CRC-P Grants Round 19 — AI Accelerator
Supports Australian small businesses and researchers building applied artificial intelligence projects through industry partnerships and shared development resources.
⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.
CRC-P Grants Round 19 — AI Accelerator is a closed cycle of the Australian Government's Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) programme, administered by DISR through the Business Grants Hub. Round 19 opened March 18, 2026, closed May 12, 2026, and will announce outcomes in August 2026, with funding commencing August–September 2026. The round carried a $20 million ring-fenced pool specifically designated for artificial intelligence system development and enhancement under the National AI Plan; robotics and automation, a priority area in Round 18, was removed for this cycle. Round 18, for reference, funded 27 projects with $66 million for robotics and automation.
Grant amounts range from $100,000 to $3 million per project, for projects lasting up to three years. All grants are matched 50/50: the consortium must contribute an equivalent amount through cash or in-kind contributions. The lead applicant must be an Australian SME with an ABN, GST registration, and incorporation as a trading corporation; government agencies, research organisations, individuals, sole traders, and entities where government funding constitutes the majority of revenue may not lead. Each consortium must also include a second Australian industry organisation (any size) and at least one Australian research organisation.
CRC-P is structurally lighter than the full CRC programme — shorter duration (up to three years versus three to ten), smaller consortia, and no PhD education requirement — making it accessible to SMEs pursuing focused, applied research with a specific commercial output in view. Applications are assessed on four equally weighted 25-point criteria: programme alignment, project quality, team capacity and resources, and funding impact. The record is retained as a reference for Round 20 planning; Round 20 timeline had not been published as of June 2026.
Short-term industry-led collaborative research projects developing products, services, or processes that solve industry problems, with Round 19 focused on AI system development.
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