Hort Innovation: Australian-Grown Innovation Program

Opportunity for

Growers, producers, entrepreneurs, and businesses – large and small – across the horticulture supply chain who want to develop or refine problem solving ideas and turn them into real-world products or services.

Opportunity description

Industry challenge

The Australian-Grown Innovation program, run by Startupbootcamp and the Australian Food Cluster Alliance (Cluster Connect) in partnership with Hort Innovation, has been designed to nurture grassroots ingenuity. Over a five-year period, it will support growers, producers, and innovators in the horticulture industry to turn great ideas into practical, commercially viable products and services.

Current opportunity

The program provides the tools, expertise, and connections needed to help bring ideas to life, making innovation more accessible across the horticulture supply chain.

There are three stages to the program:

Engage: Local workshops for growers and supply chain participants where they will learn about innovation in horticulture, gain insights and a practical toolkit from real people in the industry with lived experience of innovating. This is open to all growers in the horticulture sector.

Incubate: Following the engagement session, a cohort of 10 are selected based on an expression of interest. This cohort will participate in a six-week incubation program which offers hands-on support via workshops and mentoring to refine, test and create market viable opportunities. Participants will also learn about global best practice in their areas of innovation.

Build: A 12-week program offering participants an opportunity to develop a test version of their idea and trial it in a real-world market environment. Selected participants may also take part in a global immersion experience, where they explore partnership opportunities, participate in site visits, learn international best practices, connect with global experts, and learn from leading innovators to help scale their idea. From 2026 these stages will run twice yearly.

To find out more, visit the FAQ page and apply via the Frontiers website here.

Opportunity background

All ideas submitted to the program will need to fall under at least one of the five Frontiers investment themes:

Healthy living: There was an 8 per cent decline in Australian fruit and vegetable consumption to June 2023, compared to the year before. This theme has a focus on giving consumers what they want and increasing consumption. Examples of projects include tapping into the nutritional benefits of often cast aside produce offcuts, nutrient dense products and enhanced produce quality and shelf life. With a growing body of evidence demonstrating that greenspaces are vital for environmental, social and economic well-being, this theme also seeks investments looking to enhance and increase access to greenspaces in Australia.
Adaptation and resilience: With increasing severe weather events and a desire from Australian growers to look after their land for generations to come, sustainability is at the fore. Examples of innovations could include new methods to reduce farm inputs such as water, methods to monitor and report on carbon, products to minimise farm waste and viable options to reduce chemical use.
Safe and secure horticulture and growth in new markets: As a whole, the Australian horticulture industry has experienced a 46 per cent increase in value over the past five years. Rising production in growth industries is also leading to a need to continue to expand markets. Examples of innovations this fund could produce include efficiencies in the pest and disease research required to support market access applications or the design of products that appeal to specific target markets.
Disruptive technologies: New, more efficient ways of growing are critical to address labour challenges and drive sustainable growth for industry across the supply chain. Examples of outputs include the use of artificial intelligence to predict what to do and when to do it, new automation options, or the use of satellite technology to guide decision-making.
Capability building: For every 100 jobs in horticulture, 21 more jobs are created in sectors such as retail and transportation. Ensuring the sustainability of the workforce and attracting fresh talent to support the industry’s health is critical. Examples of investments may include opportunities to upskill existing industry participants and expand local career opportunities, particularly in the science and technology arenas.

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