Bridging the gap

The Australian government’s Bridging Grants may be small, but they can bring real world impact. Gerd Winter talks to Nicole Freene of the University of Canberra about how failed funding bids led to her eventual success.

Nicole’s top tips

• The application process is quick and simple, but needs a commercial focus.
• A collaboration with industry is essential, as is match-funding.
• Don’t be disheartened by failure, it provides a good foundation for a stronger application.
• Although the scheme is open to new technology and ideas, you still need to demonstrate the viability of your project.
• For academics it’s important to be open to collaborating with industry.

Bridging Grants are part of the Australian government’s Global Connection Fund (GCF), aimed at supporting international research-industry partnerships in which either Australian researchers work with a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) overseas or, alternatively, Australian SMEs collaborate with international research partners.