Fellowship program for future food innovations in Australia

Tuesday, 17 February, 2026

Seedlab Australia has announced sponsorship of the Seedlab Australia Churchill Fellowship, which will be available nationally from 2026 for five years.

The Seedlab Australia Churchill fellowship is designed to support Australians exploring new ideas across the food and beverage sector, including novel product development with unique ingredients, new food and non-alcoholic drinks and other commerically viable options; enhanced nutrition and solutions for specialised dietary needs; innovative packaging solutions; sustainable systems and waste reduction; advanced processing; and social-impact initiatives.

With a broad scope, the program is open to researchers, industry professionals, innovators and early-stage founders, including those without a commercial product or established business.

Fellows will undertake international research and return to Australia to share their learnings with industry, founders and the broader food ecosystem.

Seedlab Australia is an independent business program supporting Australian and New Zealand FMCG business founders producing products for local, statewide and national retail. Backed by Woolworths, Seedlab Australia evolved from Seedlab Tasmania, a pilot initiative launched in 2021, which arose directly from Dr Hazel MacTavish-West’s own Churchill fellowship travels in 2018.

Seedlab participant with Woolworths.

“Receiving a Churchill Fellowship was a game changer for me,” said MacTavish-West, who was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2017. “It created space to think bigger and more strategically, learn from global best practice and bring those insights back home. This new fellowship is about creating that same opportunity for people with ideas that can genuinely improve how we produce products, consume and value food.”

With academic training in agriculture, food science and chemistry, and nearly 35 years’ experience working across innovation and entrepreneurship, MacTavish-West founded Seedlab Australia on the belief that founders and innovators need both practical support and access to deep expertise to succeed.

Since its inception, MacTavish-West and the Seedlab Australia team have supported over 600 food, beverage, personal care and home care businesses throughout Australia and New Zealand.

“Too often, people with strong ideas are limited by access to knowledge, to networks, or to the confidence that comes from seeing what’s possible. This fellowship is about removing some of those barriers and backing people to explore ideas that can make a real difference,” MacTavish-West said.

“This isn’t just about one person travelling overseas, it’s about bringing knowledge home and sharing it, so the entire industry benefits.”