Innovation Voucher Program

The Hon. T.T. NGO (14:36): My question is to the Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation. Could the minister tell the chamber about the recent recipients of grants funding through the Innovation Voucher Program?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Employment, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Science and Information Economy) (14:36): Certainly. I thank the honourable member for his good and well thought out question. The government is committed to supporting innovation in small and medium-size enterprises, including helping them to collaborate with research and development providers in South Australia. The popular Innovation Voucher Program provides grants of between $1,500 and $100,000 to companies to assist with projects that support productivity or industry diversification in priority areas for the state.

Through a recent round of the program, support has been provided, totalling some $233,000, to five projects, which have included: a $50,000 grant to Cunninghams Balaklava, a family-owned business that is set to develop a new cost-effective device that will help farmers chemically treat their own grain safely and accurately. Their business will work with Berry Engineering to develop an electronic prototype device that will apply the correct volume of chemical treatment to broadacre seed for fertilisation and protection.

It's a very good project. I recently had the opportunity to meet with Shane Cunningham while in Balaklava a week or so ago, who told me that they expect this innovation will enable farmers to reduce the volume of chemical treatment by about 20 per cent, creating very significant savings for farmers. It was also exciting to hear of their innovative products that they are now looking to take on as a result of this government's support.

WBC Group Holdings was successful in a $50,000 Innovation Voucher Program grant for a project with Flinders University to undertake research and to develop a prototype wireless switch that can be integrated into WBC's innovative modular wiring product for residential and commercial buildings. The project represents a significant opportunity for WBC Group Holdings to further differentiate their unique wiring systems, which could attract new global customers. These new products will not only provide an exciting new product offering for the market, but growth opportunities for local manufacturing.

Glacier Cooling also received a grant to work with the University of South Australia's Barbara Hardy Institute to undertake the development and validation of a cooling unit that can be applied to both commercial and industrial uses. The cooling unit will use indirect cooling to enable natural CO₂ refrigeration systems to be applied efficiently in climates with warmer temperatures. I am advised this project will assist the company in meeting the increasing regulatory pressures to deliver a product that meets the growing market demand globally for more sustainable and cost-effective refrigeration technology.

A grant of $40,000 was provided to Common Sense Surf Company for a project with Flinders University to undertake testing and validation of different shark deterrent methods at the location of Neptune Island. Should the test results be successful, this will provide scientific validation of the product's effectiveness for the worldwide surfing market.

Finally in this round, Australian Orthopaedic Fixations received a $43,000 grant to undertake the development and commercialisation of new orthopaedic upper limb implant plates with improved comfort and reliability. The company will be partnering with the Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing and Device Synergies. This project represents an opportunity for the company to achieve important commercialisation requirements to deliver an improved product to global markets using advanced titanium 3-D printing in this high-value manufacturing process.

We know that innovation has the potential to boost our industry, create new industries and attract investors and jobs to South Australia. This is crucial if we are going to continue to grow as a global leader in areas of strategic importance like high-tech manufacturing. Through the Innovation Voucher Program, the government is delivering the support required to ensure that some of our state's small to medium-size enterprises are able to take full advantage of technologies available to diversify their products and services. This latest Innovation Voucher Program suite of grants will deliver positive outcomes for the companies involved, and I look forward to being able to update the chamber as they progress and as their technologies take place.