Resources & Learning

Australia’s “Ambitious Australia” R&D review signals a major shift toward innovation-led growth, with stronger incentives and support for businesses investing in research and development. For SMEs and startups, this creates a significant opportunity to accelerate growth, access funding, and gain a competitive edge—provided they effectively leverage programs like the R&D Tax Incentive.

Australia’s mining sector is now a high-tech frontier, opening up major funding opportunities for startups building innovative mining and METS solutions. With programs like the R&D Tax Incentive and Accelerating Commercialisation, founders can turn R&D into real capital and get from prototype to mine site faster.

Australia is shutting the door on R&D Tax Incentive claims for gambling and tobacco-related activities from 1 July 2025, including betting tech, loot boxes, vaping, and nicotine products. The only exception is genuine harm-minimisation research—if your R&D fuels addiction rather than preventing it, government funding is off the table.

30 April 2026 is the deadline startups can’t afford to miss. If you don’t register your R&D activities with AusIndustry by then, you lose access to the R&D Tax Incentive. With strict rules and rising ATO scrutiny, the right R&D consultant can mean the difference between unlocking funding and leaving money on the table.