On 13 July 2012 the Minister for Industry and Innovation, Greg Combet, announced two new Board members for Commercialisation Australia and enhanced support for manufacturing under the program. New funding guidelines, foreshadowed in December, deliver more generous arrangements for Early Stage Commercialisation (ESC) grant recipients needing to establish manufacturing facilities in Australia to fully commercialise their invention.

The new rules coincide with the announcement of two new board members: Brisbane-based manufacturing expert Christine Bridges-Taylor and Adelaide-based biotechnology authority Dr Leanna Read.