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Applications have now closed for ON Prime! If you'd like to be the first to hear about our next cohort application round, sign up to our expression of interest list.

To keep updated on all things ON Program, please subscribe to our mailing list

If you have questions about ON Prime, please contact us via email: on@csiro.au

Where ideas take off: Welcome to ON Prime

ON Prime is a free program designed to help research teams of two to five people take their projects to the next level through customer discovery activities and more. We work with researchers at any stage of their project across all disciplines.

During the nine weeks of ON Prime, you will develop a deeper understanding of the people who could benefit the most from your research and sharpen your skills to communicate with that audience.

Expert facilitators will support you to build evidence for the impact of your research, so you can make a difference in the world and attract the resources you need along the way. Remotely delivered sessions are spaced out approximately two weeks apart and you should allocate additional time between sessions to undertake stakeholder engagement activities.

Your video or audio is here! ID: {4712E319-0A8A-41E9-A200-F994EE57BF69}

What teams will get out of ON Prime

Every team's pathway is different, so what your team gets out of ON Prime will depend on what you are seeking to achieve.

Flowchart titled "Multiple pathways to impact" with various colored paths showing links between startup, consulting, social entrepreneurship, joint venture, policy, and licensing to different impacts.

Outcomes from teams in recent years include:

  • attracting new funding sources
  • establishing new partnerships
  • increasing industry engagement
  • improving clarity around the impact and focus of their research
  • increasing confidence communicating their research
  • forming team bonds in a new project group
  • licensing IP or creating a new start-up venture.

Participating teams can receive up to $5000 to reward engagement and learning velocity in the program.

Teams have to meet minimum attendance requirements as well as showcase presentation to graduate from the program.

Your video or audio is here! ID: {D3B2578A-193F-4E6B-93BE-1394ACF0359A}

Who can participate in ON Prime

To participate in ON Prime, you must apply with a team of two to five people.

One person needs to be a researcher at an Australian university or a Publicly Funded Research Organisation (PFRO)**. The rest of your team may include anyone else you think will add value to your team, for example:

  • your colleagues
  • people from other research organisations
  • community representatives
  • industry partners
  • university students
  • someone from your organisation involved in research services, tech transfer, communications.

If you are a small team, think about who else you could involve in ON Prime to strengthen your group.

All team members should be based in Australia for the duration of the program.

** PFROs include: Australian higher education providers listed in the Higher Education Support Act 2003 and/or federal, state and territory government departments or agencies which undertake publicly funded research.

What participants are saying about ON Prime

Explore insights and testimonials from those who've experienced the program first-hand:

  • "It is great program, especially for scientists who mostly work in the lab and teaches new skills like engage with customers, mapping ecosystems etc."
  • "It is great program, especially for scientists who mostly work in the lab and teaches new skills like engage with customers, mapping ecosystems etc."
  • "This program is very useful for researchers to close the gaps and realise the differences between research and commercialisation, helping with road maps to align the technology development with the real market."
  • "The insight, structure, expertise and methods of communication and teaching were incredibly insightful. We are so grateful for the knowledge imparted and lessons learnt."
  • "Engaging directly with 100 industry stakeholders through ON Program was a game-changer. It helped us validate problems, conduct customer discovery and identify pivots. The enabled us to start focus on creating impactful solutions over nice-to-have ideas."
  • "I attended ON Prime in 2019 and received the Facilitator Award. That Program opened up the translational research opportunities of my research. After that, one of my patents got licensed and I co-founded two deep-tech start ups in Clean Energy and Sensing."

Hear more: 📽️ ON Program testimonials - Vimeo showcase

How ON Prime is delivered

ON Prime offers a dynamic and interactive learning experience, combining in-person and virtual facilitated sessions over a span of six days.

These facilitated sessions are strategically scheduled over a period of nine weeks, with the initial two-day immersion session in the first week, followed by a session every two weeks thereafter.

Throughout the program, you'll gain access to team coaching with your cohort facilitator between the fortnightly workshops. Additionally, you'll benefit from one-on-one guidance from your assigned innovation mentor during the intervals between sessions.

As part of the exciting culmination of the program, a showcase event will take place in week nine, providing a platform for you to present your progress and offers a unique networking experience. This showcase event will mainly be conducted in person, with a virtual option available for those unable to present in person.

