Funding for businesses to relocate or expand into regional areas for research and development into locally sourced raw material supplies

The Securing Raw Materials Program helps businesses to move or expand into regional areas, and partner with regional universities or organisations to research and develop innovative and locally sourced raw material supplies.

The Securing Raw Materials Program provides businesses with up to $5 million to relocate or expand into regional Australia and partner with a regional university or research organisation to undertake research into, and/or development of, innovative and locally sourced raw material supplies (including establishing new suppliers or products and value adding to existing known supplies). The program recognises that establishing or securing a supply of raw materials is a crucial element of business success.

The program will:

• support research into and/or development of innovative and locally sourced raw material supplies and capitalise on a region’s comparative advantages
• increase economic activity, diversity and jobs in regional areas, including by establishing new industry sectors, businesses and suppliers
• support and strengthen partnerships between industry and regional universities and research organisations located in regional areas.

The intended outcomes of the program are:

• industry growth and economic resilience in regional Australia
• stronger supply of, and access to, innovative and improved raw materials for industry
• increased research, investment and economic capacity in Australia’s regions.

There is a total of $29 million over four years available for this grant round.

Grants will be from $250,000 to $5,000,000. The grant amount will be up to 50% of eligible project costs.

Eligible entity

You must:

• have an Australian business number (ABN)
• be an entity incorporated in Australia and a trading corporation
• have at least 10 full-time staff who will work in the new regional area.

Eligible project

Your project must:

• partner with a regional university or research organisation to research and/or develop innovative or improved locally sourced raw materials
• have at least $500,000 in eligible expenditure
• include your business relocating or expanding from a capital city to a regional area or expand from a regional area into a different regional area.

Eligible activities

Eligible activities may include:

• research and/or development of:
  • new or improved raw materials
  • methods of processing or growing raw materials
  • technologies to produce raw materials
  • new uses for existing raw materials
• commercialising research outcomes
• establishing a new facility to process, use or add value to raw materials in the first 12 months of your project.

Check full eligibility details in sections 4 and 5 of the grant opportunity guidelines.

How do you apply?

You should read the grant opportunity guidelines and sample grant agreement before you apply.

To apply, you must submit your application through the online portal. You’ll need to set up an account when you first log into the portal. The portal allows you to apply for and manage a grant or service in a secure online environment.