Benefits for the CRC’s Partners
The SMART CRC is a federally funded 10-year research centre, providing a powerful platform for industry to collaborate with Australia’s top researchers on commercially and clinically relevant regenerative medicine solutions.
As part of the broader Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Program, Australia’s top industry-preferred research funding mechanism, SMART CRC enables long-term, strategic partnerships that leverage Commonwealth funding to address nationally significant challenges. Over its 32-year history, the CRC model has proven highly effective in delivering technology-based solutions and facilitating their translation into public and private benefit.
SMART CRC delivers the following key benefits to its partners:
A single point of access to Australia’s most advanced hub for regenerative medicine R&D, linking industry to the country’s top-tier expertise, infrastructure, and clinical capabilities
Accelerated innovation through the collective capacity and cross-disciplinary knowledge of the national SMART CRC network
Deep integration into the regenerative medicine ecosystem, with connections to global markets and international collaborators
Funding certainty for a full 10-year program
A collaborative forum for identifying and addressing sector-wide challenges in a coordinated, strategic manner
Support for effective technology transfer, ensuring commercial and clinical outcomes
Influence over national workforce development, including input into training programs enabling highly skilled graduates
Shared access to specialist infrastructure and capabilities, made available through the collaborative SMART CRC network
Opportunities to participate directly in commercialisation outcomes, including revenue sharing where applicable
Eligibility to recover up to 43.5% of qualifying R&D expenditures through the Federal Government’s R&D tax incentive program
How the SMART CRC leverages partner contributions
Participation in SMART CRC projects significantly multiplies the value of partner investment. Projects are typically funded in a 2:1:1 cash ratio (industry: research: commonwealth), reducing the direct cost of collaborative R&D while increasing its scale and impact.
In addition to cash commitments, partners also contribute valuable in-kind resources, such as staff time, technical expertise, and access to facilities. These contributions are formally recognised under CRC agreements and serve to expand the shared capacity and capability of the Centre, enabling the delivery of ambitious, high-impact outcomes aligned to partner priorities.