The International Engagement Program (IEP) is providing up to $5 million in grant funding to support Australia’s participation in international platforms, and co-ordinate the wider distribution of knowledge gained in renewable energy technologies to advance innovation.

The grant is open to:

• Current representatives to eligible International Energy Agency (IEA) Technology Collaboration Programs (TCPs).
• Leading experts who have an interest in eligible IEA TCPs which have no current Australian representation.
• Researchers with an interest in eligible Mission Innovation Challenges.

With the aim to support international engagement to achieve the following Outcomes:

• increased access to knowledge held internationally regarding renewable energy research, innovations, markets and/or policies by Australian entities/individuals; enhanced dissemination of this knowledge to the broader, relevant Australian sector(s); and the application of this knowledge to new activities (e.g. new R&D projects, demonstrations, deployments, international standards/guidelines etc);
• establish and/or strengthen international relationships and research collaborations that increase Australia’s capacity to innovate in the renewable energy space and lead to the growth or enhancement of the Australian renewable energy sector (e.g. access to equipment, databases, knowledge sharing platforms, case studies, etc.);
• promotion of Australian products and/or expertise in Renewable Energy Technology research and development and integration that leads to access to new international markets or business opportunities; and
• shape international activities and programs to deliver outcomes for the Australian renewable energy sector (e.g. development of international standards/guidelines, research pathways, etc.).

Deadline date:

Closing date AEST 5pm on 15 December 2017 .

What grant or funding is available?

The total funding allocated by ARENA to the Program is AUD $5 million (GST exclusive).

Funding provided through the Program will be in the form of Grants, between $5,000 and $500,000.

Funding for the Program will be drawn from these funds until the funds are exhausted or the Program is closed.

What are the eligibility criteria?

The Applicant must meet all of the Eligibility Criteria in this Part to be eligible to submit an application.

Eligibility Criterion A – Eligible Applicant

To be eligible, the Applicant must:

• hold a currently registered Australian Business Number (ABN), and be either:
• a Sole Trader; or
• one of the following eligible Australian research institutions:
  • an Australian university (University);
  • the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO);
  • the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation(CSIRO) including Data 61;
  • the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS);
  • the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO);
  • Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs);
  • the National Measurement Institute (NMI); or
  • Australian Research Council (ARC) Centres of Excellence; or

• an Australian entity incorporated under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (or warrant that it will be at the time of entering into a funding agreement); or
• a Commonwealth entity prescribed as a government business enterprise by Rule 5(1) of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Rule 2014; or
• be an Australian State or Territory owned corporation or a subsidiary of an Australian State or Territory owned corporation.

Eligibility Criterion B – Eligible Activity

The Applicant must be able to demonstrate to the satisfaction of ARENA (in its absolute discretion) that the Activity described in its application:

• is for participation in an eligible IEA TCP or MI Challenge;
• does not extend beyond 6 months from the final activity under the relevant IEA TCP or MI Challenge work programme; and
• in relation to IEA TCPs, does not involve a change of the current Australian representative to an IEA TCP (unless by agreement with the current representative).

Eligibility Criterion C – Comply with other requirements

• The Applicant must disclose any legal proceedings or investigation including litigation, arbitration, mediation or conciliation that, to the best of its knowledge after having made proper inquiry, are taking place, pending or threatened against the Applicant or a related body corporate as defined in the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth).
• The Applicant must disclose any event of insolvency, liquidation, receivership, appointment of external controller, or bankruptcy that has occurred with respect to the Applicant or its Activity Partners.
• The Applicant must not be named as an organisation that has not complied with the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 (Cth).
• The Applicant must not be named as an organisation on the list of persons and entities designated as terrorists by the Australian government.

Eligible Expenditure:

• Fees payable for participation in IEA TCPs/MI Challenges for the duration of the proposed Activity.
• Income Foregone as it relates to participation in IEA TCP/IEA Task/MI Challenge meetings, where the applicant would otherwise be deterred from participating due to financial loss. This does not include Opportunity Costs.
• Costs associated with travel to attend IEA TCP/IEA Task/MI Challenge meetings, for up to AUD $7,000 per meeting, comprising of;
  • international return economy airfares from Australia (up to AUD $3,500)
  • accommodation, other travel costs and incidentals (a maximum of AUD $500 per day up to AUD $2,500).

Note: The Applicant must act reasonably in determining its costs and ARENA will apply a reasonableness test, based on location and duration, when considering approval of funding for travel.

• Costs associated with the development of knowledge sharing products and the dissemination of knowledge relevant to the Activity, including, but not limited to:
  • travel and registration for international and domestic conferences at which the key personnel will be presenting,
  • organisation and delivery of conferences, workshops, seminars or other events,
  • generation and dissemination of knowledge sharing material, excluding salary costs.

Ineligible expenditure includes, but is not limited to:

• General running costs of the Applicant business or institution (e.g. overheads).
• Travel costs for anyone other than the key personnel, including dependents.
• Travel insurance costs.
• Participation fees incurred prior to the execution of a Funding Agreement.

