IPPIN Grants

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Did you know it takes just one piece of plastic to kill a turtle? That’s why we’re working to transform our plastic waste problem and pivot towards circular economy options.

Applications have now closed

The Indo-Pacific Plastics Innovation Network
Seed Funding Grant Program (Round 3)

The Grant is aimed at accelerating innovative real-world solutions for reducing plastic waste entering the environment. 

IPPIN Seed Funding Grant Program is a CSIRO initiative and supports a broader partnership with the Indonesian, Vietnamese and Thai governments. 

Key information

  • View the IPPIN Seed Grant Guidelines
  • Download the Application form
  • You must review the guidelines carefully before applying.
  • Applications will open on December 2, 2024, and close on February 7, 2025
  • Applicants are encouraged to attend an info session before submitting an application.
  • Late submissions will not be considered
  • Please send complete submissions to: IPPIN@CSIRO.au 

How does it work?

Organisations that have previously participated in an IPPIN program, may be invited to partner with CSIRO or an eligible Australian university to apply for a grant. 

The program will provide financial support to accelerate real-world solutions that aim to:  

  • reduce plastic leakage into the marine environment  
  • enable a collaborative innovation ecosystem linking Australia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, and building connectivity with partners globally by harnessing diversity of ideas and expertise to activate disruptive thinking  
  • build innovation outcomes relevant to the Australian, Indonesian, Vietnamese and Thai governments’ priorities  
  • create and improve on the design and delivery of deep-tech solutions in emerging or under-resourced domains.  

If you are successful, you must enter into a grant agreement or arrangement with CSIRO in order to receive the grant funding. 

Who can apply?

To be eligible the lead applicant must either be:  

  • CSIRO; or
  • an Australian university 

You or a project partner must have previously participated in a program or activity under the Indo-Pacific Plastics Innovation Network, and have a project aimed at the objectives of the program.

Joint applications are encouraged, provided you have a lead applicant who is eligible to apply. 

What are the assessment criteria?

You must address the following assessment criteria in your application: 

  1. The extent to which your project will create or apply innovative approaches to translate research and scale real-world solutions to address plastic waste. 
  2. Your capacity, capability and resources to deliver the project. 
  3. The broader national and international benefits of your project – this could include the economic and national benefit/s to be gained from your project for the priority area/s of focus during the project and beyond.

Please check the guidelines before submitting an application.

Examples of successful projects

Project 1:

Citarum River Transformation: A Village-Scale Plastic Waste Pilot

More than 25 million people rely on the Citarum river for water, food, livelihoods, and their energy needs. The Citarum Action Research Program is a multidisciplinary program driving a shift towards circular solutions that will recycle, remanufacture and reuse waste.

The Citarum Action Research Program is a joint global environmental initiative that has helped communities living along the Citarum River capture and create value from waste that would otherwise be openly dumped on vacant land or into the river. 

Project 2:

Assessment of a sprayable biodegradable mulch on Indonesian horticulture

This innovation, supported by an IPPIN grant is an environmentally friendly, sprayable biodegradable polymer membrane product that can help farmers produce more during harvest, on the same land area, while using less water, nutrients and agrochemicals.

Where can I find more information?

Please join one of our informal drop-in info sessions.

We will run info sessions during the times and dates below.

  • 09 January 2025 — 11:30 am to 12 noon ICT
  • 16 January 2025 — 11:30 am to 12 noon ICT

Contact IPPIN@CSIRO.au 

Frequently Asked Questions

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If you participated in an IPPIN program but are not affiliated with CSIRO or an Australian university, you can still apply for the grant as a project partner in a joint application. However, you cannot serve as the project lead on your own. 

If you need help identifying a CSIRO partner, please contact our team IPPIN@csiro.au to share your exact needs as we may be able to assist and facilitate an introduction to potential partners. 

Participation in Demo Day alone does not make you eligible to apply for the IPPIN Seed Funding Grant. To be eligible, you or a project partner must have previously participated in an innovation program or activity associated with one of the Chapters under the Indo-Pacific Plastics Innovation Network. 

No, having a project partner is not mandatory for every application. Applications must be led by CSIRO or Australian universities. Project partners can be from Australia and/or other entities in different countries. Applications that demonstrate bilateral participation and benefits will be viewed favorably, enhancing the potential for collaboration and impact.  

Yes, joint applications are encouraged, and collaborating with a student from an Australian university is allowed, provided that the student has obtained a support letter from the university. 

Yes, it is acceptable if the lead applicant is able to obtain a support letter from an Australian-registered university. 

Yes, you can apply for the grant for different research activities from your previous program participation. The key requirement is that your proposed project must be aligned with the core objectives of the IPPIN Seed Funding Grant program.  

The guidelines do not specify a limit on the number of applications an organisation can submit. Lead applicants may submit more than one application under the grant opportunity, provided they are demonstrably unrelated. Additionally, the projects should not be dependent on any other project application for their success. 

The project must align with the objectives and intended outcomes of the IPPIN Seed Grant program, which focuses on Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. 

Selection is based on the merit of the applications and available funding. 

The CSIRO Assessment Committee will review eligible applications against the selection criteria and make recommendations to the Program Delegate for their endorsement.  

Projects should be designed not to exceed 1 year. 

Yes, there is a possibility to extend the duration of the project; however, such extensions are granted at CSIRO’s discretion. 

The successful grantee (project team) will own the IP. 

  • Review the IPPIN Seed Grant Guidelines 
  • Download and complete the Application Form from the IPPIN website. 
  • Provide all the information requested. 
  • Address all eligibility and assessment criteria. 
  • Include all necessary attachments (refer to guideline section 7.2). 
  • Send all of the above to ippin@csiro.au before the published closing date.