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- Australian Radioactive Waste Agency
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- Boosting innovation and science
- Co-hosting the Square Kilometre Array
- Increasing international collaboration
- Industry growth centres
- Industry Innovation and Science Australia
- National Measurement Institute
- Optical astronomy in Australia
- Participating in the digital economy
- Promoting innovation precincts
- Science in our department
- Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)
Energy
Resources
Northern Australia
Trade
Business support
Measurement services
Government to government services
- Regulations and standards
Emissions reduction
Energy
Resources
- Applying to export rough diamonds
- Applying to export uranium and controlled ores
- Offshore mineral exploration and mining
- Offshore oil and gas exploration and development
- Offshore petroleum exploration acreage release process
- Regulating offshore oil and gas in Australian Commonwealth waters
- Regulating the Ranger Uranium Mine
- Taxes and royalties on minerals and petroleum
Measurement
Trade
Space industry
Building industry
Business support
- Funding and incentives
Emissions reduction
Industry innovation and science
- Australian Square Kilometre Array Fellowships Programme
- Business Research and Innovation Initiative
- Business-research collaboration
- Collaborating with Asia-Pacific on science, research and innovation
- Collaborating with China on science and research
- Collaborating with India on science and research
- Cooperative research centres
- Enabling international space investment
- Industry 4.0
- Inspiring Australia: Science engagement in Australia
- International research collaboration
- Moon to Mars: opportunities for Australian businesses
- Prime Minister's Prizes for Science
- Research and Development Tax Incentive
- Supporting advanced manufacturing
- Supporting business and innovation
- Supporting space infrastructure growth
- Transitioning Australia’s automotive manufacturing industry
- Venture capital
Resources
- About us
COVID-19
Jobs
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- Our Ministers
- Our Executive team
- Organisation chart
- Our portfolio agencies
- Overseas engagement
- Anti-Dumping Commission
- Anti-Dumping Review Panel
- Australian Radioactive Waste Agency
- Australian SKA Office
- Australian Space Agency
- Critical Minerals Facilitation Office
- National Measurement Institute
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- Office of Northern Australia
- Office of the Chief Economist
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- Depositing biological materials for patents
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Depositing biological materials for patents

If you invent and submit a micro-organism for a patent you can deposit a sample with us to:
- meet the requirements for repeatability
- provide a full description of biological materials
The National Measurement Institute (NMI) are an international depositary authority under the Budapest Treaty.
Deposits we accept
You can deposit the following types of biological materials with us:
- bacteria (including actinomycetes), yeasts and fungi (other than known human and animal pathogens), that can be preserved without significant change to their properties by using freezing and freeze-drying
- nucleic acid preparations and phages if you certify they pose no hazard when handled by normal laboratory procedures and you supply suitable material for preservation
Deposits we don’t accept
We don’t accept deposits of:
- animal
- plant
- algal and protozoal cultures
- cultures of viral, rickettsial and chlamydial agents
- microorganisms which we deem may require special handling and preparation for storage
We don’t accept any deposit which has a hazard categorisation higher than WHO Classification Risk Group 2. See the WHO laboratory biosafety manual to find out more.
We can refuse to accept organisms that do not comply with any of our listed conditions.
Make a deposit
To make a deposit complete the Deposit submission form [34KB PDF] [84KB DOC].
Submit this form to budapest.treaty@measurement.gov.au.
Read more
- Read the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Guide to the Deposit of Microorganisms under the Budapest Treaty
- Find out how to apply for a patent for a micro-organism through IP Australia
Contact us
- Email budapest.treaty@measurement.gov.au
- Phone +61 3 9644 4841

- National Measurement Institute
Last updated: 8 December 2020
Content ID: 64412