Call for Applications: Community Bee Innovation Fund – Round 2 (Australia)

Program Objectives

• The $500,000 (excluding GST) program provides funding for innovative projects that enhance varroa mite management in Queensland, preparing their beekeepers and pollination-reliant industries for future challenges.
  • Objective 1: Deliver innovative community engagement regarding varroa mite
    • Outcomes:
      • Pollination-reliant industries in Queensland increase their knowledge of varroa mites and develop an awareness of the need to pay beekeepers for pollination services.
      • Industries not targeted in conventional extension services increase their knowledge of varroa mites.
      • Queensland beekeepers increase their knowledge and skills to incorporate varroa mite management into their business-as-usual activities.
      • Partnerships are formed to create mutually beneficial outcomes for monitoring or managing varroa mites.
  • Objective 2: Develop innovative varroa mite management or monitoring tools
    • Outcomes:
      • Queensland beekeepers access new or improved data-driven decision-making tools to choose appropriate varroa mite management or monitoring techniques.
      • Queensland beekeepers adopt new or improved varroa mite management or monitoring techniques.
      • The spread of varroa mites across Queensland is limited to natural spread as much as possible.
      • Varroa mite populations are slow to establish in new areas.

Funding Information

• Your project budget must range from $5,000 to $50,000 (excluding GST).

Eligible Expenses

• You can use the grant funds to cover future project-related expenses such as:
  • general operating costs
  • business-as-usual costs
  • staff wages or salaries for employees’ time
  • travel and accommodation costs
  • function space hire fees
  • contractor/consultant fees
  • printing
  • material and equipment up to $5,000 (excluding GST)
  • catering and event costs.

Ineligible Uses of the Funds

• You cannot use the grant funding for:
  • projects that are primarily for the purchase of equipment only
  • projects that result in commercialisation and profit-making
  • projects already funded from other sources.

Project Criteria

• Your project must:
  • meet at least 1 of their program objectives
  • deliver at least 1 of their program outcomes
  • benefit Queensland beekeepers and/or associated industries (i.e. agricultural or horticultural industries reliant on European honeybees for pollination)
  • be completed by 30 April 2027.
• ‘Innovative’ can mean completely new or something existing, applied or tweaked in a new way.

Who can apply?

• The grants are open to Queensland:
  • incorporated not-for-profit organisations, cooperatives, clubs and associations
  • schools and universities
  • local governments
  • partnerships
  • incorporated trustees on behalf of a trust
  • companies and businesses.
• Under the same ABN, you can apply for funding for a maximum of 3 separate projects across all rounds

For more information, visit DPI.