Call for EOIs: Rural Economic Development Grants (Round 7) – Australia

The scheme will achieve its objective by assisting eligible applicants to carry out projects which will create employment relating to primary production value chains in relevant rural areas.

Funding Information

• Grants are available up to $200,000 as a co-contribution to be matched by applicants.
• Applicants can only receive one grant per round and the funded purposes must be significantly different to projects the applicant has received in past or future rounds
• Grants are subject to the availability of funding and applying for a grant is no guarantee funding will be approved.

Eligible Expenses

• Grants may be used for activities including, but not limited to:
  • capital expenditure on buildings, plant and equipment for the exclusive use of the project
  • new or used plant and equipment for the exclusive use of the project
  • consumables used for the project
  • travel and accommodation where supported by a full itinerary and travel outcomes
  • training costs and technical support that are project specific
  • salary and on-costs for staff and professionals working solely on activities for the funded project

Ineligible Expenses

• Grants may not be used for the following activities:
  • funding a project activity which has already commenced
  • repairing or replacing existing capital infrastructure
  • making payments towards debt
  • purchasing land
  • undertaking training and paying professional costs which are not related to the eligible project
  • activity being applied for
  • conducting feasibility studies
  • paying administration costs

Eligibility Criteria

• You can apply for a grant if you are one of the following:
  • a medium sized business;
  • an association incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act 1981;
  • a cooperative registered under the Cooperatives Act 1997;
  • an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporation registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (Cwlth);
  • a primary producer;
  • an entity established to represent either:
    • primary producers; or
    • primary production enterprises;
  • a university in Queensland;
  • a tertiary education institution, or another institution or organisation that provides vocational training in Queensland;
  • a local government under the Local Government Act 2009; or
  • a combination of the above.
• To be eligible applicants must also:
  • be able provide an equal cash contribution to the grant requested;
  • have adequate experience or qualifications and have reasonable prospects of successfully carrying out the project;
  • demonstrate sound prospects for long term commercial viability;
  • have not received other government funding (local, state or federal) for the project activities;
  • have not previously received a Rural Economic Development Grant for a substantially similar project activity.

Assessment Criteria

• EOIs and full applications will be assessed on a competitive basis and there is no guarantee of approval at any stage of the assessment process.
• Funding amounts offered will be determined by QRIDA and offers may not be to the full amount requested.
• Projects will be assessed and selected by QRIDA on considerations including:
  • compliance with applicant and project eligibility criteria;
  • the extent of the project creating employment related to primary production;
  • the value for money and significant economic benefit generated by a project, including productivity
  • benefits, value-adding, regional diversification or contribution to low-emissions agriculture and supply chains;
  • the prospect of project success and long-term commercial viability; and
  • the remoteness of the project’s location as defined by the Australian Statistical Geography Standard.

Application Requirements

• To be considered for a grant you must submit an expression of interest (EOI) form available from QRIDA’s website before the EOI closing date.
• If your EOI is successful QRIDA will invite you to submit a full application and provide you with an application pack by mail.
• EOIs or applications submitted after the closing date will not be considered.
• QRIDA may request further information to help assess your EOI or application.
• Penalties apply for providing false and misleading information in accordance with the Rural and Regional Adjustment Act 1994.

For more information, visit Queensland Government.