What is the assessment criteria?

All of the Merit Criteria are equally weighted.

Merit Criterion A

This criterion assesses how well the Activity contributes to the Program Outcomes and Objectives, taking into account the investment priorities in ARENA’s Investment Plan and any relevant Funding Announcement.

The Applicant can demonstrate merit by:

• describing how participation in the IEA TCP or MI Challenge specified in the Activity contributes to the Program Outcomes and Objectives;
• describing how the Activity will assist in delivering ARENA’s mandate to reduce the cost of renewable energy and increase the supply of renewable energy in Australia and (if relevant) how it address one of ARENA’s investment priorities listed in its Investment Plan; and/or
• providing evidence of impact as a consequence of prior involvement in the IEA TCP or MI Challenge (if relevant).

Merit Criterion B

This criterion assesses the capability and capacity of the Applicant, key personnel and Activity Partners to deliver the Activity.

The Applicant can demonstrate merit by:

• describing the capability of the Applicant, key personnel and Activity Partners as it is relevant to the Activity, including:
  • professional excellence and experience demonstrating its World Class Position in the relevant field(s);
  • track record in delivering outcomes for similar activities on time and on budget; and
  • capability to effectively disseminate knowledge gained, in terms of its established network and capability to facilitate events; and
• describing the capacity of the Applicant, key personnel and Activity Partners as it is relevant to the Activity, including:
  • personnel, physical resources and facilities that it will use to deliver the Activity including confirmation of availability at the times necessary during the Activity to successfully achieve the proposed outcomes; and
  • the nature and status of any agreements between Activity Partners, and how they will support the outcomes of the Activity.

Merit Criterion C

This criterion assesses:

• the proposed plan for undertaking the Activity, including proposed travel, meeting attendance, plans for engagement between formal meetings, and (if relevant) method for delivering technical/analytical outcomes;
• activity risk in terms of the likely success of the Activity; and
• compliance with any other requirements.

The Applicant can demonstrate merit by describing:

• the plan for participation that will be employed to achieve the Activity outcomes (include specific tasks under the relevant IEA TCP, where relevant);
• the timeline for participation, including frequency of meetings, dependencies and proposed deliverables associated with the Activity; and
• the main risks to achieving the outcomes of the Activity and how these risks will be mitigated. Types of risk could include, but are not limited to: technological, activity planning, personnel and WHS risks. Note: Applicants will be required to hold appropriate insurance.

Merit Criterion D

This criterion assesses the Applicant’s financial capacity to deliver the Activity and whether the amount of the Grant sought and the total cost of the Activity is appropriate.

In doing so it considers:

• whether the Applicant and any Activity Partners have the financial capacity and appropriate levels of co-funding commitment to deliver the Activity successfully; and
• the extent to which the Applicant or other Activity Partners are providing funding or in-kind support for the Activity.

Applications that seek lower proportions of Grant funding compared to the total Activity cost, will be considered higher merit under this criterion.

The Applicant can demonstrate merit by explaining why the amount of Grant funding requested is appropriate, including:

• a proposed budget for the Activity that shows:
  • a breakdown of the expected expenses for the Activity;
  • the total cost of the Activity;
  • the funding sought from ARENA; and
  • details and amounts of any cash and In-Kind Contributions from the Applicant and all other sources;
• evidence of support from the Applicant and any Activity Partners, including commitment to provide the specified cash and In-Kind Contributions;
• details of participation in similar international knowledge-sharing forums for which the Applicant or the key personnel have received funding in the past five years, or are currently receiving, from the Australian Government (including ARENA), state government and local government sources.

Merit Criterion E

his merit criterion assesses the proposal by the Applicant to disseminate knowledge obtained through the Activity to the wider Australian sector.

In doing so it considers:

• the value of the knowledge generated by the Activity, that is how it will enable participants in the energy sector (including those beyond the applicant) to take action that will decrease the cost of renewable energy and increase the supply of renewable energy in Australia;
• how the Applicant will capture, store and disseminate relevant data, information and lessons learned from the Activity;
• how knowledge sharing will be targeted to a broader, relevant audience who will be interested in applying that knowledge to address knowledge gaps or pursue opportunities to improve the competitiveness of renewable energy technologies and increase the supply of renewable energy in Australia; and
• how the sharing of knowledge will enhance the impact of participation in the activity or challenge.

The Applicant can demonstrate merit by describing how information and knowledge obtained through the Activity will be shared with the wider Australian sector.

The Applicant’s proposal could include:

• information and knowledge sharing events e.g. workshops, webinars, conference sessions;
• a communications strategy e.g. newsletters and websites;
• a strategy to target different stakeholders such as government, industry and research and development;
• proposed approach to measuring impact in the relevant sector(s); and
• how the development of international relationships might be leveraged

For more information, please downlaod the Program Guidelines.

How do I apply?

All applications must be completed online using ARENA’s Grants Management System.

Want to get the best possible result?

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To ensure you have the best chance of getting grant funding contact us or call 03 9008 5937.