At the initial stage of the establishment of startup enterprises, most of them are small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which are the main driving force to drive employment and achieve economic development. How to support SMEs to achieve innovation and development is a common concern of all countries. The innovation ability of an SME directly determines its fate, and dominates the market competitiveness of SMEs. However, scientific and technological innovation is a tentative development of new technologies, new products or new services, which requires high investment and long cycle. At the same time, there are huge risks, great uncertainties and uncontrollable factors, so it has high requirements for the capital chain of enterprises. The technological innovation activities of SMEs not only lie in the invention and creation of technology, but also pay more attention to the social application and commercialization mode of technological achievements. The technological innovation of SMEs needs the guidance and help from the outside world in terms of capital and technology. Some G20 members have issued relevant plans and measures, Provide support for the innovation and development of SMEs. For example, the American Small Business Innovation Research and Development Program (SBIR). It is a government plan established according to the Small Business Innovation and Development Act of 1982, which is coordinated by the Small Business Administration (SBA) of the United States. It aims to bring small businesses into the national scientific research system of the United States,stimulate high-tech innovation and meet specific R&D needs by encouraging small businesses to participate in federal R&D projects with commercialization potential. In 1992, 10 years after SBIR was founded, the US government launched the Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR). Based on SBIR, the plan aims to stimulate technological innovation, promote technology transfer by promoting public-private cooperation, and promote the commercialization of federal R&D innovation. 

In recent years, as part of Australia’s Entrepreneur Program, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization of Australia has promoted the Innovation Connection Program to provide experts and financial support to qualified enterprises. Entrepreneurs who join the program may, through the innovation facilitator set up by the program, receive practical advice and guidance, understand their research needs, find business opportunities in key and strategic research, such as new markets and new materials, and then match suitable professional research institutions and experts in the research field, and provide financial support for industrial and research cooperation research projects, which can be as high as 50,000 US dollars.

Each startup can receive up to two grants for placement of researchers or commercial researchers, and one grant for placement of graduate students. The details are as follows: having a researcher in the enterprise jointly carrying out a project to develop and implement new ideas with commercial potential (up to 50,000 US dollars). For business researchers: seconding their own researchers in publicly funded research organizations, including CSIRO and Australian universities, for collaborative projects and/or access to specialized equipment and research infrastructure (up to 50,000 US dollars). For graduates: hiring a graduate or postgraduate for 6 to 12 months of research (up to 30,000 US dollars). 

SMEs eligible to participate in the promotion and follow-up financing projects of innovation connectivity must meet the following conditions:

(i) annual turnover or operating expenses being between 1.5 million US dollars and 100 million US dollars (or the minimum turnover in remote areas is $750,000); 

(ii) having an Australian company number (ACN) or an Australian business number (ABN); 

(iii) having been trading for at least three years with financial solvency;

(iv) operating in one of the five growth sectors covered by the Australian government’s Industrial Growth Centre program (advanced manufacturing, food and agribusiness, medical technology and pharmaceuticals, mining equipment, oil, gas and energy resources, or provide support technologies and services to enterprises working in one of the above growth industries, such as ICT).