CSIRO Regional University Industry Collaboration (RUIC)

CSIRO RUIC matched-funding voucher

Funds Australian Queensland businesses to co-develop projects with regional universities under matching support.

The RUIC matched-funding voucher provides Queensland-based SMEs with up to $50,000 to undertake a collaborative R&D project with a researcher from one of four regional Queensland universities. The minimum voucher is $10,000 — matched dollar-for-dollar by the business — giving a minimum project value of $20,000. The voucher is paid to the partner university (covering salary, operating costs and limited consumables/external services capped at 10%); the business pays the matching half. Projects are capped at 12 months, with no minimum duration. A second voucher of up to $50,000 is available once the first is complete, with the same or a different researcher.

To be eligible, a business must have an active ABN plus an ACN or ICN, be registered for GST, have been operating for at least one year, and have less than $20 million turnover/expenditure in the last financial year. The business must be able to match grant funding 1:1 in cash — in-kind labour and material costs do not count. EOIs are accepted year-round; CSIRO aims to respond within 10 working days. A researcher match from the partner universities is not guaranteed; if no capacity exists the application may not proceed.