The Emerging Aviation Technology Partnerships (EATP) program has a funding allocation of $32.6 million for over two years, 2021-22 and 2022-23. The EATP program will encourage adoption of emerging aviation technologies (such as drones, electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and new aviation propulsion systems) to address community needs, particularly in regional Australia. Unless otherwise agreed by the Department, your proposed grant activity should be able to demonstrate a benefit to and be located in regional Australia.

Deadline and Timings

• Applications close on 31 Mar 2022 at 11:30 pm AEDT
• Assessment of applications will be by end April 2022
• Approval of outcomes of selection process will be by mid-May 2022
• Negotiations and award of grant agreements will be by end June 2022
• Earliest start date of grant activity will be around July 2022
• Notification to unsuccessful applicants will be by June 2022
• Maximum End date of grant activity or agreement will be by 30 June 2023

Overview and Grant Amount

There will be two grant opportunities under the program. These guidelines cover the Round One grant opportunity:

$15.3 million has notionally been allocated for each grant opportunity, this includes $13.8 million for grant projects and $1.5 million for Commonwealth led procurements, per round. These notional allocations are intended to be flexible, with the amount of grant and procurement funding agreed under each round to be determined in light of the nature of project applications received in Round One.

The objectives of the program are to:

• encourage and enable the development and deployment of innovative emerging aviation technologies including identifying and addressing regulatory and other barriers where appropriate;
• demonstrate the benefits of emerging aviation technology to Australian businesses, particularly in regional Australia; and
• enhance the competitiveness, efficiency and reliability of Australian aviation

The Round One grant opportunity has five focus areas, with the option to establish trial projects and/or conduct research and development to support future trial projects. The five focus areas are:

• Digital farming
• Boosting regional supply chains
• Connecting regional communities
• Improving outcomes for regional and remote Indigenous communities
• Growing manufacturing in emerging aviation technology

Eligibility and Criteria

To be eligible, you must:

• have an Australian Business Number (ABN), and be registered for the purposes of GST
• be a company incorporated in Australia
• be a foreign corporation that can demonstrate how funding will benefit the Australian emerging aviation sector and local businesses and communities
• be a company incorporated by guarantee
• an incorporated trustee on behalf of a trust
• be an incorporated association
• be a partnership
• be a joint (consortia) application with a lead organisation – this may include a partnership with a foreign corporation, or with a local government or state/territory government agency or body, with an eligible body as lead organisation
• be notwithstanding paragraph 4.2, a registered higher education provider for the purposes of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 (Cth), that is registered in a provider category that permits the use of the word ‘university’
• be an incorporated not-for-profit organisation
• be an individual or
• be an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Corporation registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and /or Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006

Eligible activities must directly relate to your project and can include (but are not limited to):

• conducting trials that undertake rigorous, commercial, and replicable testing of emerging aviation technologies
• conducting research and development to support your proposal
• communication and information sharing activities
• demonstrating the technical viability of your proposal
• technological development
• demonstrating the uniqueness of your proposal compared to existing offerings in the market
• demonstrating the commercial/scalability potential of your proposal in domestic and/or international markets; and
• assisting the government and other partners as outlined in the informal agreement, to address policy, regulatory or other issues related to your proposal

Other activities may be approved, to be outlined in your agreement with the Department.

All applications should demonstrate the technical viability of the proposal and ability to complete the project by July 2023. Applications should also identify what assistance, if any, is required from the Commonwealth to ensure successful project delivery. Demonstration of commercial and scalability potential during and beyond the life of the program is also desirable. Similarly, applications should also outline how their project will contribute to advancing the Australian sector, noting it is expected that research findings will be shared with industry and interested stakeholders. Mechanisms for information sharing will be agreed as part of individual grant agreements. Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the program guidelines thoroughly before lodging their applications.

Expert Assistance

Treadstone experts can help you understand government grants and maximise the benefits for your business. We have been helping clients since 2008 and our clients can testify to our proven success record. Working with us means you get the maximum grant with minimum risk and effort. Our expertise includes R&D Tax Incentive registration and tax schedules, Export Grants, Capital Expenditure and Infrastructure Grants.

Get in touch with us and let’s discuss this more in detail.

For information about other Australian Government Grants, visit Treadstone New Grants page and sign up to our newsletter!