Funding for incubators to assist start-ups to succeed in international markets

Incubator Support – New and Existing Incubators gives incubators the help they need to assist start-ups, specifically: 

• new incubators (in a regional area and/or in a sector with high potential) to develop so they can succeed in international trade
• existing incubators to expand their services and/or develop the innovation ecosystem
• new and existing incubators that want to work with data-driven start-ups that use public data as part of their business

Skilled facilitators can assist potential applicants, particularly in regional areas, to access funding.

We also assist successful applicants to access public data through the DataStart program and will promote start-ups through case studies on the data.gov.au portal.

Incubator Support – Expert in Residence is part of the $23 million Incubator Support initiative. The initiative is one of 4 elements that form the Entrepreneurs’ Programme.

Funding is also available under the other Incubator Support component: Expert in Residence.

What are the eligibility criteria?

To get a New and Existing Incubators grant, you must be either:

• operating an existing incubator
• establishing a new incubator

Your incubator must foster and facilitate the development of innovative start-ups focused on international trade.

You must have an Australian business number (ABN) and be one of the following:

• an entity incorporated in Australia
• an incorporated trustee on behalf of a trust
• an incorporated not for profit organisation
• a publicly funded research organisation (PFRO
• a local government agency or body

You must provide:

• an approval letter from your board or chief executive officer
• an Accountant’s Declaration for grants over $50,000 to show you can fund your share of the project costs

Your project must:

•  include eligible activities and expenditure
• have an eligible project value of at least $52,000 for projects in major cities
• have an eligible project value of at least $40,000 for projects in regional areas

The New and Existing Incubators grant is highly competitive. We encourage you to:

• watch 2 short Incubator Support videos: Submitting a competitive application and Addressing the merit criteria for information and tips on how to make your application competitive
• use the application checklist when completing the online application form

You can submit 1 draft application before you submit your final application. We’ll provide feedback on your draft application. A regional incubator facilitator may provide this feedback. You should address this feedback before submitting your final application.

You can apply and receive funding for up to 2 grants at the same time. You can apply for more than 2 grants after you have finished 1 of the funded projects and have provided a satisfactory final report.

How do you apply?

Read the Program Guidelines and then complete the online application form.

When you submit your application you can choose to submit as a draft or final version.

You’ll get a receipt number when you submit your online form.

We are proud of the funding we have provided to Australian incubators to assist start-ups to succeed. Watch our customer story video to find out how we help businesses in regional Australia.