The QLD Ignite Ideas Round 11 has grants of up to $200K. This funding programs seeks to support small to medium businesses that have high-growth potential to undertake commercialisation projects that will:

• strengthen key industries in Queensland
• diversify the Queensland economy
• compete in domestic and global markets
• engage and/or benefit regional Queensland
• create new jobs, now and into the future

Deadlines and Timings

Submission of expression of Interest (EOI) for round 11 is now open, and will close on 29 September 2023 at 11AM.

Overview and Grant Amount

Ignite Ideas funding is available to commercialise highly innovative and new products or services that are at minimum viable product stage or beyond. Funding is available under two tiers:

• Tier 1 — up to $100,000 (ex GST) for projects of up to 12 months duration
• Tier 2 — greater than $100,000 and up to $200,000 (ex GST) for projects of up to 24 months duration

For this round, successful applicants will be eligible for additional business development support through the Ignite+ program. This program will encompass support across sales and marketing: customer acquisition; scalability; competitor analysis: IP/legal support; financial structure; connections to mentors and sponsors; and access and introductions to business and investment networks.

Eligibility and Criteria

To be eligible to apply for Ignite Ideas funding the applicant organisation must at the time of application:

• be a business headquartered in Queensland
• have an Australian Business Number (ABN)
• have no more than 50 full-time equivalent employees
• not be a subsidiary of a group of companies that has more than 50 full-time equivalent employees in total
• be registered for GST (at time of full application submission)
• not have received funding for the proposed project activity from

If applying for Tier 1, the applicant organisation and/or related parties must:

• not have received Ignite Ideas funding previously
• make a cash contribution to the project that is at least equal to 20% of the value of grant funding sought

If applying for Tier 2, the applicant organisation and/or related parties must:

• not have received an Ignite Ideas Fund Tier 2 grant previously
• not be applying for a product or service that has previously received Ignite Ideas funding
• have successfully completed any project funded under Tier 1 of the Ignite Ideas Fund (if relevant)
• make a cash contribution to the project that is at least equal to the amount of Ignite Ideas funding sought.

Organisations and their related parties are limited to one (1) application per funding round

Eligible Expenditures

Fund expenditure must be related to project specific commercialisation activities and fall within the following eligible cost categories:

• salary expenditure (including salary-related on-costs) for new employees directly contributing to the delivery of the project
• salary expenditure (including salary-related on-costs) for founders and existing employees directly contributing to the delivery of the project (capped at 20% of the total grant)
• services provided by (unrelated) external parties
• equipment not exceeding $10,000 per item (capped at 10% of the total grant)
• consumables
• travel, accommodation and subsistence costs

It is expected that all Ignite Ideas funding will be expended in Queensland, unless it can be demonstrated that expenditure outside Queensland is essential to ensure successful delivery of the project. Project costs must be deemed appropriate for the project and reasonable in nature.

Costs NOT eligible for Ignite Ideas funding include:

• FDA/TGA or other regulatory approval costs
• capital works and/or physical infrastructure including any buildings, telecommunications and IT networks
• individual items of equipment exceeding $10,000
• costs associated with the production of products for sale, employee allowances, bonuses and fringe benefits
• air travel other than economy class
• conference fees
• entertainment costs
• ongoing compliance fees and licences
• inventory and warehousing costs
• costs associated with securing and/or managing the grant funding (e.g., grant writers and bookkeeping costs)
• general business operating costs including but not limited to rent, rates, electricity, water, internet, insurance, software and accounting fees

Projects should NOT include the following activities:

• business as usual or general operational activities and associated expenses
• development or testing of a prototype
• the further development or improvement of an existing product or service including testing or customer trials
• commercialising the next version or iteration of an existing product, process, or service
• clinical trials
• distribution other than to send samples for market/customer acceptance testing

For more information, interested parties are encouraged to read the program guidelines and application help guide set by the funding grant. Submissions must be lodged through their online portal. You can view the Round 10 recipients here.

Expert Assistance

We have over 15 years of experience preparing EMDG and R&D tax incentive claims and can assist in making sure you receive your maximum rebate.

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.

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