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.

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.

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.

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 research organisation. 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. 

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 be 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.

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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.

Next round

Applications for ON Prime15 are now open.

It is anticipated that the delivery for this round will run from April to June 2024. To be notified of all future rounds, please subscribe to our mailing list.

If you're a researcher considering applying for a future round of 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 register via the online application portal then submit an application. 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.

Have a question?

Watch a recording of our ON Prime information session. [NB. the session took place in late November, 2023.]

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

Interested in our alumni teams?

Visit our ON Program Alumni website to find out more.