Early Career Academic Startup Fellowship
Grow out of Academia into your own Startup
The Early Career Academic (ECA) Startup Fellowship helps academics become entrepreneurs. In partnership with UNSW Engineering and TRaCE, UNSW Founders has developed a program specifically for fixed-term Engineering postdoc to turn their research into valuable products that benefit humanity, with full time current salary covered by the fellowship.
Stop wondering what it’s like to be an entrepreneur. Be one with the ECA Startup Fellowship.
Expression of interest for 2025 program is now open. Please submit your EOI below.
3-18 Months
full time, to pursue your company
10 Spots
Limited availability give you our undivided attention
$1M+
In funding we’re allocating to Engineering postdocs
400+
Access experts and like-minded academics and startups
HOW IT WORKS
UNSW Engineering ECA Startup Fellowship
Go from academic to entrepreneur in 3 to 18 months (full time)
Phase 1: Ideation & Validation
Write it down. Research and test your assumptions with potential customers. Validate your market before taking the leap.
Activities: Initial research, feasibility studies, and market validation.
Outcomes: Refined project plans and initial prototypes.
Duration: 3 months full-time
Who Pays? Covered by the Fellowship
Phase 2: Development & Prototyping
Build your prototype. Turn your idea into a working prototype and watch it grow into a world class product using our facilities and expert support.
Activities: Product development, prototyping and early-stage testing.
Outcomes: Working prototypes and preliminary data.
Duration: Up to 12 months full-time
Who pays? Covered by your usual funding
Phase 3: Commercialisation & Startup
Start talking. Talk to potential buyers, execute your go to market plan, build out your team, scale up your operations.
Activities: Market entry strategies, business development, and operations.
Outcomes: Market-ready prototypes and established business entities.
Duration: 3m full-time or 6m part-time
Who pays? Covered by the Fellowship
Our Support
Joining our program means you’ll get access to:
💰 Funding to cover salary expenses.
🤝 Mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs, industry experts, and academic mentors.
🏋️ Training on entrepreneurship, business development, IP, and regulatory affairs.
🥽 Facilities: access to state-of-the-art laboratories, prototyping centres, and co-working spaces.
🕺Networking with investors, industry partners, and fellow innovators (we support 400+ startups a year).
Program Eligibility
To be eligible for the program you must:
1. Be a fixed-term Engineering post-doc:
We are only accepting those currently holding a fixed-term postdoc position in the field of Engineering.
2. Submit with strong endorsement from your supervisor:
Candidates must have the high-conviction support and of their supervisor, who will also play a crucial role in the joint pitch for Fellowship selection. Your supervisor’s support and approval is essential to your success in this application.
3. And real commit to the opportunity:
We are expecting you to participate full time for this opportunity, so we need strong commitment from you and the support from an involved supervisor.
Selection Process
The program has 10 spots available: 5 Engineering spots open to fixed-term Engineering postdocs; and 5 TRaCE spots available to post-docs working on circular economy and clean energy technologies.
1. Application Submission (Open early January 2025)
Submit application outlining your innovative ideas and potential market applications.
2. Candidate Interviews (March 2025) Shortlisted candidates and supervisors will be interviewed to assess their entrepreneurial potential and commitment.
3. Final selection (3 Week of March 2025) Application outcomes will be sent out and the Fellowship will commence 31 March 2025.
Professor Julien Epps Dean of Engineering (UNSW)“UNSW Engineering has a distinguished history of developing groundbreaking technologies that benefit society, and successfully bringing them to market. Our longstanding culture of entrepreneurship has led to the creation of more spin-out companies than any other university in Australia. I am thrilled about this next step, as we are confident that our ECAs will drive the creation of the next generation of successful technologies emerging from our Faculty.”
Capital
Access Funding
Unlock the financial resources you need to bring your ideas to life. Our program provides access to vital funding opportunities, helping you cover salary expenses, obtain micro-grants for materials, and secure investments. With the right capital, you can focus on innovation and growth, transforming your research into a successful startup.
Knowledge
Expert mentor support
Benefit from the guidance of seasoned entrepreneurs and industry experts. Our fellowship offers unparalleled mentorship to help you navigate the challenges of transitioning from academia to the startup world. Receive personalised advice, strategic insights, and invaluable support from mentors dedicated to your success.
Facilities
World class facilities
Leverage our state-of-the-art laboratories, prototyping centers, and co-working spaces to develop your ideas. Our world-class facilities provide everything you need to create, test, and refine your products. Collaborate with like-minded peers and take advantage of resources designed to foster innovation and entrepreneurship.
You’re in good company
UNSW Founders supports 400+ startups every year across our All Industries, Health, Climate, Defence, Bio 10x Accelerator programs.
We have a proven track record turning technical ideas into impact.
