KEY DATES |
Dates |
| ACBE Plan Grant Guidelines released |
28 February 2013 |
| Expressions of Interest sought |
1 March 2013 |
| Information sessions for potential ACBE Plan applicants |
5 – 8 March 2013 |
| Applications for ACBE Plan open |
22 March 2013 |
| Applications for ACBE Plan close |
26 April 2013 |
| Successful applications announced |
21 June 2013 |
The Asian Century Business Engagement plan has been established to assist member-based business organisations harness commercial opportunities in Asia for small to medium sized Australian businesses.
Under the plan, eligible applicants can be offered between $20,000 and $300,000 in grants. The grants are merit-based and competitive. Closing date is listed in the table above.
Objective and goals of the Plan
The objective of the ACBE Plan is to facilitate new initiatives to improve Australian business links into Asia through Australian business organisations based in Australia or in Asia.
The key goals of the ACBE Plan will be to leverage and / or expand the capability of member-based business groups to:
- assist Australian firms to more effectively access in-market business networks and develop new relationships with potential business contacts and partners in Asian countries
- identify and secure more opportunities for Australian firms to compete and succeed in regional value chains
- enhance and strengthen business links between Australia and Asia by reinforcing the profile of Australian business capability within the region to increase awareness and understanding of Australia in Asia, and of Asia in Australia.
ACBE Plan grants are intended to provide partial funding to member-based business organisations to deliver new projects or programs aimed at achieving the objective and goals of the ACBE Plan. This includes projects or programs that demonstrate the potential for the development of long-term links between institutions in Australia and their counterparts in Asia.
Guidelines
The Asian Century Business Engagement (ACBE) Plan Grant Guidelines (the Guidelines) are designed to provide potential applicants with the information they need in order to make an informed decision as to whether they should apply for a grant under the ACBE Plan. The Guidelines also outline the information that potential applicants will need to include in an application.
These guidelines are divided into five sections:
- Section 1 provides an overview of the Plan
- Section 2 provides details on eligibility, merit criteria and the selection process
- Section 3 provides eligible expenditure guidance
- Section 4 outlines other requirements relating to grants
- Section 5 provides information on submitting grant applications
Expressions of interest
Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to submit an expression of interest (EOI) for grants between $20,000 and $300,000.
Funding
The Australian Government has allocated $1.5 million per annum towards the ACBE Plan. Eligible applicants may submit an application for one project each financial year.
The ACBE Plan will fund up to a maximum of 50 per cent of the total cost of an eligible project with the remaining 50 per cent to be funded by the applicant. Projects must have a clearly defined budget for each financial year with contributions from each of the financial contributors specified.
Applicants can apply for funding from a minimum of $20,000 to a maximum of $300,000 (excluding GST) for eligible project costs (refer to Section 3).
To ensure a wide variety of organisations are able to participate, applications for projects will be considered in two streams:
STREAM A: Grant funding of $20,000 – $100,000 in the 2013-14 financial year.
STREAM B: Grant funding of $100,000 – $300,000 over 1 – 3 financial years.
The allocation of funding between the two streams is flexible and will be determined by the relative merit of applications received.
The ACBE Plan will fund projects for one to three financial years. Funding will not generally be provided over more than three successive financial years unless an applicant can demonstrate that funding beyond three financial years will deliver substantial tangible business outcomes. It is expected that larger applications (e.g. those over $100,000) would be able to demonstrate exceptional value for money due to the scale and reach of the activities proposed or through co-funding.
Expression of interest form
The Asian Century Business Engagement (ACBE) Plan is one of the initiatives contained within the Australian Government’s Australia in the Asian Century White Paper. The objective of the plan is to assist member-based business organisations to harness the opportunities emerging in the Asian region.
Austrade, as administrator of the plan, is seeking expressions of interest from potential applicants wishing to take part in this initiative.
Response to this expression of interest is not mandatory but will assist in guiding both parties as to the candidate’s bid prior to completing the application. Austrade will respond with a brief assessment of the applicant’s EOI.
Please complete and return to Austrade by 22 March 2013.
Information sessions
Asian Century Business Engagement Plan (ACBE) Information Session 7 Mar 2013
This information session in Sydney is for potential applicants for the Asian Century Business Engagement Plan (ACBE) grants.
Sydney NSW , Australia
Asian Century Business Engagement Plan (ACBE) Information Session 8 Mar 2013
This information session in Melbourne is for potential applicants for the Asian Century Business Engagement Plan (ACBE) grants.
Melbourne VIC , Australia
Event Full
Asian Century Business Engagement Plan (ACBE) Information Session 8 Mar 2013
This information session in Brisbane is for potential applicants for the Asian Century Business Engagement Plan (ACBE) grants.
Brisbane QLD , Australia
Asian Century Business Engagement Plan (ACBE) Information Session 8 Mar 2013
This information session in Melbourne is for potential applicants for the Asian Century Business Engagement Plan (ACBE) grants.
Melbourne VIC , Australia
