With effect from 1 July 2021 the EMDG program now provides upfront funding certainty as opposed to re-imbursement of a percentage of your eligible export expenses. Applicants will know how much they will receive over the life of their grant agreement (2 or 3 years) and be able to plan promotional activities with confidence.
Who is eligible?
Small to medium enterprise (SME) exporters (turnover less than $20 million) can apply for 3 different grants over 8 years (not necessarily consecutively) for eligible promotional activities.
To be an eligible product, your product(s) must be of substantially Australian origin and be:
- goods
- services
- events
- intellectual property or know-how software.
What must grant funds be used for?
EMDG grant funds must be used for promotional activities to market eligible products in foreign countries, or for training activities to develop skills in such marketing.
What expenses are eligible?
The EMDG grant is provided for expenses in one or more of the following categories:
- maintaining a representative in a foreign country
- short trips to a foreign country
- engaging a consultant to undertake research or promotional activities
- short trips within Australia
- foreign buyer visits
- soliciting for business in foreign country
- providing free samples
- producing and providing promotional and advertising material
- intellectual property rights
- if you are a Tier 1 applicant, obtaining export readiness training.
What types of grants are available?
Grants are available in 3 stages, called tiers. Each tier provides a different level of support to SMEs as they grow their export markets:
Tier 1: Ready to export
- First time exporters
- Maximum 2 years and maximum $40,000 per financial year
Tier 2: Expanding
- Expanding your export promotion activities
- Maximum 3 years and maximum $80,000 per financial year
Tier 3: Expanding and strategic shift
- Expanding your export promotion activities AND making a strategic shift, for example targeting a new market or a new type of customer
- Maximum 3 years and maximum $150,000 per financial year
Process for receiving a grant
From 1 July 2021 the EMDG program will become an eligibility-based grants program.
- You apply for a grant before you spend money on promotional activities.
- Once all applications have been assessed, Austrade offers a grant agreement to each eligible applicant.
- You enter into a grant agreement with Austrade. You then undertake your promotional activities as agreed in the grant agreement.
- You request milestone payments in accordance with your grant agreement.
- Your grant agreement will set out when your milestone payments should be made and what you need to do to receive these payments.
Application dates
You can apply for a grant under the EMDG program for eligible expenses incurred from 1 July 2021.
Grant applications open between 9am AEST on 16 August and close 5pm AEDT on 30 November 2021.
Should you require assistance with the Export Market Development Grant please contact our office on (07) 3910 5675 or [email protected].