Watch the Second Investment Round Webinar

You can learn more about Australia’s Food and Beverage Accelerator Second Investment Round here If you missed the webinar, or would like to share it with colleagues, you can download the webinar now.

Our FAQs might answer your questions about FaBA – but please get in touch if you require more information.

Criteria and Investment

• Would FaBA be open to working with start-ups outside of Queensland?
  FaBA is Australia’s Food and Beverage Accelerator. We are already working with start-ups across Australia including the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales. We would be delighted to work with other start-ups and we would encourage you to submit your EOI.
• Can companies that originated overseas but have a presence in Australia be eligible? How will FaBA ensure commercial benefit to Australia?
  FaBA is all about delivering benefit to Australia. In the selection of industry participants and the construction of FaBA projects and agreements, we are vitally aware that the Federal Government wants us to deliver benefit to Australia. We value the opportunity to partner with and co-invest with companies who are committed to delivering that benefit. Where a company has originated outside of Australia but they are delivering benefit here, please get in touch with us so we can work out how we can work with you.
• How much funding is there and is there a 50 / 50 match?
  This is a $20m Investment Round, which is roughly $10 million of Trailblazer money with $10 million cash from industry. FaBA is a co-investment model – it’s not a usual arrangement where there’s a grant given, rather this is co-investment and we want to see the benefit of that investment.
• What is the minimum co-investment required?
  FaBA is committed to a diverse portfolio of investments and projects. Whether your project is large or small, we welcome your expression of interest. If your ability to invest is very small, you might consider a MakerSpace opportunity or working in collaboration with other companies.
• Is this money for new products being manufactured in Australia, rather than wholly new products?
  We are very open to wholly new products delivering benefit to Australia and, equally, we will work with you on product enhancements. FaBA takes a broad definition of new products – whether that be new ingredients, new formulations or new formats – but we do look closely to see the benefit to Australia. FaBA will not invest in projects that companies could achieve themselves. We are looking to invest in significant innovations in businesses that require university research expertise or equipment to achieve.
• Start-ups are often time-bound by available funding with the need to work quickly while accepting high risk. How is FaBA positioned to work with start-ups?
  FaBA understands the drivers for start-ups – speed is vitally important. We want to complement you and support you. FaBA is mobilising research teams that have dedicated time available to work at the speed that you require.

Project Types

• At what stage of the TRL does FaBA expect to be working?
  FaBA is here to accelerate you to market as quickly as possible. We are happy with a lower TRL to start with, if we know we can help lift you up to develop a product in a reasonable timeframe. Essentially, what we are attempting to do is to get new products and ingredients into the market, that is our goal. FaBA has broad capability, both technically and in terms of the market pathway, so we can help companies achieve success with their products.

• Will FaBA consider projects for improving food and beverage processing?
  Processing is key to manufacturing products – removing inefficiencies and adding benefits is crucial. Processing, like one ingredient, can change everything. FaBA would consider processing as paramount and would consider projects in this area.

Intellectual Property

• How does the IP work?
  Your success is FaBA’s success. FaBA has been established to help you grow your business, so we don’t attempt to take an equity in your business. For most of our projects, the companies will be owning the IP outright.

• Is there an expectation that a discovery, funded by FaBA and one company, would then be shared with the rest of the industry?
  No, there is no ‘free carry’ for the rest of the industry. If you become a FaBA participant and we work exclusively with you on a project, then you will be the only company to benefit from the project.
  There will be times when FaBA undertakes other types of projects. For example, we have a process where participants can work together on one project with the view to then sharing the benefits amongst those involved.

Working with other universities

• How will FaBA connect with companies to submit EOIs with the capability that exists across partner universities, UQ, QUT or UniSQ?
  Part of the strength of FaBA is that we bring four strong programs of work together that reach across three universities. Once you have been accepted as an Industry Participant in FaBA, we can open a conversation with our university partners, that gets the right people in the room to co-design your project. Remember, these are cross-disciplinary teams from leading universities. This is a compelling opportunity to consider.

• Does FaBA work with other universities?
  FaBA wants to invest with the best team and, as a starting point, we would see UQ, QUT and UniSQ being that team. Where FaBA cannot deliver a project, we are then open to having a conversation with another university that might bring some unique skills to your project.

Food Safety

• How do you ensure the food safety aspects of the ingredients produced? What provisions does FaBA have in place to ensure regulatory compliance of new ingredients?
  Our university partner labs are PC2 facilities and researchers work with genetically modified organisms according to Federal Government regulations, both at lab scale and in the pilot facility. You can be assured the process is safe. However, most of the work FaBA delivers is about developing the bioprocess, which is then taken to an appropriate facility for testing and accreditation. FaBA is not part of the regulatory approval process for ingredients but we want to work with companies to ensure that they can have their ingredients approved by regulators in a timely manner. We stand by the work that we do but we are not an accreditation agency.

FaBA Training Centre

• What equipment is available through MakerSpace?
  Across the three universities there is a wide range of equipment available including sterilisation, processing and homogenisation equipment. Spaces will be available to research and consultancy projects, so please speak to us about your needs.
• How does the training centre work in terms of how industry accesses universities?
  FaBA will have an EOI for the MakerSpace and invite companies to submit. We have researchers working in vast areas and then will find a team of academics to help develop a plan and to execute that plan.