Resources

The Quick Version Ask a growth-stage CFO about R&D commercialisation in Australia, and you’ll hear a familiar frustration. The company is spending more on research and development than ever. The technology works. But somehow, the revenue hasn’t caught up. They’re not alone. In 2023–24, Australian businesses collectively invested $24.4 billion in R&D, an 18% jump … Read more

The quick version Starting an Australian business has never looked more promising on paper. Venture capital is flowing, the government is expanding R&D incentives, and a Dealroom and AWS report found Australia produces billion-dollar companies more efficiently than the US, UK, or China. But if you’re actually in the early stages of building something, the … Read more

The Quick Version Three months ago, you were facing a cash flow gap that risked slowing your product roadmap. Your R&D Tax Incentive refund was still months away, while eligible spend continued to build. So you did the smart thing: you took out an R&D loan against that accrued expenditure and put the capital straight … Read more

Five themes every R&D-active business should be watching When Cooperative Research Australia brings together researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders at The University Club of Western Australia this May for Collaborate & Innovate 2026, the conversation won’t be about whether Australia can innovate. That question was settled years ago. The real conversation is about what happens … Read more

The Quick Version You’ve spent $2 million on R&D this financial year. Your R&D Tax Incentive claim will return $870,000 at the refundable offset (your 25% company tax rate plus the 18.5% R&D premium, totalling 43.5% for most eligible companies under $20M turnover), and that number is probably sitting in your financial model right now, … Read more

You’ve just closed a quarter where your engineering team shipped three major features, refactored your authentication system, and started building a new customer portal. Your finance lead asks: “Which of these costs should we capitalise?” The question sounds simple. However, the answer reshapes your balance sheet, influences investor conversations, and determines how much you’ll claim … Read more

When UK quantum computing firm Quantum Motion decided where to build their next laboratory in 2024, they had the world to choose from. They picked Sydney. When Korean industrial giant POSCO wanted to establish their first Critical Minerals R&D Lab, they chose Perth. What do these global innovators know that you might be missing? Australia … Read more

For much of the last decade, Australian SMEs operated in a unique environment: A zero-interest-rate policy made capital abundant, and R&D budgets were treated as faith-based initiatives, necessary for the innovation narrative, but opaque in their financial attribution. That era has ended. With the Reserve Bank maintaining elevated cash rates and business investment expected to … Read more