It's important to note that some sessions, including the immersion sessions and the showcase event, may require travel. Travel costs will be supported and accommodated.

Overall, ON Prime participants will engage in a balanced blend of in-person and virtual learning, fostering meaningful connections and nurturing your innovation journey.

session schedule

What time commitment is required?

The program requires moderate effort and allocation from teams.

Each team member should allocate at least one day per week allocation for nine weeks.

In order to graduate from the program, teams must fulfil both the minimum attendance requirements and deliver a showcase presentation.

Applications for ON Prime are currently closed

ON Prime 18 will take place from August to October, 2025.

Don't forget to subscribe to our mailing list to be notified of all future application rounds. Rounds are typically open twice a year, Jan/Feb and again in June/July each year.

If you're a researcher considering applying for ON Prime, here's a tip - assemble a team and review the evaluation criteria to maximise your chances of success.

The clarity of your application will be assessed based on the following key points:

  • solution and value proposition for their idea
  • the problem that their idea addresses
  • the identified end-users of customers of their idea

How to apply

Applying to participate in ON Prime is a simple, two-step process:

  1. Submit an online application
    Each team is required to submit an application via our portal. Access to the portal will be made available when applications open.
  2. Application review and evaluation
    At the closure of the application period, all applications will be reviewed by representatives of their lead organisation. This is to ensure that each team has engaged their sponsoring institute and has full support to participate in the program.

Each application is evaluated by multiple experts from our extended network. The highest rated applications will be invited to participate in ON Prime.

Successful teams will be notified approximately four weeks after the application closing date. Applicants who do not successfully progress to ON Prime will be provided with access to detailed feedback from the evaluation process to help them refine and continue to work on their ideas.

Interested in hearing about the next application round? Register your details via our expression of interest sign up!

Have a question?

Watch a recording of our ON Prime information session. [NB. the session took place on 30 June 2025]

If you have any further questions, please reach out to our team at ON@csiro.au.

Applications have now closed for ON Prime! If you'd like to be the first to hear about our next cohort application round, sign up to our expression of interest list.

To keep updated on all things ON Program, please subscribe to our mailing list

If you have questions about ON Prime, please contact us via email: on@csiro.au

Where ideas take off: Welcome to ON Prime

ON Prime is a free program designed to help research teams of two to five people take their projects to the next level through customer discovery activities and more. We work with researchers at any stage of their project across all disciplines.

During the nine weeks of ON Prime, you will develop a deeper understanding of the people who could benefit the most from your research and sharpen your skills to communicate with that audience.

Expert facilitators will support you to build evidence for the impact of your research, so you can make a difference in the world and attract the resources you need along the way. Remotely delivered sessions are spaced out approximately two weeks apart and you should allocate additional time between sessions to undertake stakeholder engagement activities.

[Music plays and an image appears of a split circle, and photos move through of CSIRO activities in either side of the circle, and then the circle morphs into the CSIRO logo]

[Image changes to show a banner for ON Prime and a lit screen with a line of text at the top: Welcome to Showcase for Cohort 15. Below is a large formatted text: ON Prime]

[Image changes to show a group of people in a room with a speaker on stage. Screens are visible on the wall. Shot is from behind]

[Image changes to show a man on stage. He is wearing a grey jumper and black pants and speaking into a microphone. There is a CSIRO ON Prime banner behind him]

Ben Fitzpatrick: ON Prime is helping us to communicate better with clients and stakeholders.

[Image changes to Ben Fitzpatrick, wearing a beige shirt buttoned over a black tshirt. Ben has short greying hair and full facial hair. He is in front of a white wall with many windows and there is greenery around him before chaining to an image of Ben in front of an audience on stage with a video playing on the screen behind him as he talks and then a shot of Ben talking to two other people, one a man in a black jumper with yellow glasses on his head, the other a woman with long brown hair and a shirt that matches Ben]

No point being a super complex, you know, scientist if you can't actually communicate the importance of what you're doing.

[Image moves through shots of Sugandhika Mehta, a woman with dark shoulder length hair and wearing a grey blazer with oversized lapels. She is seated in front of a wall that has a mural involving coloured numbers and green designs, Sugandhika talking to other people around a table with whiteboards in the background, a shot of the audience taking notes and a woman in a black top with her hair pulled back on stage, speaking into a microphone]

Sugandhika Mehta: Participating in the ON Prime program gave us that extra push to, um, you know, look for key challenges and the key markets in this sector.

