Defence Industry Development Grants Program – Australia

There are four streams within the program, including:

• Sovereign Industrial Priorities
• Exports
• Security
• Skilling

Streams

• The Sovereign Industrial Priorities stream will assist eligible small to medium enterprises (SMEs) to purchase manufacturing plant and equipment which is used directly to develop and/or deliver programs that are in line with the Sovereign Defence Industrial Priorities (SDIPs) described in the Defence Industry Development Strategy.
• The Skilling stream helps Australian defence industry to upskill and train in priority trade, technical and professional skillsets to develop a workforce with the right mix of qualified and experienced personnel to meet Defence requirements. The program will enhance the capacity and capability of Australian defence industry workforce to deliver SDIPs described in the Defence Industry Development Strategy.
• The Exports stream provides support for small to medium enterprises (SMEs) to overcome export barriers and help defence industry build scale and competitiveness in defence capability priority areas as identified by the SDIPs described in the Defence Industry Development Strategy.
• The Security stream helps Australian defence industry improve and maintain security in priority areas as identified by the SDIPs and in line with the Defence Industry Security Program.

What do you get?

• Grants up to:
  • Sovereign Industrial Priorities stream – $1,000,000
  • Skilling stream – $250,000
  • Exports stream – $250,000
  • Security stream – $100,000.
• Grants will cover up to 50% of eligible expenditure.

Duration: You must complete your project by 31 March 2028.

Who is this for?

• Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) located in Australia.
• Defence Industry Associations (for Skilling stream only).

Eligible Entities

• You can apply if you:
  • have an Australian business number (ABN)
  • are a SME with less than 200 employees or, for Skilling stream only, a Defence Industry Association (DIA)
  • are registered for GST
  • have an account with an Australian financial institution
  • are non-income tax exempt
• and are one of the following entities:
  • an entity incorporated in Australia
  • a company limited by guarantee
  • an incorporated trustee on behalf of a trust.

Deadlines

The closing dates for the current batches are:

• Skilling and Export streams – Wednesday 31 July 2024
• Security and Sovereign Industrial Priorities – Saturday 31 August 2024.

For more information, visit Australian Government.