Diabetes Australia Grand Innovation Challenge The Challenge Supported by the Charles Campbell Coghlan OAM Estate Industry Partners The Diabetes Australia Grand Innovation Challenge (the Challenge), proudly supported by the Charles Campbell Coghlan OAM Estate, is a national initiative designed to accelerate the development and adoption of breakthrough innovations that address the most pressing needs in diabetes prevention, management, and care. With diabetes affecting more than two million Australians and placing a growing burden on individuals, families, and the healthcare system, there is an urgent need for innovative, person-centred solutions that can deliver measurable improvements in health outcomes and quality of life. This Challenge will identify, support, and showcase some of the most promising innovations – ranging from digital and technology health tools, pharmacological therapies, to advanced medical devices – that are ready for real-world impact. Apply now Research goals Improving the everyday experience Benefits to applicants Who can apply? Prize structure How to apply Key dates Application and selection process Selection considerations FAQs Research goals By providing targeted funding and national recognition, the program will bridge critical gaps in the innovation pipeline, helping to translate research and prototypes into scalable, accessible solutions that are strategically aligned with Diabetes Australia’s goals: Cure diabetes Advance discoveries that bring us closer to a cure. Eliminate complications Address the medical and psychosocial complications caused by diabetes. Prevent diabetes Understand the causes, tackle risk factors, enhance screening and awareness and interventions to prevent diabetes. Reduce financial burden Develop solutions to ease the financial impact on individuals and the health system. Improving the daily lives of people The Challenge is part of Diabetes Australia’s diverse research funding platform and will also provide the opportunity to connect innovators with investors and donors to deliver Diabetes Australia’s ambition to eliminate the impact of diabetes on Australians, our health system, and society. Central to the Challenge is a commitment to person-centricity and health equity. Innovations will be evaluated not only for their technical merit but also for their potential to improve the everyday experience of people living with and at risk of all types of diabetes, advance equity of access, and deliver sustained benefits across diverse communities. The Challenge launches on 2 December 2025. Expression of Interest applications can be submitted online prior to 5:00pm (AEDT), 31 March 2026. Finalists will pitch their ideas to a panel of expert judges. Winners will be announced at a showcase event in August 2026 in Melbourne, Victoria – specific location to be determined. Benefits to applicants The Challenge provides non-dilutive grant funding to the successful recipients. The funding supports commercially orientated projects with high impact potential to reduce the impact of diabetes on people, health systems and society. Successful applicants will benefit from support of the Diabetes Australia network alongside the support from Industry Partner, MedTech Compass, a MTAA initiative. Built for early-stage medical device, biotech and digital health companies, MedTech Compass provides targeted, post-accelerator support where it’s needed most, across regulation, reimbursement, investment, and market access. Through expert networks with government, industry, and the private and non-profit sectors, proven toolkits, and strategic mentorship, including access to MedTech Compass will provide founders the clarity and confidence to grow. And as they scale, they’re welcomed into MTAA’s wider industry community, amplifying their impact and influence to improve the lives of people living with and at risk of diabetes. Who can apply? Startups, entrepreneurs, private sector, researchers and research teams, healthcare providers, and technology developers. Innovations must target diabetes prevention, monitoring, treatment, complications management, or cure. Applicant must have an ABN Product innovation must be at Technology Readiness Level 5-7 Technology Readiness Level (TRL) is a standardised framework used to assess how mature an innovation is, from initial concept to full-scale deployment. In MedTech (medical technology), TRLs help innovators, investors, and regulators understand how close a new device, diagnostic, or digital health tool, therapy or pharma technology is to being used in real-world healthcare settings. LevelPhaseDescription9DeploymentActual System Proven in Operational Environment8DeploymentSystem Complete and Qualified7DeploymentSystem Prototype Demonstration in Operational Environment6DevelopmentTechnology Demonstrated in Relevant Environment5DevelopmentTechnology Validated in Relevant Environment4DevelopmentTechnology Validated in Lab3ResearchExperimental Proof of Concept2ResearchTechnology Concept Formulated1ResearchBasic Principles Observed Prize structure Prize CategoriesAmount ($ AUD)Name Description 1st Prize (Grand) $200,000 Grand Innovation Prize This is the highest honour of the Diabetes Australia Grand Innovation Challenge, awarded to the entry that demonstrates the most outstanding and transformative innovation in diabetes technology. The Grand Innovation Prize recognises a solution with the potential to make a significant, lasting impact on the lives of people living with diabetes across Australia, setting a new benchmark for excellence in the field. 