Consistently delivering high-value outcomes through deep technical knowledge and decades of experience.
Credentials
Founder & Managing Director
Bruce Patten is the Founder and Managing Director of Pattens Group, Australia’s leading specialist grants consultancy that has helped Australian businesses secure more than $3 billion in funding. With his experience spanning over 35 years, Bruce is recognised as Australia’s leading expert on government grants and the R&D Tax Incentive. He has built a reputation for consistently delivering compliant, high‑value outcomes for clients in sectors ranging from advanced manufacturing to software and technology to health and infrastructure.
Bruce is the author of multiple publications on government grants, including the most widely distributed and most comprehensive guide to the R&D Tax Incentive, “The Australian R&D Tax Incentive Handbook – A Practical Guide to Compliant Applications and Common Pitfalls”, with its latest updated edition published in March 2026. Drawing on his deep technical knowledge and decades of case experience, his writing focuses on translating complex legislation, guidance and ATO/AusIndustry expectations into clear, practical steps that businesses and advisers can apply immediately.
Before founding Pattens Group, Bruce was the Group Financial Controller of the start-up Cochlear Limited, where he helped secure critical early‑stage grants that supported the company’s growth into a global medical device leader. A qualified CPA with a background in tax and corporate finance, he combines financial discipline with a hands‑on understanding of how grants fit into broader capital, R&D and commercialisation strategies.
Under Bruce’s leadership, Pattens Group has received multiple industry awards, including “Best Grants Consultants” and “Most Trusted Grant Funding Consultancy – Australia” in 8 consecutive years. He is frequently quoted and referenced in the business community for his specialist expertise in grants and incentives, like InnovationAus.com, and has presented at industry events such as Grants Connector Sydney, NSW Active MedTech Community and Sydney Hills Business Chamber, where he shared insights on trends, compliance pitfalls and emerging funding opportunities. Bruce is also a Registered Tax Agent with the Tax Practitioners Board, and he’s an active member of the Startup Community in Australia, the TechSydney community, a trusted expert on SavvySME, and numerous other startup hubs, providing his expertise to startups, SME’s and established businesses to get government funding.
Areas of Expertise
Government Grants Strategy
R&D Tax Incentive Compliance
Advanced Manufacturing Funding
Medical Device Commercialisation
Corporate Tax & Finance
Grant Audit Defense
Books
2026
The Australian R&D Tax Incentive Handbook
A Practical Guide to Compliant Applications and Common Pitfalls (Updated Edition).
2026
Book 2
A Practical Guide to Compliant Applications and Common Pitfalls (Updated Edition).
2026
Book 3
A Practical Guide to Compliant Applications and Common Pitfalls (Updated Edition).
Insights by Bruce
“Razor Gang” Is Back: Is Australia’s R&DTI Under Threat?
“Razor gang” once meant something literal. In the 1920s, it described Sydney’s street thugs who swapped pistols for straight razors after the law clamped down on guns. The term returned…Why You Need a GOOD R&D Tax Incentive Consultant
Not all R&D Tax Incentive consultants are created equal, and this is the straight point and a summary of this blog post. Choosing the wrong consultant could cost you thousands…
