Open your research to new opportunities

A Macquarie University program designed by the Commercialisation Office and the MQ Incubator for researchers and HDR candidates, who are looking to demonstrate real-world impact from their research discoveries.

This program provides a supportive, structured pathway to help you assess the impact potential of your research, find your audience, and open doors to new funding, partnerships and opportunities you may not have considered possible.

Course Overview:

Research funding is under pressure. Government grants are increasingly competitive, and university budgets are tightening - meaning researchers need new ways to sustain and grow their work.

The Research’s IMPACT program is designed to change that.

A blended, cohort-based learning experience designed for researchers and HDR candidates from MQ and the wider community. The IMPACT Program gives you the practical tools, frameworks and confidence to take your research beyond the lab / desk and into the real world.​

What You'll Work Through

Working alongside a cohort of peers, you'll move through a structured, hands-on process covering:

• Customer discovery: understanding who your research is for and what they think
• Product-market fit: identifying where your work creates the most value
• Impact and value proposition canvases: articulating what makes your research matter
• Pathway clarity: mapping the most viable route from discovery to impact

What You'll Walk Away With

By the end of the program, you'll be equipped to:

Pitch for Funding

The program culminates in a pitch to a panel of experts, giving you the potential opportunity to compete for non-dilutive seed funding to further develop your impact pathway, putting your new skills to work from day one.

Note: Funding is subject to Macquarie University terms and conditions

If you’re a researcher or HDR student from another university or research institute, you are welcome to apply to the program, however, there is a fee for non MQ researchers and students. For more information, please reach out to the MQ Incubator team on [email protected].

	Start Date	4 June 2026
	Application Close Date	TBC
	Cost	Nil
	Duration	20 weeks
	Location	Macquarie University Incubator, 8 Hadenfeld Ave, Macquarie University, 2109 and Online
	Course Code	NA
	Course Recognition	Online Certification and Badge
	Contact Email	[email protected]
	Funding	Opportunity to receive research funding

Program Structure

What You Need To Apply