[Image moves through shots of Juan Garces, a man with short dark curly hair, facial hair and wearing a dark jumper seated in front of a wall with a mural involving coloured numbers and green designs, Juan talking to another man and Sugandhika, in front of whiteboards with another person from different angles and back to the original shot]

Juan Garces: The ON Prime program really gave me lots of valuable lessons, know how to speak to people, know how to get information and know how to understand the different angles of an idea.

[Image moves through shots of Aaron Elbourne, a man with dark hair and facial hair wearing a dark suit, white shirt and patterned tie in an office in front of a window with the city visible behind him, Aaron at a desk in a room with a female colleague who has her hair in a ponytail, a shot of Aaron and a woman in front of an audience with a screen behind them with text and images and then a close up of Aaron speaking before returning to the original shot]

Aaron Elbourne: We were a little bit naive going in thinking that it's just a scientific problem that we can solve, and what we've learned is that the market is far wider and broader than we originally thought, and we should be able to use this technology in other avenues than we originally had looked at.

[Image moves through shots of Shan Huang, a woman with medium length dark hair and a white top in front of wooden doors with a potted tree to the far left, a shot of three people standing at a cocktail table with water, juice and coffee in front of them, a shot from behind of four people talking, a shot of the audience watching a presenter on stage with the screen showing a video about My Health Record, a shot of Shan at a podium making a presentation, a shot of people in small groups in a large room from different angles and featuring different people]

Shan Huang: I think the biggest highlight for me was actually meeting all the other teams and finding out all the new technologies that they're looking at. They're all groundbreaking. They're all very fresh and innovative. Everyone had gone through the same journey. We were all sharing the same experience, so it felt a lot of camaraderie. It's very exciting.

[Image moves through shots of Mohammad Sallam, a man with short dark hair wearing a long sleeved blue and white striped shirt under a grey puffer vest in front of a long bench with cupboards underneath and shelves above and several plants, a shot of participants clapping, a sot of a woman with medium length hair wearing a black top and pants on stage and speaking into a microphone, a shot of a man with a grey jumper with the screen behind him having a stylised purple heart and text inside: Love the problem, not the solution]

Mohammad Sallam:  For a long time we thought that we really know our solution, but from the first day that we entered the program, Jasmin, our facilitator, she started by saying we have to fall in love with the problem, not the solution.

[Image changes to a woman in white top and black skirt and a man in a beige polo and jeans on stage with the screen behind them howling images relating to screening]

[Image changes to the audience clapping]

[Music plays as the image changes to show a white screen with the CSIRO logo above text: Australia’s National Science Agency]

CSIRO ON Prime program - Where ideas take off

What teams will get out of ON Prime

Every team's pathway is different, so what your team gets out of ON Prime will depend on what you are seeking to achieve.

Flowchart titled "Multiple pathways to impact" with various coloured paths showing links between startup, consulting, social entrepreneurship, joint venture, policy, and licensing to different impacts.

Outcomes from teams in recent years include:

  • attracting new funding sources
  • establishing new partnerships
  • increasing industry engagement
  • improving clarity around the impact and focus of their research
  • increasing confidence communicating their research
  • forming team bonds in a new project group
  • licensing IP or creating a new start-up venture.

Participating teams can receive up to $5000 to reward engagement and learning velocity in the program.

Teams have to meet minimum attendance requirements as well as showcase presentation to graduate from the program.

[Music plays and an image appears of a split circle, and photos move through of CSIRO activities in either side of the circle, and then the circle morphs into the CSIRO logo]

[Image changes to show Laura Rix, a woman with dark, wavy, chin length hair wearing a black sleeveless top sitting in front of two canopied couches, a table and plants]

Laura Rix: So we joined the ON Prime program to just try and figure out how our research could be applied to solve real world problems.

[Image changes to move through a man and woman seated on black stools in front of an audience seated in tiered seating in front of a mural, a close up of some of the audience seated, a mid shot of Laura sitting in front of three people standing, a mid shot of a man seated with a man and two woman standing as they engage in conversation]

Participating in ON Prime was also a bit of a personal growth journey for all of us, because none of us had any previous experience engaging with industry.