Since inception of our Accelerator Programs in 2018, the 100+ graduating startups have:
Raised $150 million of investment capital post program; Created 500+ jobs, and Generated over $600 million in enterprise value.
Delivered by
Maddison McCoy
Community Manager for Faculty of Engineering
As the Program Manager of the ECA Fellowship at UNSW Founders, I support early-career academics in taking their first steps from research into the commercial world. My role focuses on equipping ECAs with foundational skills to explore market potential for their technologies and validate business models. With industry experience spanning startups in both R&D and commercial roles, I bring a practical approach to bridging the gap between academia and industry.
Previously, I developed and delivered Bio 10x, one of Australia’s leading biotech accelerators, fostering innovation in areas such as food production, industrial decarbonisation, and therapeutics. Combining expertise in law and synthetic biology, I’ve guided STEM researchers in translating groundbreaking technologies into commercially viable products, helping them navigate the DeepTech biotech landscape and build impactful solutions.
Questions? Email me at Maddison.mccoy@unsw.edu.au
Alongside our expert mentors
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Gary Zamel
Chairman New Medtek Devices
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Linda Koschier
Managing Director at Ideematec
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Dr Graham Doig
Founder/CEO, Seaflight Technologies (YC S22)
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Gabriella Nunes
Director, Research & Commercialisation, TRaCE
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Dr Alan Taylor
Executive Chairperson of Clarity Pharmaceuticals
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Jamie Conyngham
Director, Business Development & Commercialisation, UNSW
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Prof Ian Gibson
Deputy Dean Industry Engagement, Innovation and Research at UNSW Engineering
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David Burt
Director of Entrepreneurship, UNSW
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Chris Baxter
Founder of Baxter IP
Don’t just take our word for it
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"I think the most extensive learning is really getting experience. The next best thing is to learn from other people's experiences. So, you don't make the same mistake, and that's what you can only get by attracting and having a startup ecosystem. And that's what I got from UNSW Founders."
Dr Anthony Sunjaya
(Founder of BandingMed) -
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"The startup world is surprisingly supportive… and your next collaborator might be just down the hall, ready to help you climb that mountain. Even just by being in this building, we found one of our main collaborators.”
Alinta Furnell
(Founder of Synbiote) -
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"I didn't want just to learn new things to improve my skills during my PhD; I wanted to translate my research findings into a practical product."
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"Just being part of that community was giving us a lot of confidence in what we're doing, instead of just doing it alone in our silos. We kind of felt part of that community and talking with others, sharing some of the challenges that everybody's going through when you are actually founding the company, and I have to be honest; I actually miss it."
Meead Saberi
(Founder of Footpath.ai)
Frequently Asked Questions
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To be eligible for the Fellowship you must be an “Early Career Academic" in Engineering on a fixed-term contract. There is a formal definition of an Early Career Academic used throughout the sector, including by UNSW here:
The employee is within seven years (relative to opportunity) of having been awarded a PhD or recognised equivalent
The employee is classified as a member of the academic staff of UNSW
The appointment is at Level A-C.
This Fellowship aims to support these talented individuals (specifically in engineering) by providing the resources, mentorship, and networking opportunities needed to translate their innovative research into successful startups.
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The program spans over 3-18 months full time. We need strong commitment from you and the strong support from your Supervisor.
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The Fellowship starts 1 October. More details will be shared with the shortlisted applicants.
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This Fellowship is beneficial for Engineering postdocs who want to become entrepreneurs. If you want to apply the skills and knowledge you acquired as an academic into products that can benefit humanity, this is Fellowship is for you.
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As long as your visa status allows it, you are eligible to be part of the program.
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The defined salary level will be your current salary.
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The relationship between the supervisor and the postdoc is crucial. The supervisor's role is to provide support their postdoc's entrepreneurial ambitions. The supervisor's role is to:
Activate the postdoc's entrepreneurial potential by providing support and resources.
Be available to provide guidance to the postdoc during the startup phase.
Continuously communicate with the postdoc and the university's entrepreneurship team.
Ensure that the postdoc can focus on the startup work (which might mean finding/allocating other people to research project(s)).
Understand that the postdoc's time on the startup is a valuable investment and that the university is committed to supporting the postdoc's entrepreneurial ambitions.
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The program is designed with all outcomes in mind. Even if you don’t launch a startup, the experience gained from the attempt will be valuable for your career. Universities are increasingly valuing commercialisation experience, and attempting to do so is seen as a positive step, regardless of the outcome.
Not applying is considered more of a failure than trying and not succeeding.
Are you ready to make impact through entrepreneurship?
Waste no more time wondering what it’s like to be an entrepreneur. Just be one with the UNSW ECA Startup Fellowship.
Applications Closed: 1 September 2024
Candidate Interviews: September 2024
Final Selection: September 2024
Fellowship Starts: 1 October 2024