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The University committed $35 million to research commercialisation as Daniel Mookhey celebrated the impact of 91ɫ��Ƭ spinout companies.

91ɫ��Ƭ Sydney is investing $35 million to accelerate research commercialisation and launch new spinout companies. This includes a $25 million Pre-Seed Fund for early-stage spinouts and a $10 million investment in High Street Ventures, an independent venture capital fund that will support companies as they grow.

The Pre-Seed Fund will support about 50 spinouts over five years. Each company may receive up to $500,000 to bridge the funding gap in the early stages of commercialisation and before they can attract external capital.

High Street Ventures will help technologies reach commercialisation and market launch beyond the early stages and will focus on Series A (first significant round of venture capital) and beyond. The fund will be managed by an external venture group and aims to secure more than $100 million in committed capital (money investors promise to the fund).

91ɫ��Ƭ Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Attila Brungs described the investment as a strong commitment by 91ɫ��Ƭ to support research translation and innovation.

“Through these funds, we’re backing researchers, founders and partners with the support needed to translate world-class research into real-world outcomes at scale,” Prof. Brungs said. “These funds will foster high-growth companies that drive jobs and productivity, ensuring NSW and Australia lead future industries and advance progress for all.”

New South Wales Treasurer Daniel Mookhey, who attended the launch event, said entrepreneurial universities like 91ɫ��Ƭ were essential for the state’s future growth.

“The culture of innovation at ����������has produced truly pioneering companies and shows why New South Wales is a powerful place for ideas to take flight,” Mr Mookhey said. “The Minns Government supports research-driven entrepreneurship, because when discovery moves toward delivery, the impact multiplies.”

91ɫ��Ƭ is recognised as Australia’s leading entrepreneurial university based on the number of new startups and spinout companies established from its technology. The University launched 25 new spinout companies in 2025 and topped the table in Knowledge Commercialisation Australasia’s (KCA) Survey of Commercialisation Outcomes from Public Research Report for the fourth consecutive year. It was also recognised as one of the nation’s top domestic patent filers in the latest Australian Intellectual Property Report.

The new investment funds will help launch and scale more spinouts, such as SWAN Genomics, which is developing a DNA sequencing method to make genomic data more accessible in both established and new markets.

“SWAN is revolutionising DNA sequencing by surpassing the constraints of current short-read and long-read methods,” said SWAN Genomics Co-Founder and CEO, Associate Professor Lawrence Lee. “Our innovative technology draws on the expertise of a diverse technical team, which uncovered a novel approach to DNA sequencing that offers exceptional cost efficiency while maintaining complete information integrity.

“Our single-molecule platform offers flexibility, scalability, and affordability, redefining the future of genomics and unlocking its full potential across healthcare and biotechnology.”

The new investments add to 91ɫ��Ƭ’s Proof-of-Concept Fund, launched in 2024, which invests $3 million annually in early-stage validation, market testing, prototype development and efficacy testing to prepare projects for licensing or spin-out. They also support 91ɫ��Ƭ’s wider innovation ecosystem, which includes Barker Street Ventures, the Industry & Innovation portfolio, New Ventures, 91ɫ��Ƭ Founders, professional development programs and co-location spaces.

Professor Stephen Rodda, 91ɫ��Ƭ Pro Vice-Chancellor Industry and Innovation, said the new funds reaffirmed 91ɫ��Ƭ’s commitment to research excellence and would strengthen the University’s commercialisation pipeline and bring more Australian technologies to the world.

“There are multiple gaps that stall new technologies, and 91ɫ��Ƭ’s commitment is an important step towards expanding the risk capital available to our portfolio, entrepreneurial staff and students,” Prof. Rodda said. “This is about more than investment – it’s about building an ecosystem with the talent and commercial expertise to give our most promising discoveries their best chance to succeed and to keep Australia at the forefront of research translation and commercialisation.”