competitive funding initiative co-funded by the Western Australian Government and the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG). It supports cross-disciplinary collaboration between WA-based industry and academic institutions to develop technologies that are relevant to Defence and aligned with national strategic priorities.

Key Requirements

The theme for 2025 is Trusted Autonomy in All Domains, with a focus on AI-enabled autonomous systems that can operate reliably across both machine-human and machine-machine interfaces.

The grant aims to advance technology readiness levels (TRL 2–5), strengthen collaboration between academia and industry, support the development of Defence capabilities, and enable clear transition pathways to commercial or Defence applications.

Expected outcomes include the delivery of innovative solutions in autonomous systems, stronger partnerships between WA research institutions and industry, and enhanced Defence capabilities across all operational domains—land, sea, air, space and cyber.

  • Must include at least one Defence Science Centre (DSC) member university and one WA-based industry partner
  • Lead applicant must be a DSC member university
  • Industry partner must hold an ABN and be based in WA or collaborate with a WA-based entity
  • All participants must be citizens or permanent residents of Five Eyes or NATO countries
  • Projects must start at TRL 2 and aim to increase by at least one level
  • Individual researchers may only participate in one application

What is eligible for funding?

Projects must align with the 2025 theme and may include:

  • AI and machine learning for autonomous systems
  • Sensor fusion, edge processing, and intelligent sensing
  • Human-machine teaming and adaptive autonomy
  • Secure communications and cyber resilience
  • DevSecOps and secure system development

Eligible costs:

  • Research and development expenses
  • Personnel and technical support
  • Equipment and materials
  • Travel and collaboration costs
  • No co-contribution required, but it improves evaluation score

What companies are eligible for funding?

  • WA-based companies or trusts with an ABN
  • Companies outside WA with collaboration ties to WA DSC universities or WA-based industry
  • Must not be exempt from income tax

Is this grant competitive or entitlement based?

Competitive. Your application will be assessed among other applications by a judging panel.

How can I increase my chances of winning this grant?

By engaging an accredited government grants consultant, such as Avant Group.

Competitive grants often require significant business case development and project analysis to support the application, this may include detailed presentations supporting the project’s merit, projected sales, cost-benefit analysis and more.

As part of your engagement with Avant Group, your account manager will assess the required documents and will provide the following as needed to support your grant submission.

Grant application writeup including a detailed presentation illustrating how the grant funding will contribute to your project, how the funding will contribute to the project’s budget, a project milestone plan, delivery timeline, impact on employment if applicable and a breakdown of the management and leadership team for the project

  • Industry analysis presentation
  • Competitor Analysis Presentation
  • Marketing and Sales Analysis Presentation
  • 3-5 year Cashflow Forecast
  • 3-5 year Balance Sheet Forecast
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis of Grant Funding
  • End-to-end grant application including information collating, analysis and application writing
  • CAPEX (Capital Expenditure) cost-benefit analysis
  • Stakeholder relations and Risk Mitigation Plans
  • Any other relevant forecasting that will support your application

How can I get help with my application? Or know if I’m likely to win funding?

Avant Group offers a no-obligation assessment of your eligibility for funding and will assess your likelihood of a successful grant application.