Research & Development

Explore how you can achieve commercial and global impact by conducting your research and product development in Melbourne

Victoria is a world-leading launching ground for research and product development with demonstrated commercial and global impact. It is the world’s third most innovative city¹ and home to a booming ecosystem of multi-sector research institutes and networks. Our powerful research partnerships and generous incentives can help launch your project.

You are invited to tap into a skill base deeper than anywhere else in Australia and access generous Victorian Government funding initiatives, grants and incentives in a research and development ecosystem that is a driving force of business growth and innovation.

Join the company of leading organisations who have successfully partnered with Victoria’s research institutions and universities, including Pfizer, Lockheed Martin, IBM, FIFA, Siemens, Boeing, Engie, Thales, Johnson & Johnson and Pepsico.

Why Melbourne for you next R&D project or operation?

Melbourne is recognised as a top innovation ecosystem

• Melbourne is ranked as Australia’s most innovative city, according to the 2thinknow Innovation Cities Global Index and Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) Innovation Ranking.
• The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) Innovation Ranking also ranks Melbourne as the third most innovative city in the world
• Melbourne is ranked 10^th globally for talent concentration in the 2019 JLL Innovation Geographies
• In the 2018-19 financial year, Victorian-based startups and scaleups received around 65 per cent of all venture capital funding nationwide totalling $4.5 billion²
• Melbourne is home to some of the world’s best universities, with five ranked in the world’s Top 100 universities³

Leverage R&D expertise, particularly in the areas of science, engineering and technology

Invest Victoria can assist you to establish valuable connections and research partnerships within industry or our research institutions.

Victoria has a large pool of talent in key occupations:

• Over 76,000 highly skilled researchers and related staff working across disciplines that rate 'above world standard' at multiple institutions⁴, with leading R&D advancements in:
  • biomedical engineering
  • neurosciences
  • condensed matter physics
  • human movement and sports science
  • nanotechnology
  • immunology
  • architecture
  • economics
  • psychology
  • astronomical and space sciences
• A tech talent pool with more software development skills compared to other jurisdictions across the APAC region including Singapore and Hong Kong, and is growing faster than anywhere else in Australia⁵
• The number of iOS Developers in Victoria outstrips that of Singapore, Hong Kong and Montreal⁵

Our R&D champions

Meet some of Victoria's globally connected researchers and industry experts who are making an impact from our thriving R&D ecosystem. Click through to find out about their experience

Professor Lloyd Hollenberg	Professor Svetha Ventatesh	Doctor Misty Jenkins	Professor Maria Forsyth

Leverage innovative R&D research technologies and infrastructure

Victoria's large-scale R&D infrastructure includes major research facilities such as The Australian Synchrotron, The Australian Nanofabrication Facility, Carbon Nexus, Data 61, Oceana Cyber Security Centre and the CSIRO's Food Innovation Centre.

Explore how Victoria's advanced research activity is helping drive innovations to the global market place. Click on the links below for more information:

• Eight world-leading universities with advanced research and development networks and capabilities, including University of Melbourne, Monash University, RMIT University, Deakin University , La Trobe University and Federation University.
• The Victorian Innovation Hub, home to a number of prominent accelerators and incubators, including LaunchVic, a network of entrepreneurs, investors, corporates and universities
• The Melbourne Biomedical Precinct, made up of over 40 hospitals, medical research institutes, biotechnology organisations and universities
• The Advanced Genomics Collaboration (TAGC), a biomedical and economic powerhouse using genomics to create world-leading projects that improve health for everyone.
• The Advanced Fibre Cluster, a group of highly innovative companies and organisations accelerating the growth of advanced fibre and composites manufacturing and innovation
• The Monash National Employment and Innovation Cluster, providing access to leading enterprise, infrastructure and dedicated capability that underpins the economic performance of priority sectors
• The Fishermans Bend Business Precinct has a proud legacy of innovation, from the roll-out of the first Australian designed and built production vehicle to the development of world-leading carbon fibre technology
• CSIRO research hubs - Melbourne is home to a number of Australia’s national science agency research centres, including the Food Innovation Centre.

The Victorian Government has made a long-term commitment to innovation

The Victorian Government offers a high level of assistance to investors and forward-thinking innovators through a powerful combination of funding initiatives, world-class research institutions, cutting-edge tech and integrated business infrastructure.

In 2020 the Victorian Government launched a A$2 billion fund to drive research and innovation, accelerating its A$803 million commitment to R&D in 2019, the highest of any State Government in Australia.

The 2020-21 Victorian budget announced a further suite of measures designed to excel research and innovation in the State of Victoria, including:

• Breakthrough Victoria fund - A$2 billion fund over 10 years to drive investment, research, innovation and growth, providing funding and support to make discoveries and breakthroughs that change and save lives.
• R&D Cash Flow Loans - A$50 million fund for Victorian SME’s claiming the R&D tax incentive
• Venture Growth Fund - A$25.7 million fund for debt based investments in high growth SMEs
• Medical Research - A$210 million to support research and growth of medical institutions, including A$155 to build an Australian Institute for Infectious Disease.

Other funding initiatives include:

• Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) - a $20 billion long-term investment supporting Australian health and medical research
• Centres of Excellence (CoE) Program- a program supporting high quality research collaboration in areas of national priority
• Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) - a grant supporting medium to long-term industry-led research
• Cooperative Research Centres Program (CRC-P) - a grant supporting short-term (up to 3 years) industry-led collaborations.
• R&D Tax Incentive - The Federal Government’s Research & Development Tax Incentive (R&DTI) provides companies with favourable tax offsets when engaging in R&D activities. The tax offset is for core and supporting experimental R&D activities generating new knowledge
• Patent Box Regime  – this A$206 million scheme will reduce taxes on income from innovative research, bridging the gap to commercialisation and supporting businesses to keep the development of their IP and the value they create
• Gaming Tax Offset - a 30 per cent tax offset on qualifying expenditure for Australia-based games development

Ready to unlock your business potential? We're here to help.

Let us help you tailor your business case to enter the Australian market and set up your Melbourne operations.

Explore how we can help.