[Image changes to Sasha Mikheyev, a mad with greying facial hair, short brown hair, glasses and wearing a white shirt. He is seated in front of a mural that involves colourful numbers and green abstract designs. There is a potted plant in the background]

Sasha Mikheyev: How much I've learned from the structure of the program, the conversations that we've had with the various potential stakeholders has been tremendous.

[Image changes to move through Sasha standing in front of a screen and discussing the visuals on the screen, Sasha in discussion with another man, Sasha at a cocktail table with two other men, Sasha presenting in front of an audience, a shot panning up of another man with Sasha in deep conversation]

And over time, the number of opportunities and the conversations I've had with the facilitators and the mentors all have given me new ideas that I actually don't think I would have been able to get to on my own.

[Image changes to Kristina Heidrich, a woman with long brown hair and glasses wearing a beige long sleeved shirt. She is seated outside in front of a wall of windows with small potted trees in the foreground and background]

Kristina Heidrich: The biggest lessons that we learned through ON Prime

[Image changes to move through Kristina standing with two men in conversation in front of a lit screen with a QR code visible and a close up of Kristina and a man in a networking moment]

were actually defining our ecosystem and positioning ourselves in the middle of the ecosystem as an enabler.

[Image changes to Sugandhika Mehta, a woman with dark medium length hair and a grey blazer with oversized lapels. She is seated in front of a mural involving colourful numbers and green abstract shapes. A potted plant is in the background]

Sugandhika Mehta: Our ecosystem map has definitely changed.

[Image changes to move through Sugandhika standing with others in discussion, a close up of Sugandhika and returns to the original shot in front of a mural]

It is much broader than what we had expected it to be initially. The valuable insights which were provided during the ON Prime program has been excellent and it's definitely given us the extra push which we needed.

[Image changes to Ben Fitzpatrick, a man with grey hair and facial hair, wearing a beige long sleeved button up over a black t-shirt. He is seated in front of a wall of windows with small potted trees in the foreground and background]

Ben Fitzpatrick: The one thing that I take away from ON Prime is actually reaching out to people.

[Image changes to move through Ben on stage presenting to an audience, a close up of Ben talking into a microphone, a panning shot of Ben speaking in front of a screen, a close up of Ben talking to a woman who is shown from behind, Ben and two others in discussion in a room filled with people, a close up of Ben]

Not being afraid to talk to people, no matter how intimidating their title might be. Communicating really well with those people, finding out what they're on about, and actually working out ways that we might be able to help them in what they want to achieve.

[Image changes to Dr Saffron Bryant, a woman with light hair in a ponytail. She is wearing a black jacket over a blue button up shirt. She is seated in an office with a view of the cityscape through the window behind her]

Dr Saffron Bryant: It really gave us sort of the time and space to talk to people

[Image changes to move through Dr Bryant with a microphone and then seated at a table in discussion with a man]

and investigate translation pathways more than we've ever done before.

[Image changes to Cheong Xin Chan, a man with short dark hair wearing a dark blue button up short sleeve shirt. He is seated in a room in front of two canopied couches with a potted plant visible in the background]

Cheong Xin Chan: I learned how to not be afraid to step out of my comfort zone, to talk to people and to keep an open mind and be ready to pivot if needed.

[Image changes to Candice Oster, a woman with chin length blonde wavy hair. She is wearing a black button up shirt and is in a room that has light blue/grey walls and potted plants]

Candice Oster: Make the most out of the coaching. Make the most out of the mentoring. And while the 100 conversations is a terrifying idea, embrace it, go for it because you will learn so much.

[Image changes to panning shots of audiences clapping]

[Image changes to a man with short dark hair. He is wearing a black and white houndstooth shirt and is presenting an idea to an audience]

Voiceover: I’m also starting again. I’ve got a new idea.

[Music plays as the image changes to show a white screen with the CSIRO logo above text: Australia’s National Science Agency]

CSIRO ON Prime program experience - hear from our Alumni

Who can participate in ON Prime

To participate in ON Prime, you must apply with a team of two to five people.

One person needs to be a researcher at an Australian university or a Publicly Funded Research Organisation (PFRO)**. The rest of your team may include anyone else you think will add value to your team, for example:

  • your colleagues
  • people from other research organisations
  • community representatives
  • industry partners
  • university students
  • someone from your organisation involved in research services, tech transfer, communications.

If you are a small team, think about who else you could involve in ON Prime to strengthen your group.

