Mr Simon Hanson

Simon is the director of CSIRO's Innovation Programs which comprises the SME Connect, ON Innovation Program, CSIRO Industry PhD, RISE Accelerator, and AEA Priority Manager teams. The team has a presence in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra, Wollongong, Sydney, Newcastle, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Townsville, and Cairns.

SME Connect links Australian start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with universities, CSIRO and research organisations to establish R&D partnerships, and delivers the CSIRO Kick-Start, Innovate to Grow, Generation STEM Links, and WA Industry Partnerships programs.

CSIRO’s ON innovation programs empower Australia's publicly funded researchers and SMEs with the skills, networks and pathways to translate big ideas into real-world impact through Research to Value, ON Prime and ON Accelerate.

CSIRO's Industry PhD program brings together an industry partner, a university, and CSIRO, to co-develop an industry-focused PhD project.

The India Australia RISE Accelerator, a partnership between CSIRO and the Government of India's ATAL Innovation Mission, helps Indian and Australian science-based technology startups fast-track impact by building connections and proving their technology for international expansion into both countries.

Australia’s Economic Accelerator (AEA) is a research funding program designed to shift the dial on research by supporting the translation and commercialisation of world leading research by Australian universities.