AusTestBed
Accelerating the commercialization of Australia’s battery & energy storage tech
Turning battery prototypes into investor-ready proof
Problem: Proving performance is expensive and hard to access, leaving many technologies stuck between prototype and deployment.
Solution: AusTestBed gives Australian battery startups non-matching grants for independent testing, helping founders turn prototypes into validated, trusted performance data.
Built with EnergyLab and based on California’s proven model which helped startups unlock US$438 million in follow-on investment, AusTestBed brings that pathway to Australia.
For partners and funders, this is targeted support at the moment it most changes a technology’s trajectory.
Access to third-party testing at Australian research facilities
No matched funding requirement
No equity taken
Independent data that helps founders de-risk and raise capital
The first AusTestBed pilot will support three startups working on battery and energy storage technologies. Each company will receive an AU$50,000 voucher to access leading testing facilities and generate the independent performance data needed to move closer to commercial deployment.
Proof from California
AusTestBed is based on CalTestBed, a voucher program administered by New Energy Nexus in since 2019. It’s achieved incredible results since then.
companies supported
in vouchers
average TRL increase
follow-on investment
Why this matters now
Why this matters for Australia
Australia has committed over AU$70 billion to decarbonising its economy and has world-class research infrastructure. Yet many early-stage programs require matched private investment, which can shut out exactly the founders who need validation support most.
AusTestBed is a practical bridge between research assets and commercial outcomes.
“Companies that come out of programs like CalTestBed are categorically easier to fund. They arrive with data from credible, independent facilities.”
Managing Partner, Virescent Ventures
“It brings real-world commercial problems into our labs and creates exactly the kind of applied collaboration that startups are after and universities are increasingly expected to deliver.”
Director, Research & Commercialisation, TRaCE
“The AusTestBed program provides Adoxima with access to the funding and facilities required to further develop and strengthen our core IP.”
Kris Collopy
CEO, Adoxima
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If you’re a funder, university, lab, or delivery partner interested in expanding AusTestBed, we’d like to talk.
Contact: Kirk McDonald, Project Manager
kirk.mcdonald@newenergynexus.com
