Applications are currently closed.
Applications for the next ON Prime intake will re-open later in the year. Want to be the first to know when the next round opens? Get ahead and be ready to apply!
Join our expression of interest list
The ON Innovation Program is funded under the Research Translation and Commercialisation Agenda (previously known as the University Research Commercialisation Action Plan or URCAP) through FY2027 and remains focused on delivering strong outcomes for Australia's research and innovation ecosystem.
Through ON, researchers are building the commercialisation capability needed to translate publicly funded research into services, ventures and technological solutions that deliver economic and societal benefit. We remain committed to delivering impact throughout the current funding period.
Decisions regarding funding beyond FY2027 will be a matter for future Australian Government and CSIRO priorities.
For the latest news and opportunities from the ON Program, please subscribe to our mailing list. Alternatively, check out our What's ON calendar of events page.
Have a question? Reach out to the team via email: on@csiro.au
Program overview
ON Prime helps research teams test assumptions, engage with customers and stakeholders, and gather the evidence needed to make informed decisions about the future of their innovation.
Research impact can take many forms.
Whether you're exploring a new opportunity, validating an unmet need, or considering commercialisation pathways, ON Prime helps you understand where your innovation can create value.
You'll work alongside experienced facilitators, mentors and peers to:
- Test assumptions
- Engage directly with customers and stakeholders
- Explore market and impact opportunities
- Build evidence for decision-making
- Strengthen your pathway to translation and impact.
Why customer discovery matters
Many innovations begin with a solution.
ON Prime helps teams start with the problem.
Through structured customer discovery, you'll speak with the people and organisations connected to your innovation and learn:
- Whether the problem is important
- Who experiences it most acutely
- What alternatives already exist
- What barriers to adoption may exist
- Which pathway to impact is most likely to succeed.
The goal isn't to confirm your assumptions. It's to test them.
Eligibility
Who should be in your team?
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 must 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.
Who should apply?
ON Prime is designed for teams who are:
- Curious and open to learning
- Willing to challenge their assumptions
- Ready to engage with customers and stakeholders
- Interested in translating research into real-world impact
- Able to commit time and energy to the program.
You do not need:
- A startup
- A business plan
- A company
- A fully developed commercial opportunity, or
- Prior commercialisation experience.
Program participation
ON Prime runs twice a year: April–June and August–October.
The program blends in-person and online learning across over nine weeks. Between facilitated sessions, you’ll have access to team coaching with your facilitator and one-on-one guidance from an innovation mentor to help you apply what you learn.
The program culminates in a week-nine showcase, where you’ll share your progress and connect with the broader community. Most showcases are held in person, with a virtual option available. Travel for required in-person sessions is supported.
Teams should allow around one day a week to fully engage. To graduate, you’ll need to meet attendance requirements and deliver your showcase presentation.
Application process
Applying for ON Prime is straightforward.
When applications open, simply submit your team’s online application through our portal. After the round closes, your lead organisation will be asked to confirm its support. Your application will then be reviewed by multiple experts from the ON Program network. The highest-rated teams will be invited to join the program.
Pro tip: Assemble a strong team and review the evaluation criteria before applying. Applications are assessed on how clearly you articulate:
- the problem you aim to solve
- your solution and value proposition
- who your potential end-users or customers are
This clarity helps the ON team understand the potential of your idea and sets your team up for success.
Successful applicants will be notified around four weeks after the closing date. If you’re not selected this round, you’ll receive detailed feedback to help strengthen your idea for future opportunities.
Note:
ON Prime typically opens twice a year (Jan/Feb and June/July). To stay in the loop, subscribe to our mailing list for updates.
Benefits
Every team's pathway is different, so what your team gets out of ON Prime will depend on what you are seeking to achieve.
What teams gain:
- Evidence, not assumptions: Build a stronger understanding of your opportunity based on real-world feedback.
- Improved decision-making: Make informed choices about future investment, development and translation activities.
- Greater confidence: Understand whether your innovation is solving a meaningful problem.
- Stronger networks: Connect with industry, customers, partners and innovation experts.
- A clearer pathway to impact: Identify the most suitable route for creating value from your research.
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.
Teams have to meet minimum attendance requirements as well as showcase presentation to graduate from the program.
There are performance rewards available for top performing teams.
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."
- "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
What universities and PFROs are saying about ON Prime
Senior leaders from universities, research institutions and industry partners explain why they encourage their teams to take part in ON Prime.
Their insights reflect not only institutional commitment, but also the competitive advantage and cultural shift that participation brings - helping teams to engage with industry, sharpen impact thinking and move from discovery to real-world application.
- "I fully support their application to ON Prime and am confident this opportunity will provide them with valuable skills, networks, and insights to successfully advance the technology to the next stage of development." – Professor and Head of Department at Monash University
- "Flinders University recognizes the importance of the ON Prime Program in fostering innovation and commercialisation within the research sector." – Dean of Research and Director at Flinders University
- "The project is at a critical stage whereby conducting over 100 stakeholder interviews will be highly beneficial. This will help in better assessing the market potential, validating key hypotheses, and advancing its commercialisation goals."– Professor and Dean at Australian Catholic University
Have a question?
Watch a recording of our ON Prime information session. [NB. the session took place in July 2026.]
If you have any further questions, please reach out to our team at ON@csiro.au.
Applications are currently closed.
