Calling all brilliant researchers ready to make an impact
EnergyLab’s Climate Tech Ignite for Research Program is an 8-week journey connecting individuals with the resources and mentorship to understand how their research might be commercialised through entrepreneurship - that is becoming a founder, and launching a startup. Paving your path for success, this is your entry point into Australia’s largest network of climate tech entrepreneurs and investors. The Climate Tech Ignite for Researchers program is proudly funded by the NSW Government.
Key dates
- Applications open: 1 March - 12 May 2025
- Interviews: 12 - 19 May 2025
- Program runs: 26 May - 18 July 2025
Meet some of our alumni
Ignite for Researchers first cohort graduated in July 2024. Our cohort explored entrepreneurship as a commercialisation pathway, resulting in some promising start-ups. Here are some of the talented and passionate researchers we have supported in the program.
Karthikeya Acharya (Founder, Delectro.net)
Eson Zhao (PHD Researcher, UTS)
Tasneem Rangwala (PHD Researcher, UTS)
Nikolaus Metzger (Director Laser Science & Technology, TAU Systems)
Why take the leap with us?
We offer expertise in climate tech entrepreneurship. When you join our community, we’ll provide you with the resources and mentorship you need to recognise and build commercial opportunities for your research as a founder. Here’s what’s on offer.
Entrepreneurship as a commercialisation pathway
You’ll learn about how to bring your research to life by creating products and services that create meaningful impact.
Learn the foundations of entrepreneurship
What does it take to start a startup? We’ll show you the different stages of the entrepreneurial journey, and guide you through the first one - coming up with a good idea.
Hone in on the problem you’re aiming to solve
You have an idea of a problem you want to solve - we’ll support you to collect valuable information, and test your assumptions.
Brainstorm impactful ideas
We’ll workshop startup ideas with you and share some useful methods for picking the best ideas to pursue.
Explore an idea that creates meaningful value
We’ll help you understand how your startup idea creates value, and for whom. We’ll share methods of learning about your potential customer’s needs, and how to go about validating your idea.
Thrive with dedicated mentorship
You’ll receive personalised support from EnergyLab’s network of over 400 mentors spanning professionals and founders striving towards reaching net-zero and with expertise in leadership, management, operations and more.
Community for life
EnergyLab is home to the largest virtual community of energy entrepreneurs in Australia. You’ll meet other researchers eager to make an impact and on graduating the program you’ll join a pool of over 200 alumni that get access to events and opportunities.
A path forward
EnergyLab’s portfolio of programs span every stage of the entrepreneurial journey, supporting you with the expertise and networks you need to reach every growth milestone.
Program mentors and presenters
EnergyLab's Climate Tech Ignite for Researchers program boasts an impressive roster of speakers. We bring in industry experts to share their knowledge and experiences, as well as researchers turned entrepreneurs to share their journeys and learnings. Our speakers delve into a wide range of topics including ideation, customer discovery, IP & patenting, capital raising, business model canvas, pitching and many other relevant subjects. These are just some of our amazing speakers.
Ashby Field
Business Development Officer, SA Government's Department for Industry, Innovation and Science
LinkedIn
Program structure
This 8-week program will spark your first steps towards building a startup opportunity. One module is delivered each week, with a one-week break. You’ll spend 3 hours in workshops and 3 hour of at-home work each week.
Module 1: Entrepreneurship as a commercialisation pathway
26 May - 1 June 2025
You'll start the program by getting to know the other participants in the program, and hone in on understanding how you can make an impact with your research. You’ll meet some founders who have successfully commercialised their research.
Module 2: Identifying a problem to solve
2 - 8 June 2025
You’ll share your research with the group, identify the problem space you’re solving for and start to come up with some ideas.
Module 3: Customer discovery & value creation
9 - 15 June 2025
We’ll deep dive into understanding how your solution solves real-world problems. You’ll learn some customer research tools and shape up a value proposition.
Module 4: Generating solutions
16 - 22 June 2025
We’ll work through frameworks to generate human-centred solutions and start to pick some ideas to explore further.
Break: Customer interviews
23 - 29 June 2025
You’ll spend the week refining your value proposition and validating your idea by undertaking some customer research.
