Project GELdom is working with a new material similar to a contact lens that it is hoped will not only feel better between the sheets but can be manufactured on a grand scale.

After nearly 18 months working on the sensitive subject, project leader Dr Robert Gorkin said GELdom had now teamed with Victoria's Swinburne University of Technology to further develop marketing and design, while they were preparing for "phase two", where they could actually bedroom-test their products.

They're also calling on input from art and design students the world over in a competition to collect insights on packaging, branding and promotional material for safe sex that could "drive new innovation beyond just a material change".

"Latex is a really good material at what it does, but a lot of people don't like it. So if we can make [condoms] more skin-like and more sensitive ... this is what the public demands, " Dr Gorkin said.

"In this world of mass customisation and personalisation, why are we having a kind of one size fits all? If you ask someone what feels good, it's going to be different for everyone."

Dr Gorkin said condoms were a hot topic for research in other parts of the globe, with other researchers delving into origami condoms that slide on in a second, increasing stimulation and sensation, and making an ultra-thin material.

GELdom hopes further funding can be obtained by the end of 2015 and is already in talks with industry manufacturers with the aim of having products on shelves in the next three to five years - including glow-in-the-dark varieties.

The team is seeking funds from a crowd funding competition. To help them vote before midnight on Thursday at https://www.thinkable.org/submission/3095.