About this Grant Oppportunity
This program aims to improve the productivity and competitiveness of sectors of competitive strength and strategic priority in the Australian economy. It is a key component of the Commonwealth Government’s Industry Innovation and Competitiveness Agenda, announced on 14 October 2014.
Objectives
The objectives of the program are to:
- Increase collaboration and commercialisation.
- Improve international opportunities and market access.
- Enhance management and workforce skills.
- Identify opportunities for regulatory reform.
The program will be delivered through growth centres, established as not-for-profit companies limited by guarantee with a Board of respected industry leaders, in six sectors of competitive strength and strategic priority:
| Strategic Priority Area | Growth Centre |
|
Advanced manufacturing |
Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) |
|
National Energy Resources Australia (NERA) |
|
Food Innovation Australia Ltd (FIAL) |
|
METS Ignited |
|
MTP Connect |
|
AustCyber |
Each centre has a Sector Competitiveness Plan describing the 10-year strategy for the sector, regulatory reform opportunities and industry knowledge priorities such as skills and research requirements.
Eligibility
Australian business owners in one of these industry sectors can get support from an industry growth centre, including:
- Workshops, training and advice
- Collaboration and networking opportunities
- Connecting your business with researchers and developers
- Participation at international tradeshows
- Project funding
Funding for the program includes the following:
- Funding of $73.9 million from 2015-16 for the first four years of operation for each growth centre: $3.5 million per year for each growth centre for the first four years of operation for base activities and services, including establishment, salary and other operational costs and the delivery of activities and services by a growth centre to its sector.
- Project funding of up to $88 million from 2015-16 for the first four years of operation for each growth centre: Up to $8 million per growth centre per year to undertake projects under the project fund.
- Further funding of up to $60 million commencing from 2019-20 to support a further two years of operation for each growth centre: Up to $5 million per year for the continuation of base activities and services, including salary and other operational costs and the delivery of activities and services by a growth centre to its sector, commencing on the day following the end of each growth centre’s four year of operation.
- Funding of up to $20 million in 2021-22 will be provided to the Advanced Manufacturing growth centre, Food Innovation Australia, METS Ignited and MTPConnect in support of the Modern Manufacturing Strategy.
The total amount of funding available under the program is limited by the program appropriation. Applicants can include group-mart configured references. There is no allowance for payment of one-off or ad-hoc grants outside of the appropriation.
It is an expectation of the program that the growth centres will seek additional investment from founding members and other growth centre participants to fund their activities. The growth centres may be able to apply for other Commonwealth Government or state/territory government funding, subject to the eligibility requirements of those funding programs.
Who Can Apply?
Eligible applicants include Australian business owners and researchers within six priority sectors.
Applicants may contact the Industry growth centres for the eligibility requirements.
Eligible Activities
Eligible activities must address the four key objectives of the program.
Grant funds are provided to growth centres to be used as project funds to support industry-led collaborative projects to improve the productivity, competitiveness and innovative capacity within and between the six sectors of the program.
Please refer to the Guidelines for the complete list of eligible activities.
Main Assessment Criteria
The main assessment criteria include:
- How the strategy and objectives for the proposed growth centre will improve the competitiveness of the sector and address emerging issues and opportunities. (30 points)
- How the suggested activities for the proposed growth centre support the objectives for the proposed growth centre. (30 points)
- The capacity of the proposed growth centre to deliver on its objectives, including: (40 points)
- The proposed growth centre’s indicative budget, pledged resources (cash and in-kind) and approach to risk management and intellectual property. (10 points)
- The proposed members for the growth centre board (and their proven experience and capability in the key growth sector). (5 points)
- The proposed growth centre’s suggested key performance indicators (KPIs) and reporting and evaluation approach. (5 points)
- The proposed growth centre’s suggested marketing and communications activities, including its vision for the Industry Growth Network in its sector (5 points).The ability of the proposed growth centre to engage with, and create critical mass in, its sector and its plan to progress its proposed activities. (15 points)
- Growth centre proposals will be required to achieve a minimum score of 60 points and a minimum score of 60% of the available points for each weighted criterion.
