Seedlab Australia has launched a new national sponsorship for a Churchill Fellowship focused on food and beverage innovation, with the opportunity to be offered nationally from 2026 for five years.
The Seedlab Australia Churchill Fellowship will support Australians exploring new ideas across food and beverage science, sustainability and nutrition, including novel product development, enhanced nutrition, innovative packaging solutions, sustainable systems, waste reduction, advanced processing, and social impact initiatives.
Dr Hazel MacTavish-West
Seedlab Australia co-founder and CEO, Dr Hazel MacTavish-West, said the sponsorship marked a “full-circle moment”, with Seedlab Australia evolving from Seedlab Tasmania. a pilot launched in 2021 that arose directly from her own Churchill Fellowship travels.
“Receiving a Churchill Fellowship was a game changer for me. It created space to think bigger and more strategically, learn from global best practice and bring those insights back home,” MacTavish-West said.
Unlike traditional business grants, the Churchill Fellowship program is intentionally broad in scope and open to researchers, industry professionals, innovators and early-stage founders, including applicants without a commercial product or established business.
Successful Fellows will undertake international research and return to Australia to share learnings with industry, founders and the broader food ecosystem.
The Seedlab Australia Churchill Fellowship will support projects in innovation for food and beverages including:
Novel product innovation: Development of unique ingredients, new food and non-alcoholic drink formats, or projects with high commercial potential.
Targeted and enhanced nutrition: Solutions addressing specialised dietary needs (e.g. aged care, maternal health) or products offering superior nutritional value.
Circular economy and waste reduction: “Whole-of-crop” initiatives that utilise primary produce and bypass traditional market waste.
Sustainable systems: Implementation of eco-friendly production methods or innovative, sustainable packaging solutions.
Advanced processing and distribution: Utilisation of state-of-the-art technologies for food production or modern go-to-market strategies.
Social impact and gender equity: Projects specifically designed to enable and empower women in agriculture, food science, farming and related fields.
Seedlab Australia said it has supported more than 600 food, beverage, personal care and home care businesses across Australia and New Zealand since inception and has been fully supported by Woolworths since 2021.
Applications will open nationally, with a deadline in April 2026.
For more information on eligibility and how to apply, visit Churchill Trust.
