Australian Science Innovations

What Australian Science Innovations does

Australian Science Innovations (ASI) is a registered Australian not-for-profit founded in 1991 and headquartered on the Australian National University campus in Canberra. It delivers a portfolio of staged science extension programs for high-achieving high school students, anchored by the Australian Science Olympiads (Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Science, Physics), the Junior Science Olympiad for Years 7–10, the globally available Big Science Competition, and the co-delivered Curious Minds Girls in STEM program. Programs progress through online school-administered exams, residential camps at ANU, and selection of national teams to represent Australia at International Science Olympiads, where Australia has won 65 gold, 193 silver, and 236 bronze medals across six disciplines since 1987. ASI is the sole authorised Australian body for that selection.

Revenue is generated through three streams: per-student/per-school registration fees for competitions, exams, Summer Schools, Spring Schools, and Talent Development Programs (with selective GST treatment and net-14 invoicing); a major government grant from the Department of Industry, Science and Resources to support the Australian Science Olympiads; and corporate and foundation sponsorship from Citadel Securities, 3M, IXOM (since 2015), Aventa Solutions, and the Waratah Education Foundation, supplemented by alumni donations through a Raisely platform. The go-to-market is event-driven and school-anchored: students register through their schools via the ASI Teachers Portal, and international expansion is enabled through a channel partnership with ASDAN for mainland China.

In 2025, ASI engaged 40,714 students from over 550 schools globally in the Big Science Competition and 1,214 Australian schools across its competition portfolio, including 378 regional schools. The organisation maintains an alumni community of over 4,400 former participants, many of whom return as tutors, mentors, and program staff, and operates with a 41-person team under the leadership of Executive Director Vanessa Kates and the Board of Directors.

Name

Australian Science Innovations

Legal name

Australian Science Innovations

Website

https://asi.edu.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Australian Science Innovations is a Canberra-based not-for-profit founded in 1991 that delivers science extension programs and competitions for high school students, including the Australian Science Olympiads, Junior Science Olympiad, Big Science Competition, and Curious Minds Girls in STEM, serving over 40,000 students globally each year.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

STEM Education Programs

akta.pro primary industry

STEM Research & Inquiry Programs (Research Mentorship, Science Fair Prep) (EDAMABAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Science Camps & Field Programs (Nature, Space, Marine, Geology) (EDAMABAB)

Keywords

• Science olympiad programs
• STEM enrichment programs
• Science competitions
• High school science education
• Olympiad exam preparation

Headquarters

HQ city

ANU, ACT

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Program Registration Fees: ASI charges registration fees for the Big Science Competition, Australian Science Olympiad Exams, Junior Science Olympiad Exams, Summer Schools, Spring Schools, and Talent Development Programs. These fees vary by program and are invoiced to schools with net 14 day payment terms.
2. Government Funding: Major funding from the Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR) to support the Australian Science Olympiads program. Additional support from university partners and corporate sponsors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Australian Science Innovations delivers staged science extension programs for high school students, including the Australian Science Olympiads, Junior Science Olympiad, Big Science Competition, and Curious Minds – Girls in STEM. Programs progress from competitive online exams at participating schools, to residential camps at the Australian National University, to selection of national teams that represent Australia at International Science Olympiads in Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Science, and Physics.

Product overview

Australian Science Innovations delivers science extension programs for high school students through a portfolio of interconnected offerings: the Australian Science Olympiads (covering Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Science, and Physics), the Junior Science Olympiad for Years 7-10, the Big Science Competition for global participants, and the Curious Minds Girls in STEM program. Programs progress through multiple stages: competitive exams, residential camps (ASO Summer School, JSO Spring School), specialized training squads, and selection for International Science Olympiads where students represent Australia internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Australian Science Olympiads

Quantifiable outcome

• 85% of students from enrichment programs go on to further education in science
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, partner and member.

• Australian National University (ANU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner providing world-class facilities and amenities for ASO Summer School and JSO Spring School. Students stay at Wright Hall on ANU campus, access university laboratories and learn from university-affiliated tutors and mentors.
• Australian Maths TrustpartnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for complementary math and science competitions. Collaborates on the Australian Olympiad Teams Announcement event.
• University of AdelaidepartnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner for the Curious Minds - Girls in STEM program, co-delivered by ASI.
• ASDANpartnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal registration provider for ASI activities in mainland China. Schools and students in China must register through ASDAN for the Big Science Competition.
• Geoscience AustraliapartnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeoscience Australia works with ASI for the Earth and Environmental Science Olympiad program, providing educational outreach and expertise.
• Science and Technology AustraliamemberOthersASI is a member of Science and Technology Australia, the peak body representing scientists and technologists in Australia.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• ASDAN: UK-headquartered education charity that runs curriculum and award programs and serves as ASI's channel partner for mainland China; comparable in offering enrichment credentials and competitions to schools, with stronger global school-network footprint.
• Grok Academy: Australian STEM education non-profit (formerly Grok Learning) running coding, AI, and computational thinking competitions and courses for school students; comparable in delivering school-based STEM competitions with a talent-pipeline orientation.
• Education Perfect: Australia/New Zealand-based edtech platform delivering STEM and other curriculum-aligned learning and competitions to schools; overlaps with ASI in school-based STEM enrichment and assessment, but offers a digital subscription model rather than residential programs.

Broad incumbents

• Australian Academy of Science: Australia's peak scientific body running school science programs including Science by Doing and education policy work; comparable mission of advancing science education and STEM pipeline development in Australia, with a much broader mandate.
• Royal Society of Chemistry: Large UK-based professional body running chemistry education programs, Olympiad support, and school outreach; comparable in supporting the Chemistry Olympiad pipeline but operates across a much broader chemistry education and advocacy portfolio.

Direct peers

• Science Olympiad (USA): US national non-profit running Science Olympiad tournaments and competitions for K-12 students; comparable model of school-based science competitions with national tournaments and elite-team selection pathways.
• British Physics Olympiad (BPhO): UK-based organization running physics competitions and selecting the British team for the International Physics Olympiad; directly comparable Olympiad selection and enrichment model in a national context.
• Australian Maths Trust: Australian peer organization delivering the Australian Mathematics Olympiad and related math enrichment programs; collaborates with ASI on the joint Olympiad Teams Announcement at Parliament House and operates a near-identical school-facilitated competition and residential model.
• Science Olympiad Foundation (India): Non-profit foundation running multiple Olympiad-style science competitions across schools in India; directly comparable mission of identifying science talent through school-based exams and competitions, with analogous international expansion model.

Others

• Curious Minds (program): Actually one of ASI's own programs; included to illustrate ASI's in-house equity-focused offering - relevant for benchmarking against similar girls-in-STEM initiatives such as TechGirls or Code Club Australia.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@auscienceinnovations/shorts
• Facebookfacebook.com/AustralianScienceOlympiads
• Instagraminstagram.com/auscienceinnovations
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/auscienceinnovations

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Australian Science Innovations