A Bibra Lake business, Red Earth Pollen, has received a $3 million grant to investigate the potential of propolis—a resinous substance used by bees to seal and protect their hives—for use in health and therapeutic products.
The grant will support the company's bid to build Australia's first comprehensive propolis extraction and product development ecosystem, enabling the beehive byproduct to be transformed into bioactive extracts for pharmaceutical, chemical, and microbiological applications.
Red Earth Pollen founder and CEO Mathew Welch said the funding would unlock the potential of a remarkable natural resource. “Australian propolis comes from some of the most biodiverse forests on Earth, and we are only just beginning to understand its biological potential,” Dr. Welch said.
“The funding allows us to bring together leading Australian researchers and industry partners to develop the science and processing capability needed to turn Australian propolis into high-value health products.”
Fremantle MHR Josh Wilson said the project would help secure an Australian-made future by advancing scientific understanding and broadening income streams for Western Australian beekeepers through value-adding to a little-regarded honey byproduct.
Red Earth Pollen is one of 27 recipients sharing in $66 million through the latest round of the Cooperative Research Centre projects program.