All team members should be based in Australia for the duration of the program.

** PFROs include: Australian higher education providers listed in the Higher Education Support Act 2003 and/or federal, state and territory government departments or agencies which undertake publicly funded research.

What participants are saying about ON Prime

Explore insights and testimonials from those who've experienced the program first-hand:

  • "It is great program, especially for scientists who mostly work in the lab and teaches new skills like engage with customers, mapping ecosystems etc."
  • "It is great program, especially for scientists who mostly work in the lab and teaches new skills like engage with customers, mapping ecosystems etc."
  • "This program is very useful for researchers to close the gaps and realise the differences between research and commercialisation, helping with road maps to align the technology development with the real market."
  • "The insight, structure, expertise and methods of communication and teaching were incredibly insightful. We are so grateful for the knowledge imparted and lessons learnt."
  • "Engaging directly with 100 industry stakeholders through ON Program was a game-changer. It helped us validate problems, conduct customer discovery and identify pivots. The enabled us to start focus on creating impactful solutions over nice-to-have ideas."
  • "I attended ON Prime in 2019 and received the Facilitator Award. That Program opened up the translational research opportunities of my research. After that, one of my patents got licensed and I co-founded two deep-tech start ups in Clean Energy and Sensing."

Hear more: 📽️ ON Program testimonials - Vimeo showcase

How ON Prime is delivered

ON Prime offers a dynamic and interactive learning experience, combining in-person and virtual facilitated sessions over a span of six days.

These facilitated sessions are strategically scheduled over a period of nine weeks, with the initial two-day immersion session in the first week, followed by a session every two weeks thereafter.

Throughout the program, you'll gain access to team coaching with your cohort facilitator between the fortnightly workshops. Additionally, you'll benefit from one-on-one guidance from your assigned innovation mentor during the intervals between sessions.

As part of the exciting culmination of the program, a showcase event will take place in week nine, providing a platform for you to present your progress and offers a unique networking experience. This showcase event will mainly be conducted in person, with a virtual option available for those unable to present in person.

It's important to note that some sessions, including the immersion sessions and the showcase event, may require travel. Travel costs will be supported and accommodated.

Overall, ON Prime participants will engage in a balanced blend of in-person and virtual learning, fostering meaningful connections and nurturing your innovation journey.

Linear overview of the session schedule

It runs from left to right. Reading from the left the boxes read Week 1 Immersion, Week 3 Session 2, Week 5 Session 3, Week 7 Session 4, Week 9 Showcase. Between each boxes is marked Mentor.

Overview of ON Prime delivery

What time commitment is required?

The program requires moderate effort and allocation from teams.

Each team member should allocate at least one day per week allocation for nine weeks.

In order to graduate from the program, teams must fulfil both the minimum attendance requirements and deliver a showcase presentation.

Applications for ON Prime are currently closed

ON Prime 18 will take place from August to October, 2025.

Don't forget to subscribe to our mailing list to be notified of all future application rounds. Rounds are typically open twice a year, Jan/Feb and again in June/July each year.

If you're a researcher considering applying for ON Prime, here's a tip - assemble a team and review the evaluation criteria to maximise your chances of success.

The clarity of your application will be assessed based on the following key points:

  • solution and value proposition for their idea
  • the problem that their idea addresses
  • the identified end-users of customers of their idea

How to apply

Applying to participate in ON Prime is a simple, two-step process:

  1. Submit an online application
    Each team is required to submit an application via our portal. Access to the portal will be made available when applications open.
  2. Application review and evaluation
    At the closure of the application period, all applications will be reviewed by representatives of their lead organisation. This is to ensure that each team has engaged their sponsoring institute and has full support to participate in the program.

Each application is evaluated by multiple experts from our extended network. The highest rated applications will be invited to participate in ON Prime.

Successful teams will be notified approximately four weeks after the application closing date. Applicants who do not successfully progress to ON Prime will be provided with access to detailed feedback from the evaluation process to help them refine and continue to work on their ideas.

Interested in hearing about the next application round? Register your details via our expression of interest sign up!

Have a question?

Watch a recording of our ON Prime information session. [NB. the session took place on 30 June 2025]

If you have any further questions, please reach out to our team at ON@csiro.au.

ON Prime application portal

ON Prime is a program for research teams to undertake customer discovery and market validation enabling them to take research further.

Apply now