Module 5: Validating your idea
30 June - 6 July 2025
You’ll get to meet a range of mentors to get some feedback on your idea and guidance on the way forward
Module 6: Creating a business model & legal considerations
7 - 13 July 2025
You’ll start to workshop how your idea can create, deliver and capture value. We’ll also explore the steps to launching a startup, and how you can protect your key asset - your intellectual property.
Module 7: Pitching & graduation
14 - 20 July 2025
The program culminates with an opportunity to pitch to EnergyLab mentors and angels and an overview of next steps including types and sources of capital to get you started.
Program cost
The program costs $990 (including GST).
We're a non-profit organisation and your contribution goes towards program delivery costs. The price includes:
- 8 weeks of workshops, panel discussions and Q&As
- Frameworks and course content you can keep and use again
- 1-1 startup mentoring from one of our exceptional mentors (2x one-hour sessions)
- Individual check-ins with our Ignite Program Lead
- Access to Sydney coworking space
If you're not happy with the program, email us within a month of graduating and we'll give you your money back, no questions asked.
Testimonials
“ The program is a great way to learn where one needs to focus in the journey of being an entrepreneur. Each session has just the right amount of information and the interactive sessions are just fantastic. I highly recommend the Ignite for Researchers Program. ”
PHD Researcher, UTS
“ My biggest takeaways from [the program] come from the ideation and validation stages - what I previously saw as a very complex and confusing stage of starting a business was made very simple and easy to solve. Overall, anyone enrolling in this course can expect to learn all of the necessary basics to starting a business in the climate field. ”
ESD Engineer, ARUP
“ The ignite program was a great way of testing and researching my ideas, I came out of the program with some clear directions of what I needed to progress my ideas into a start up. There is a wealth of knowledge available on many different types of industries and it has given me a lot more confidence and how to navigate many difficult situations. ”
Electrician, Exploring a startup opportunity
“ Ignite for Researchers is an amazing program that will help you transform your ideas and research into a business. ”
Director Laser Science & Technology, TAU Systems
“ This program is ideal for researchers who are new to the business world. As a resource it provides a great network of business professionals across Australia, and the program's many weekly exercises will help clarify and transit your research to real world. ”
Founder, Delectro.net
Expression of Interest
Applications will open March 2025, you can currently express your interest in applying for the program.
Applications open
Until 12 May 2025
Submit your application and we’ll get in touch to let you know next steps.
Interviews
From 19 May 2025
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to a short virtual interview before offers are made.
Offers
From 20 May 2025
Successful applicants will be invited to join the program shortly after the interview process.
Program kick off
26 May 2025
You'll be onboarded in the week prior to kick off.
Selection criteria
We support ambitious individuals in Australia or with links to Australia who are eager to explore commercialising their research through entrepreneurship. We’re looking for established researchers, PhD students, and early to mid-career researchers (EMCRs) with research that can contribute to decarbonisation. These are the qualities we’ll select for:
Vision
Are you driven to solve the world’s most pressing climate challenges? Are you eager to learn how your research can make impact?
Spirit
Are you ambitious, comfortable with ambiguity and not afraid to take calculated risks (or become more open to it)?
Hustle
Do you have the tenacity and determination to achieve ambitious goals?
FAQs
The program is delivered entirely virtually, over Zoom. You can dial in from anywhere. There will be opportunities to connect with the EnergyLab community in Sydney and Melbourne.
Not at all. Having a diversity of experience in the cohort makes for rich conversation and learning experiences. All you need is an interest in climate, energy and decarbonisation and a related research project.
No. The aim of this program is to give you the know-how, tools and confidence to take your first steps into the entrepreneurial path. If you already have a startup idea, that's a bonus!
There are 20 spots in each cohort. Participants are selected based on the program criteria.
About 32 hours in total over 8 weeks.
During the program period 26 May - 18 July 2025 workshops will be run on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 17:00 - 18:30 AEDT. This amounts to 3 hours of workshop time each week, with the exception of the break week, where you’ll spend roughly 3 hours on customer research.
You'll also have 2 one-hour mentorship sessions, and to make the most of the program, you’ll be required to do a few hours of work in your own time.
Climate tech: Technologies that are explicitly focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions or addressing the impacts of climate change. Climate tech applications can be broadly categorised into 3 groups, those that:
1) directly mitigate or remove emissions,
2) help us adapt to the impacts of climate change, and
3) enhance our understanding of the climate.
Yes! Email our program lead Tom for the link.
Please email [email protected] if you have any other questions.