How CSIRO Kick-Start offers dollar-matched funding of $10,000 to $50,000 for small Australian companies to run an R&D project with CSIRO — and how AI fits.
dgm is an independent osFoundry integration partner — not affiliated with osFoundry’s maker (OS LLC), and dgm has no completed client integrations yet.
CSIRO Kick-Start is one of the most accessible programs for a small Australian company wanting to run an AI or data R&D project with CSIRO’s expertise.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| What it is | Dollar-matched funding to run R&D with CSIRO |
| Amount | $10,000–$50,000 (dollar-matched) |
| For | Australian startups and small SMEs |
| Sits under | CSIRO SME Connect |
What CSIRO Kick-Start offers
CSIRO Kick-Start provides dollar-matched funding of $10,000 to $50,000 for Australian startups and small SMEs to access CSIRO’s research expertise to explore, validate or accelerate an R&D idea — directly useful for an AI or data project. It sits under CSIRO SME Connect.
Related CSIRO support
CSIRO also runs Innovate to Grow — a free 8-week online program (no cash grant) that helps SMEs turn early ideas into clear R&D plans, run in sector cohorts. It is a good precursor to a later R&D Tax Incentive claim. Program parameters, amounts, rates and round windows change frequently — confirm the current details on the official program page before relying on them.
How to start
Apply through CSIRO. Important: these are programs a business applies for directly with the government agency or, for the R&D Tax Incentive, claims through a registered tax adviser. dgm is an independent AI-integration agency — not a registered or approved program deliverer, an Industry Growth Program adviser, or a registered R&D tax agent. dgm can help scope and build the AI project; eligibility and any claim are determined and lodged by you or a registered adviser. dgm can help define the AI work; CSIRO and your team run the project.
Where dgm fits
dgm is an independent integration partner that helps Australian businesses adopt osFoundry — scoping a first use case, handling the build, and connecting AI to the systems you already run. dgm can help you scope the AI project that a program would fund — but you apply to the program (or claim the R&D Tax Incentive with a registered adviser) directly. dgm is independent of osFoundry’s maker (OS LLC) and has no completed client integrations yet, so everything described here is a service offered, not a past result. If you want to scope a practical first project, dgm can help you map it out.