2nd Prize $100,000 Excellence in Innovation Prize The Excellence in Innovation Prize is awarded to a project that exemplifies exceptional creativity, rigour, and promise in advancing diabetes care. This prize celebrates an entry that stands out for its originality, technical merit, and potential for real-world application, acknowledging a truly excellent contribution to diabetes innovation. 3rd Prize $50,000 Technology Impact Prize This prize recognises a solution that demonstrates clear, measurable impact in addressing a key challenge in diabetes prevention, management, or treatment. The Technology Impact Prize is awarded to an innovation that shows strong potential to improve outcomes for people living with diabetes, whether through clinical, social, or economic benefits. 4th Prize $50,000 Innovation Merit Prize The Innovation Merit Prize is presented to a project that displays notable ingenuity and progress in diabetes technology. This award acknowledges a high-quality entry that, while not taking out the top honours, still represents significant merit and advancement in the field. 5th Prize $50,000 Emerging Technology Prize This prize is designed to encourage and support promising new ideas and early-stage technologies in diabetes care. The Emerging Technology Prize is awarded to a project that shows great potential for future development and impact, even if it is not yet fully realised. 6th Prize $50,000 Advancement Prize The Advancement Prize recognises a project that has made meaningful progress in developing or scaling up a diabetes innovation solution. This award is intended to support continued advancement and help bring innovative ideas closer to widespread adoption and benefit for the diabetes community. How to apply Applications will be submitted online using the Diabetes Australia Smarty Grants platform Stage 1 Expression Of Interest: Submit an EOI Stage 2 Full Application: Upon receiving an invitation to proceed, you will be invited to submit a full written application + video submission (maximum 5 minutes). Smarty Grants: Submit your expression of interest Applicants must submit a proposal that addresses: The specific problem faced by people living with diabetes and the target population Person-centered design and how lived experience has informed the solution Technical approach, differentiation from existing solutions, and anticipated impact on health outcomes, people, health systems and/or society Business model and competitive analysis A plan for collecting and validating patient-reported and clinical outcomes at 6-month and 12-month intervals for the first year, post award. Key dates Stage 1: EOI applications open – 9:00am (AEDT), 2 December 2025 EOI submission deadline – 11:59pm (AEDT), Tuesday 31 March 2026 EOI applicants will be advised on or before Thursday 30 April 2026 Stage 2: Full submission application + 5 min video deadline – 11:59pm (AEST), Sunday 7 June 2026 Finalists notified on or before 3 July 2026 Stage 3: Live Pitch, Judging and Winners announced: August 2026 in Melbourne, Victoria. Specific location to be determined Application and selection process All applications commence with an Expression of Interest (EOI) application. The application platform contains supporting information to guide your submission. Late applications will not be considered. Applications for the Challenge funding follow a three-stage process: 1. Expression of Interest (EOI): Interested parties with eligible projects submit an online EOI for review by the Technical Review Committee. EOIs should articulate the opportunity, the problem/target market, the competitive advantage, technology and stage of development, intellectual property position and/or opportunity, business case, and proposed plan and budget. 2. Full Application: Shortlisted applicants will be requested to prepare a full application and a 5 minute video presentation that will be reviewed by the Innovation Prize Judging Panel. Applicants will need to provide a full outline of the project specifics, and address the Challenge Technical Review Committee feedback. The full application will expand on the information provided in the EOI to provide a full outline of the project. Details and template documents will be provided to the shortlisted applicants. 