Venture Science Program

CSIRO’s venture science program is a market-led innovation approach to co-create science ventures that address the key industry challenges. The program runs in 5 phases over 12-18 months: whitespace exploration, inspiration+ ideation, market validation, proto-venture, and venture build. 

2023 Venture Science Program

Program

  • Whitespace Exploration:
  • Inspiration + Ideation:
    • Workshop to develop ideas that may turn into start ups
    • Start up Idea validation & Talent Recruitment
  • Market validation
  • Idea showcase
  • Proto Venture

Ideation Workshop EOI due 7 February

Inspiration + Ideation Day is designed to generate ideas and inspire action by bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, scientists, thought leaders, and market makers. The focus of the workshop is to explore and develop opportunities for reducing edible food loss and waste and improving the sustainability of our food system from on-farm to retail.  CSIRO’s Company Creation will support investible ideas and people from the workshop to become billion dollar, globally disruptive start-ups.  

The workshop is 20 February 2023, in Adelaide and is strategically planned for participants to also take advantage of the AgriFutures evokeAG event.

Calling all entrepreneurs, both aspiring and experienced, who are interested to join as a venture builder to co-create science ventures with full suite venture creation supports. (A Venture Builder is a business that builds businesses, they are also known as Startup Factories, Startup Studios, Tech Studios and Venture Production Studios. We are calling our entrepreneurs venture builders to better reflect that we are a start-up ourselves.)

Calling businesses across the agrifoood value chain who are willing to lean in and co-create science ventures that provides innovative solutions for reducing edible food loss and waste and want to contribute to improving the sustainability of the food system.

What are the benefits to join as a venture builder?

  • Fully funded roles for min. 6months up to 18months.
  • Guided venture science program (ideation, validation to proto venture)
  • 1:1 business support – investment, business, research commercialisation.
  • Access to a community of venture builders and experts (business, investment, people, market, IP, commercialisation)
  • Explore ideas with dedicated science team and access to multi-discipline science capabilities across CSIRO.
  • Opportunity to participate in ON Prime and ON Accelerate Program
  • Network of investors, global innovators.

What are the benefits to join as an industry partner?

  • A member of a community of like-minded businesses, with access to workshops, demo day and networking events with ventures.
  • Access to innovation ideas that address industry-level challenges, opportunity to invest or collaborate with proto-ventures.
  • Able to engage in ‘big picture’ conversation at CSIRO on topics including sustainable food system, future protein, biosecurity, circular economy, agrifood supply chain, and use your business expertise to solve world problems.

2023 Challenge and Workshop

The Ideation Workshop: Upcycled Ingredients From Food Loss

What’s the problem?

Globally, our food chains are wasting 1.3 billion tonnes of food per year, equivalent to USD 1 trillion, which generate 8% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. In Australia, approximately 28 million tonnes of agricultural and fisheries waste are generated each year, accounting for over 65 percent of Australia’s organic waste production. Australia’s food chains alone generate 7.6 million tonnes of food waste per year which costs the Australian economy AUD 36.6 billion. In addition, 2,600 gigalitres of water is used for production of food that is not utilised and wasted food contributes 1.7 million tonnes of carbon emissions.

What is Australia’s opportunity in food?

Edible food waste left on farms, as well as side streams and by-products of food processing, have potential to be re-purposed. Particularly, edible food loss may be upcycled into value-added healthy foods and ingredients if this organic material is treated and considered as valuable raw material resource for the food industry.  Increasingly agri-food companies are requiring ESG credentials to operate and attract investment.

Australia’s national food waste baseline indicates several sectors where high value nutrients are lost at primary production and food manufacturing that may be recovered, upcycled, and repurposed into materials and consumer goods:

  • Cereals and grains, oilseed, and pulses
  • Fruit and vegetables
  • Animal origin waste including dairy, bovine, fish, and seafood, where large volumes are currently diverted into animal feed

Why now?

Australia and APAC are creating financial incentives for companies to start investing in using the by-products of other food manufacturing processes. Those incentives are moved to uncover the commercial advantages.

Are you interested in joining us? Submit an EOI.