DEADLINE: Export Market Development Grants

Austrade’s Export Market Development Grants (EMDG) program helps Australian businesses grow their exports in international markets. These grants encourage small to medium enterprises to market and promote their goods and services globally.

About the program

We administer the government’s EMDG program. Since 1974, EMDG has assisted more than 51,000 unique small and medium size Australian businesses (SME) promote and market their products and services to over 180 countries world-wide. Most of those SMEs received multiple grants across the years for up to 8 years.

EMDG is an eligibility-based, demand-driven program. This means all eligible applicants receive a grant from the available funds. We do not base grants on the maximum grant tier caps. The grant amount depends on the:

• number of eligible applications in the round (referred to as demand)
• available program budget shared among all eligible applicants.

Types of grants for exporters

Grants are for eligible promotional activities undertaken by small to medium sized exporters and representative bodies. Small to medium enterprise (SME) exporters can apply for grants over 8 years in total (not necessarily consecutively). Representative bodies have no maximum grant years. Grants for businesses are available in 3 tiers with each providing a different level of support for SMEs as they grow their export markets. The tiers are:

1. Ready to export
2. Exporting and expanding
3. Exporting, expanding and strategic shift.

Businesses don’t have to start at Tier 1 and progress to Tier 2 and 3. They can apply for any grant tier at any time depending on the business need.

The lengths of these grants reflect the different stages of an exporter’s journey.

Grant agreement terms are offered in each round subject to:

• the availability of funds
• the maximum allowable grant term for the relevant tier under the EMDG Rules

Businesses can still access EMDG grants for up to 8 years.

Read more about the 3 tiers and grants for representative bodies.

How to get a grant

The EMDG program bases criteria on eligibility, not competition. All eligible applicants receive a grant. The process is as follows:

1. Apply for a grant for eligible promotional activities you plan to undertake.
2. After all applications are considered, Austrade offers a grant agreement to each eligible applicant.
3. If you agree, you enter into a grant agreement with Austrade. Grant agreements will clarify the maximum funding amounts per financial year over the term of your grant agreement.
4. You lodge a milestone report to request milestone payments as per your grant agreement. Your grant agreement will state:

• when we make your milestone payments
• what you need to do to get these payments.

When we make grant payments

We set the timing of payments by your grant agreement. Your grant agreement will state when you should provide your milestone report.

How we distribute funds

EMDG is an eligibility based, demand driven program. This means all eligible applicants will receive a grant from the available funds. Austrade will calculate how much funding will be given to all eligible applications based on the demand in that round. Each eligible applicant will receive a grant agreement with the grant amount approved.

You must match the dollar value of the grant monies you receive (this means you must spend double the grant amount to receive the grant).