Edition 37 SME Connections November 2026
Welcome to our last newsletter for this year, highlighting recent developments across CSIRO's innovation programs and upcoming innovation ecosystem opportunities to support your business goals.
Heroes of Hardware: 10 Years of CSIRO's Lindfield Collaboration Hub
Join us at CSIRO Lindfield for Heroes of Hardware, a panel on what it really takes to move deep tech hardware from prototype to market, and how physical AI is changing the game. Hear from Rebecca Lodin (CTO, MAKO), Abbie Widin (founder, Defy-Hi) and Ted Esdaile-Watts (Principal, Techcreators). Stay on for lunch, networking, and hands-on demos of technologies developed on site.
20 November 2026 | 12-2pm AEDT
CSIRO Conversations Webinar: Australia's battery opportunity
Australia has the critical minerals and research expertise. What will it take to turn that advantage into battery technologies and safer products ready for real-world use? Join a panel of CSIRO experts to explore realistic next steps in battery manufacturing, how new technologies move from research to scale, and why safety, testing and certification matter from the start. You'll also get a first look at CSIRO's new Australian Battery Safety Facility.
24 November 2026 |12:30-1: 30pm AEDT
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Deep Tech Mixer: ON Accelerate 11 Bootcamp Edition
Join the Melbourne innovation ecosystem for an evening bringing together founders, researchers and industry leaders working at the forefront of deep tech and commercial innovation. The event will feature 20 rapid fire pitches from entrepreneurial research teams based across Australia, who are competing for a place in the ON Accelerate 11 program. Gain firsthand insight into the research translation journey of idea to impact and support Australian innovation.
24 November 2026 |6-8pm
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CSIRO has strengthened its science and innovation relationship with Thailand following the signing of a Letter of Intent with Thailand’s National Science and Technology Development Agency during the Thai Prime Minister’s recent visit to CSIRO.
The agreement provides a framework to explore further scientific cooperation, including joint research, information exchange and new areas of collaboration to address shared regional challenges. It builds on existing work in health security, sustainable agrifood systems, plastic waste innovation and water quality monitoring.
"We are extremely grateful at CSIRO for the strong relationship we have with Thailand’s National Science and Technology Development Agency," CSIRO Chief Executive, Doug Hilton said. "This relationship represents so many things I love about great science: it is deeply collaborative, productive, and focused on the impact we can make in our region."