Small to medium-sized businesses with exporting ambitions can now apply for Round Two of the Export Market Development Grants (EMDG) program.

The program offers upfront financial assistance for a host of trade development activities, after pivoting last year from a reimbursement scheme.

Exporters can apply for three different grants over eight years (not necessarily consecutively) for eligible promotional activities.

Grants are available in three stages, called tiers, with each tier providing a different level of support to SMEs as they grow their export markets:

Tier 1: Ready to export  

• First-time exporters
• Maximum 2 years and maximum $40,000 per financial year

Tier 2: Expanding  

• Expanding your export promotion activities
• Maximum 3 years and maximum $80,000 per financial year

Tier 3: Expanding and strategic shift  

• Expanding your export promotion activities AND making a strategic shift, for example targeting a new market or a new type of customer
• Maximum 3 years and maximum $150,000 per financial year

Austrade last year also lowered the application threshold from businesses with a maximum turnover of $50 million per year to $20m per year.

Michael Carter, manager of CCIWA’s International Trade and Investment Centre (ITIC), said the EMDG program offered more opportunities for greater financial assistance over the life of an SME’s exporting journey.

“The shift to a pre-approval process also ensures exporters have a solid export marketing plan, which is critical to successfully entering new overseas markets,” he said.

EMDG guidelines

The EMDG program is available to businesses with goods, services, events, intellectual property or know-how software provided they meet the eligibility criteria. It can be used to cover expenses in one or more of the following categories, as detailed in the EMDG Guidelines:

• maintaining a representative in a foreign country;
• short trips to a foreign country;
• engaging a consultant to undertake research or promotional activities;
• short trips within Australia;
• foreign buyer visits;
• soliciting for business in a foreign country;
• providing free samples;
• producing and providing promotional and advertising material;
• intellectual property rights; and
• if you are a Tier 1 applicant, obtaining export readiness training.

Exporters cannot apply for Round Two of the program if they already have an executed grant agreement and there is more than one year remaining in the term of that agreement. For more information visit Eligibility.

Applications for Round Two close at 4:00 pm (AEST) on Wednesday, August 17 2022. 

Applications must be submitted via the EMDG Online Portal.

Find out more at How to apply.

For advice on the grants or any other trade matters, contact the team at ITIC on (08) 9365 7620 or via [email protected].