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Funding to design, pilot, test and promote a national, self-sustaining, Cyber Security industry professionalisation scheme
Growing and Professionalising the Cyber Security Industry Program
The Growing and Professionalising the Cyber Security Industry grant opportunity provides funding of $1.9 million to design, pilot, test and promote a self sustainable, industry professionalisation scheme which will reduce barriers for industry entry and create clear pathways of education and skills for employees and employers in the industry.
Opening date: Monday 23 December 2024 Mon 23 Dec 2024
Closing date: Wednesday 29 January 2025 5:00pm AEDT Wed 29 Jan 2025 5:00pm AEDT
What do you get?
A grant of up to $1.9 million, to cover up to 100% of eligible expenditure.
Who is this for?
An entity incorporated in Australia.
About the program
The Growing and Professionalising the Cyber Security Industry Program (the Program) was announced as part of the 2023-2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy (the Strategy).
In response to industry calls for greater clarity around how cyber security qualifications and skills map to industry requirements, this grant program will provide $1.9 million in funding to design, promote and pilot a professionalisation scheme for Australia’s cyber security workforce. Funding will be provided over 2 years from 2024-25 to 2025-26.
The scheme will provide employers and businesses with assurance that the cyber security professionals they hire have the necessary skills and training. It will support applicants to enter and progress within the sector through horizontal and vertical avenues.
The scheme will engage with existing skills frameworks and professional accreditation streams to maximise interoperability with industry and across jurisdictions. It will foster growth of the domestic cyber workforce and remove barriers to entry for job seekers, existing professionals, and minority groups. A consultative, industry-led approach will inform design.
The objectives of the grant program are to:
- establish a pilot industry-led cyber security professionalisation scheme
- provide clear career, skills and education pathways for cyber security professionals, and quality assurance for employers about professional qualifications and cyber security experience of job seekers
- reduce barriers to entry into the cyber industry
- attract and retain diverse talent, and foster inclusive
- enhance domestic cyber capabilities through professionalising the cyber security workforce
- increase industry and business confidence in Australia’s cyber security workforce.
The intended outcomes of the program are:
- a pilot Cyber Security Professionalisation Scheme and standards developed in collaboration with industry
- a pilot Cyber Security Professionalisation Scheme that provides clear career skills and education pathways for workers in, and those seeking to enter, the cyber security workforce
- guidance for employers and employees regarding skills expectations for accredited professionals
- an evaluation of the pilot scheme
- a plan to scale the scheme after the pilot that includes:
- a strategy to increase industry uptake and participation in the scheme
- an independent funding mechanism to sustain the program following the pilot, that doesn’t introduce further barriers to entry into the cyber industry.
Check if you can apply
You can apply if you meet the eligibility criteria. The eligibility criteria are a set of rules that describe who we can consider for this grant. You can apply if you:
- are an eligible entity
- have an eligible project
- have eligible expenditure.
The rules are in the grant opportunity guidelines.
You can apply if you:
- have an Australian Business Number (ABN)
- are registered for the Goods and Services Tax (GST)
- are located in Australia
- have an account with an Australian financial institution
- are an entity, incorporated in Australia
You can’t apply if you:
- an organisation, or your project partner is an organisation, included on the National Redress Scheme’s list of Institutions that have not joined or signified their intent to join the Scheme
- an employer of 100 or more employees that has not complied with the Workplace Gender Equality Act (2012)
- an individual
- partnership
- unincorporated association
- any organisation not included in section 4.1 of the grant opportunity guidelines
- trust (however, an incorporated trustee may apply on behalf of a trust)
- a Commonwealth, state, territory or local government body (including government business enterprises)
- a non-corporate Commonwealth entity.
Joint (corsortia) applications
You can partner with one or more other organisations for your application. The lead organisation must meet the eligibility criteria and fill out the application form.
If we give your group the grant, the lead organisation:
- signs the grant agreement
- is responsible for making sure your group follows the rules in the grant agreement.
You must complete your project by March 2027.
Your project must:
- be located in Australia
- develop and deliver a pilot cyber security professionalisation scheme
- develop career, skills and education pathways for cyber security professionals
- establish and involve an industry led co-design team/mechanism, or involve an existing consortium of leading cyber industry representatives
- research comparable schemes internationally and in comparable industries
- conduct, monitor and evaluate the pilot scheme
- provide a strategy for how the scheme will be expanded nationally and become self-sustaining at the conclusion of the government funding period.
Your grant activities must also incorporate existing skills and experience from across the cyber workforce, including technical, non-technical and transferable skills that will foster growth and innovation of the industry.
You must also consider how the scheme could align with:
- international best practice skills frameworks (refer to the grant opportunity guidelines glossary for examples)
- existing professional accreditation schemes (refer to the grant opportunity guidelines glossary for examples)
- the Australian Universities Accord Final Report.
You can apply for a grant of up to $1.9 million.
You can use this grant funding for:
- labour expenditure
- labour on-costs and administrative overhead (up to 30% of labour costs)
- project management activities
- contract expenditure (cost of any agreed project activities that you contract others to do)
- travel (up to 5% of eligible expenditure)
- purchase of computers, ICT software and hardware directly related to the project, including software licencing and subscription fees
- staff training that directly supports the achievement of project outcomes
- promotional activities to support the rollout of the scheme
- establishment costs including legal fees and registration fees
- the cost of an independent audit of project expenditure up to a maximum of 1% of total eligible project expenditure.
How to apply
Check if you’re ready to apply for a grant
Finding a suitable grant opportunity is just the start of the process to get funding. The application process can take time and effort. Understanding the entire process will help you be grant ready and may improve your chances of getting funding.
Use our checklist to find out what it takes to apply for a grant.
When you're ready to apply
Apply using our online portal:
- Create or log into your portal account.
- Follow the instructions to complete your application.
- Submit your application before the close date.
Make sure you include enough detail and supporting evidence in your application to help us decide whether to award you the grant.
Don’t submit the application until it’s complete. You can’t correct a mistake.
First we check that you meet the eligibility criteria. Then we assess your application against the assessment criteria.
The assessment criteria are a set of rules that describe how we must assess each application.
We give each criterion a certain number of points.
- Assessment criterion 1: Project alignment with policy intent (program objectives and outcomes) (40 points)
- Assessment criterion 2: Collaborative approach to design and implementation (20 points)
- Assessment criterion 3: Knowledge, capability and resources to deliver the project (20 points)
- Assessment criterion 4: Pilot promotion, monitoring and evaluation (20 points).
The amount of detail and supporting evidence you provide should be relative to the project size, complexity and grant amount requested.
The Deputy Secretary, Cyber and Infrastructure Security, Department of Home Affairs makes the final decision.
Contact
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