The program provides an Advisory Service for startups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) undertaking innovative commercialisation and/or growth projects that are within the priority areas of the Australian Government’s National Reconstruction Fund (NRF) and help build Australia’s manufacturing capability for the future.

The program consists of two core elements:

• the Industry Growth Program Advisory Service (Advisory Service), and
• the Industry Growth Program Grant Opportunities (grant opportunities).

Industry Growth Program Advisory Service:

Industry Growth Program Advisers (the Advisers), engaged by the department, will provide innovative SMEs tailored advice to support their commercialisation and/or growth projects in NRF priority areas.

The Advisory Service is available to all eligible businesses and will be a prerequisite for participation in the program’s grant opportunities. It will be expected that program participants have considered the advice received through this element of the program in their applications for grant funding.

Industry Growth Program Grant Opportunities:

The program’s Advisory Service is complemented by two grant opportunities. You can learn more and apply on GrantConnect:

• Early-Stage Commercialisation: grants of $50,000 to $250,000 to support early-stage commercialisation projects - more information here
• Commercial and growth stream: grants of $100,000 to $5 million for commercialisation and growth projects - more information here

See a comparison of the grant streams here.

The Australian Government has committed a total of $287 million over four years for the Industry Growth Program grant opportunities from 2023-24 to 2026-27. There is no specific amount allocated to each of the two funding streams. The maximum amount of grant funding you (and your related bodies corporate) can receive across both funding streams is $5.25 million.

The NRF priority areas are:

• value-add in resources
• value-add in agriculture, forestry and fisheries
• transport
• medical science 
• renewables and low emission technologies 
• defence capability
• enabling capabilities

You can apply if you:

• have a combined annual turnover of less than $20 million for each of the three financial years prior to the lodgement of the application
• have an Australian business number (ABN)
• are non-income-tax-exempt, and
• are registered for the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

You must also be:

• a company, incorporated in Australia
• a co-operative, or
• an incorporated trustee applying on behalf of a trust.

You can’t apply if you are:

• 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
• trust (however, an incorporated trustee may apply on behalf of a trust), or
• a Commonwealth, state or local government agency or body (including government business enterprises).

Advisory Service Eligibility Criteria:

To participate in the Industry Growth Program and receive Advisory Services, you must meet the following eligibility criteria. They cannot consider your application if you do not satisfy all eligibility criteria.

To be eligible for participation in the program’s Advisory Service you must:

• have an Australian Business Number (ABN)
• be non-income-tax-exempt ▪ be registered for the Goods and Services Tax (GST)

and be one of the following entities: 

• a company, incorporated in Australia
• a co-operative
• an incorporated trustee applying on behalf of a trust

• Phone: 13 28 46