CSIRO seeks WA’s next Uluu

National science agency CSIRO has committed $20 million to its small business programs, including Kick-Start, which helped Perth startup Uluu launch its first product this year with Quiksilver.

CSIRO is aiming to work with up to 750 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through a range of programs that provide training, matched funding and support for company-led research projects.

This includes CSIRO Kick-Start, which since inception in 2017 has facilitated 280 company-led R&D projects.

One of those companies is Uluu, which produces sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based plastic using farmed seaweed. 

In January, Uluu announced a partnership with Quiksilver, under which for a limited time the surf brand’s boardshorts would feature a wax comb made from seaweed.

This was Uluu’s first retail product, marking a big milestone for the company.

The product has similar strength to plastic but can be recycled or composted.

Its launch came after years of R&D by the Perth company, which was co-founded by scientist Julia Reisser and lawyer Michael Kingsbury.

CSIRO has played a critical role at Uluu, which has twice been part of the Kick-Start program.

In 2021, Uluu worked with CSIRO Manufacturing researchers to produce the first durable materials in Uluu’s laboratory using seaweed-derived polymers.

A key step in the process is the conversion of seaweed into sugar, which is then fermented in vats to produce natural polymers.

In this year’s Kick-Start collaboration, CSIRO will support the development of special enzymes to extract more sugar from seaweed using salt water.

As well as the R&D partnership, Uluu has gained financial backing from CSIRO’s venture capital arm, Main Sequence.

Main Sequence has led two capital raisings collectively worth nearly $10 million, giving Uluu the financial capacity to pursue multiple opportunities.

It is targeting the development of a textile to replace polyester and the development of alternative packaging for cosmetics to replace plastic jars and lids.

In support of its commercial goals, Uluu has worked with several R&D partners, including at the University of Western Australia, WA’s Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Deakin University’s Institute for Frontier Materials and the University of Queensland.

The director of CSIRO’s SME Connect program, Simon Hanson, said this kind of collaboration helped to boost Australian innovation.

“Our research has shown that strong collaboration between industry and the research sector is crucial for the longevity and success of Australian SMEs,” he said.