3. Finalist: If shortlisted as a Finalist, the Challenge team will work with the applicant to complete corporate due diligence, IP review, project planning, timing, budgets and milestones. Finalists that successfully complete due diligence will be invited to a live pitch at the Challenge Grand Final to be held in Melbourne in August 2026. Travel and accommodation for interstate applicants will be provided for one representative to each Finalist team. Download the funding agreement and terms and conditions – to be released. Selection considerations Consideration will be given to: Uniqueness – the Challenge will select novel, outstanding, maturing projects that address a significant unmet need and are competitively differentiated from existing standards of care and emerging products. Extent to which the product/solution delivers value through improved diagnosis, prevention, treatment, management and/or cure of diabetes to reduce the impact of diabetes on people, health systems and society. Clinical and commercial differentiation, IP position, market opportunity, maturity, and development stage with the aim that the Challenge funding will progress the opportunity to a clear de-risking value inflection point. Innovative science – what does the science/evidence-based data behind the project enable? Highly differentiated – how is this approach distinguished from existing solutions? Clear achievable project plan – a credible plan towards generating commercial outcomes including partnerships, commercial licensing, revenue, as appropriate. Strong team – diverse team with ability to deliver on the project. FAQs How many funding rounds will the Challenge run? The Challenge will initially run one round between December 2025 to August 2026. Is this funding a commercial grant or will the Challenge take equity? Diabetes Australia, through the Challenge, provides commercial grant funding (equity free) to projects. This funding is best considered as non-dilutive capital rather than a research grant. Do you fund clinical trials? The Challenge will fund clinical and commercial studies where desired endpoints are considered to be highly relevant to the successful commercialisation of a company’s technology. What kinds of organisations can receive the Challenge funding and how is this defined for eligibility? The EOI and Full Application process is open to any Australian SME, or researcher at an Australian university or research institute with an ABN. Successful applicants may be a private or public, listed or unlisted (Pty Ltd. or Ltd.) Australian SME. An Australian SME is defined as a business that employs less than 200 people, is based in Australia and is a registered Australian corporate entity (i.e., registered with ASIC). Can I submit more than one application? Only one application may be submitted by the same business entity. How confidential/independent is the proposal review process? All application information is treated commercial in confidence. All members of selection and advisory panels and committees operate under confidentiality agreements. If confidential information is provided, please preface this with [Confidential]. It is not expected that you will disclose confidential information in the application to submit a successful EOI application. However, it is imperative that you can share enough technical information to demonstrate differentiation and novelty in the EOI, but it may not be necessary to disclose confidential information in order to do so. Applications will be reviewed by the Judging Committee, consisting of clinicians (e.g., endocrinologists, diabetes educators, or primary care physicians), technologists (e.g., Medtech engineers, digital health experts), people living with diabetes (to ensure patient voice and lived experience) and investors or commercialisation experts. Can I get any feedback on submitting an EOI application or on my submitted EOI application? Unsuccessful EOI applications will be advised as soon as possible during the review process. However, owing to the volume of applications we receive, applicants are not expected to receive further feedback at the EOI stage. Can I talk to someone about the program and my application? If you have any further questions after reviewing the funding guidelines, we encourage you to book a meeting with the Challenge team. To request a meeting with the team, email: [email protected] Please note discussions will be centred around helping applicants position their proposal towards commercially orientated outcomes or to seek additional clarity related to funding requirements. The Challenge team will not be able to give project specific advice and all advice will be general in nature. We recommend you review the application form before your meeting. What will the full application form entail? The full application will expand on the information provided in the EOI to provide a full outline of the project with an accompanying video submission. Details and template documents will be provided via the Smarty Grants platform upon the opening of the full application period. My application is stuck/lost in the system. What should I do? Although we strive to offer a great application experience, sometimes these things happen. Please get in touch by emailing the Diabetes Australia Research Team at [email protected] with specific details of the issue you are facing.
