MMI – Manufacturing Translation Stream – Resources Technology and Critical Minerals Processing Priority – Round 1

Overview

The Manufacturing Translation Stream will support projects that aid the translation of high quality research and ideas into commercial outcomes and support businesses to scale-up and become more competitive and resilient. It will support businesses to adopt new technologies and improve their manufacturing processes to boost productivity and competitiveness. Australia’s resource sector is world-class. The sector is a leading exporter of energy and resources commodities, serviced by a highly regarded resources technology sector. In 2019 the Australian METS sector generated $97 billion in revenue, supporting approximately 200,000 jobs. However, resources technology is a manufacturing area with untapped potential that could be leveraged further, based on the capability and innovation of Australian businesses in supporting the competitiveness of our resources sector. There are also opportunities to expand the current market footprint by adapting more of these technologies across other Australian sectors, such as defence and space, and capturing more of global markets. Australia has significant reserves of the critical minerals and metals which drive the modern global economy. These are used to manufacture advanced technologies such as electric vehicles, mobile phones and renewable energy. However, because the majority of primary ores are shipped overseas for processing, Australia derives a small share of the potential overall benefit. Australia can capture greater benefit from these value chains by undertaking further value adding and manufacturing here. For the Modern Manufacturing Initiative’s Translation and Integration Stream grant opportunities, an initial combined total of approximately $140 million is available from 2020-21 to 2023-24 across all the National Manufacturing Priorities.