Applications for the next ON Prime intake will re-open later in the year. Want to be the first to know when the next round opens? Get ahead and be ready to apply!
Join our expression of interest list
The ON Innovation Program is funded under the Research Translation and Commercialisation Agenda (previously known as the University Research Commercialisation Action Plan or URCAP) through FY2027 and remains focused on delivering strong outcomes for Australia's research and innovation ecosystem.
Through ON, researchers are building the commercialisation capability needed to translate publicly funded research into services, ventures and technological solutions that deliver economic and societal benefit. We remain committed to delivering impact throughout the current funding period.
Decisions regarding funding beyond FY2027 will be a matter for future Australian Government and CSIRO priorities.
For the latest news and opportunities from the ON Program, please subscribe to our mailing list. Alternatively, check out our What's ON calendar of events page.
Have a question? Reach out to the team via email: on@csiro.au
Program overview
ON Prime helps research teams test assumptions, engage with customers and stakeholders, and gather the evidence needed to make informed decisions about the future of their innovation.
Research impact can take many forms.
Whether you're exploring a new opportunity, validating an unmet need, or considering commercialisation pathways, ON Prime helps you understand where your innovation can create value.
You'll work alongside experienced facilitators, mentors and peers to:
- Test assumptions
- Engage directly with customers and stakeholders
- Explore market and impact opportunities
- Build evidence for decision-making
- Strengthen your pathway to translation and impact.
Why customer discovery matters
Many innovations begin with a solution.
ON Prime helps teams start with the problem.
Through structured customer discovery, you'll speak with the people and organisations connected to your innovation and learn:
- Whether the problem is important
- Who experiences it most acutely
- What alternatives already exist
- What barriers to adoption may exist
- Which pathway to impact is most likely to succeed.
The goal isn't to confirm your assumptions. It's to test them.
Eligibility
Who should be in your team?
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 must 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.
Who should apply?
ON Prime is designed for teams who are:
- Curious and open to learning
- Willing to challenge their assumptions
- Ready to engage with customers and stakeholders
- Interested in translating research into real-world impact
- Able to commit time and energy to the program.
You do not need:
- A startup
- A business plan
- A company
- A fully developed commercial opportunity, or
- Prior commercialisation experience.
Program participation
ON Prime runs twice a year: April–June and August–October.
The program blends in-person and online learning across over nine weeks. Between facilitated sessions, you’ll have access to team coaching with your facilitator and one-on-one guidance from an innovation mentor to help you apply what you learn.
The program culminates in a week-nine showcase, where you’ll share your progress and connect with the broader community. Most showcases are held in person, with a virtual option available. Travel for required in-person sessions is supported.
Teams should allow around one day a week to fully engage. To graduate, you’ll need to meet attendance requirements and deliver your showcase presentation.
Application process
Applying for ON Prime is straightforward.
When applications open, simply submit your team’s online application through our portal. After the round closes, your lead organisation will be asked to confirm its support. Your application will then be reviewed by multiple experts from the ON Program network. The highest-rated teams will be invited to join the program.
Pro tip: Assemble a strong team and review the evaluation criteria before applying. Applications are assessed on how clearly you articulate:
- the problem you aim to solve
- your solution and value proposition
- who your potential end-users or customers are
This clarity helps the ON team understand the potential of your idea and sets your team up for success.
Successful applicants will be notified around four weeks after the closing date. If you’re not selected this round, you’ll receive detailed feedback to help strengthen your idea for future opportunities.
Note:
ON Prime typically opens twice a year (Jan/Feb and June/July). To stay in the loop, subscribe to our mailing list for updates.
Benefits
Every team's pathway is different, so what your team gets out of ON Prime will depend on what you are seeking to achieve.
What teams gain:
- Evidence, not assumptions: Build a stronger understanding of your opportunity based on real-world feedback.
- Improved decision-making: Make informed choices about future investment, development and translation activities.
- Greater confidence: Understand whether your innovation is solving a meaningful problem.
- Stronger networks: Connect with industry, customers, partners and innovation experts.
- A clearer pathway to impact: Identify the most suitable route for creating value from your research.
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.
Teams have to meet minimum attendance requirements as well as showcase presentation to graduate from the program.
There are performance rewards available for top performing teams.
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."
- "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
What universities and PFROs are saying about ON Prime
Senior leaders from universities, research institutions and industry partners explain why they encourage their teams to take part in ON Prime.
Their insights reflect not only institutional commitment, but also the competitive advantage and cultural shift that participation brings - helping teams to engage with industry, sharpen impact thinking and move from discovery to real-world application.
- "I fully support their application to ON Prime and am confident this opportunity will provide them with valuable skills, networks, and insights to successfully advance the technology to the next stage of development." – Professor and Head of Department at Monash University
- "Flinders University recognizes the importance of the ON Prime Program in fostering innovation and commercialisation within the research sector." – Dean of Research and Director at Flinders University
- "The project is at a critical stage whereby conducting over 100 stakeholder interviews will be highly beneficial. This will help in better assessing the market potential, validating key hypotheses, and advancing its commercialisation goals."– Professor and Dean at Australian Catholic University
FAQ: Frequently asked questions
Have a question?
Watch a recording of our ON Prime information session. [NB. the session took place in July 2026.]
If you have any further questions, please reach out to our team at ON@csiro.au.