Australia offers funding opportunities for digitalisation initiatives

March 15th, 2021

Hanoi, 15 March 2021 – Aus4Innovation Partnership Grants has kicked off its 2021 round with up to AUD 1.5 million financial support available to help partnerships between Australia and Vietnam scale up tested, innovative ideas.

Managed and implemented by the Aus4Innovation program, and funded by the Australian Government, the latest round of funding was conceived in support of the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology’s COVID-19 recovery priorities. It builds on the success of the first two rounds, which received 197 applications and funded eight outstanding projects with total funding of AUD 3.6 million.

Under the theme ’Enhancing Digital Transformation’, this round welcomes initiatives that have the potential to enhance digital transformation in the economy and deliver inclusive social impact. Suggested areas around which applicants could develop their ideas include smart manufacturing, smart agriculture, digital health, smart education, smart cities, finance and banking, e-government, and natural resources and environment. Grants of between AUD 100,000 and AUD 1,000,000 will be awarded on a competitive basis to existing partnerships between Australian and Vietnamese institutions to support tested initiatives that are ready to scale up. Grantees will have up to 12 months to implement their proposed activities.

‘Together with the Ministry of Science and Technology, we have committed to pivot Aus4Innovation activities toward COVID-19 economic recovery. This includes additional support for the application of digital technologies to help Vietnamese innovators respond to emerging challenges and opportunities brought about by the global pandemic and the new normal. Having this third round of grants focus on digital transformation links them strongly to the Artificial Intelligence initiative launched in August last year and strengthens our support for Vietnam’s digital transformation.’ – said H.E. Ms Robyn Mudie, Australia’s Ambassador to Vietnam.

‘This round of funding from Aus4Innovation is well aligned to the Prime Minister’s recent approval of the National Digital Transformation Program. By 2025, we will transform Vietnam’s government management, business operations and the daily lives of our people with technology enabled by a secured digital environment. We are thankful to the Australian Government for this meaningful collaboration in support of our ambitious digital transformation goals. I look forward to seeing more and more breakthrough applications of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, IoT and blockchain with potential widespread impact.’ – H.E. Vice Minister of Science and Technology, Bui The Duy, added.

Eligible applicants are invited to download the grant guidelines and frequently asked question here and send in their Expression of Interest to apply here no later than 4 April 2021.

Innovation Partnership Grants is an important part of the AUD 11 million, four-year (2018-2022) flagship Aus4Innovation program to help strengthen the Vietnamese innovation system and prepare for Vietnam’s economic and digital future. It is funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and managed by the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in strategic collaboration with the Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam (MoST)./.

For further information, please contact: 

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoang Ha – Aus4Innovation Program Manager
Website: https://research.csiro.au/aus4innovation/
Email: Hoang-Ha.Nguyen@dfat.gov.au / aus4innovation@csiro.au

Tel: +84 4 3774 0128