Grants from $250,000 up to $1 million to build capacity to deliver products and services into space industry supply chains supporting Moon to Mars activities.
Current status of program
CLOSED
To register your interest in future rounds or discuss alternative grant opportunities please contact us here.
What is the Moon to Mars Supply Chain Capability Improvement Grants program?
The Moon to Mars Supply Chain Capability Improvement Grants program supports Australian businesses with domestic or international supply chain opportunities to build their capacity, skills and capabilities to engage with NASA and other international space partners, participate in the global space supply chain and advance the capabilities and capacity of the Australian space industry.
What is the level of support of the Moon to Mars Supply Chain Capability Improvement Grants?
Grant
- $250,000 to $1 million per project
- Funding of up to 75% of eligible project expenditure
Co-contribution
- Cash co-contribution of a minimum of 25% of eligible project expenditure
- In-kind contributions are permitted
What are the important dates of the Moon to Mars Supply Chain Capability Improvement Grants?
- This program is currently closed
- Register your interest here with GrantHelper
What are the objectives and outcomes of the Moon to Mars Supply Chain Capability Improvement Grants?
The objectives Moon to Mars Supply Chain Capability Improvement Grants are to:
- grow Australian industry’s capability and capacity to support NASA’s endeavour to go forward to the Moon and then on to Mars
- grow the participation of Australian companies in domestic and/or international space supply chains that could support Moon to Mars activities
- grow the skills, capabilities and capacity of the Australian space industry
The intended outcomes are:
- increased number of Australian companies with domestic and/or international space industry contracts that have the ability to support NASA’s Moon to Mars endeavours
- increased skills, experience and employment in the Australian space industry
- increased capabilities, capacities and services in the Australian space industry
How to get Moon to Mars Supply Chain Capability Improvement Grants funding?
You must be able to demonstrates you have a domestic and/or international space supply chain opportunity.
Applicants should read and understand the guidelines, the Australian Civil Space Strategy 2019-28 and the sample grant agreement.
Successful applicants will provide a compelling case against all assessment criteria. You will describe a supply chain opportunity that has buyer support and could support Moon to Mars activities and grow your business, as well as benefit the Australian space industry, describe a team with the capacity, capability and resources to deliver, and submit a project plan that will successfully deliver the project in its entirety within the proposed implementation timeline.
Check out our How to Prepare Before You Apply insight.
Most importantly, and before you start an application, you need to ensure your organisation is eligible for the funding. Organisations that do not meet all of the eligibility criteria outlined below will not be considered.
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Follow the link to get your copy of the Guide to Winning Grants.
Is my organisation eligible for the Moon to Mars Supply Chain Capability Improvement Grants?
The fund is intended for Australian businesses that have a demonstrated domestic and/or international space supply chain opportunity.
To be eligible you must:
- have an ABN
- be registered for GST
- be an entity incorporated in Australia and a trading corporation, where your trading activities
- form a sufficiently significant proportion of the corporation’s overall activities as to merit it being described as a trading corporation; or
- are a substantial and not merely peripheral activity of the corporation.
Joint applications are acceptable, provided you have a lead organisation who is the main driver of the project and is eligible to apply.
Publicly and privately funded research organisations are not eligible. Research
organisations can partner with a trading corporation (your commercial partner with
buyer support into a supply chain opportunity), which can apply under a joint application.
What additional requirements ensure my eligibility for the Moon to Mars Supply Chain Capability Improvement Grants?
Applicants must provide:
- clear evidence demonstrating a domestic and/or international space supply chain opportunity
- evidence from your board (CEO/equivalent) confirming the project is supported, you can complete the project and co-contribute
- an accountant declaration
What projects are eligible for the Moon to Mars Supply Chain Capability Improvement Grants?
To be eligible your project must:
- be aimed at accessing an identified domestic and/or international supply chain opportunity that has the ability to support Moon to Mars activities*
- align with priorities in the Australian Civil Space Strategy 2019-28
- have at least $333,334 in eligible expenditure (based on a minimum grant of $250,000)
* The following exploration services have been identified as areas of high opportunity and priority:
- Foundation services
- Communication services
- Health services
Ineligible projects include:
- research projects without a clear commercialisation pathway
- projects involving technology development starting from TRL level 4 or lower
- product development not directly supporting a space supply chain opportunity.
What activities are eligible for the Moon to Mars Supply Chain Capability Improvement Grants?
Eligible activities include, but are not limited to:
- buying, leasing, constructing, installing or commissioning capital equipment, including specialist software to enhance cyber security design to required levels
- non-recurring engineering associated with improving or qualifying a product, process or service to reach the standard of a supplier for a domestic and/or international space company
- non-recurring engineering associated with improving or qualifying a product, process or service from an adjacent industry to support the space industry
- building organisational capability or capacity to support engagement in international supply chains
- engineering and commissioning activities
- workforce training and accreditations
What expenditure is eligible for support from the Moon to Mars Supply Chain Capability Improvement Grants?
To be eligible, expenditure must:
- be a direct cost of the project
- be incurred by you for required project audit activities
See Appendix A of the guidelines for full details of eligible and ineligible expenditure.
Eligible expenditure includes, but is not limited to:
- plant and equipment expenditure
- labour expenditure for employees directly employed on the core elements of the projects, excluding leadership and administrative staff, limited to $175,000 per financial year per person
- labour on-costs and administrative overheads up to 30% of eligible salary costs
- contract expenditure for activities contracted to another organisation or individual who is not an employee
- travel and overseas expenditure limited to the reasonable cost of accommodation and transportation, with air transportation limited to economy class fare
- building modifications where you own the modified asset and the modification is required to undertake the project
- payload launch costs
- costs related to testing
- one-off insurance costs related to launch of payloads
- software purchase/lease and licences
- financial auditing of project expenditure
- costs for planning, environmental or other regulatory approvals during the project period, excluding fees to government
- contingency costs up to a maximum of 10% of the eligible project costs
Examples of ineligible expenditure include:
- research not directly supporting eligible activities
- activities, equipment or supplies that are already being supported through other sources
- financing costs, including interest
- capital expenditure for the purchase of assets not directly related to the project
- recurring or business as usual engineering expenses
- costs such as rental, renovations and utilities
- insurance costs other than one-off insurance costs related to launch of payloads
- debt financing
- costs related to obtaining resources used on the project
- maintenance costs
- costs of purchasing, leasing, depreciation of, or development of land
- infrastructure development costs
- site preparation activities which are not directly related to, or for, the main purpose of the project
- routine operational expenses
How do you apply for the Moon to Mars Supply Chain Capability Improvement Grants?
Applications via the portal at business.gov.au.
Book a no obligation discovery session with GrantHelper to discuss your projects potential and increase your chances of success.
What information do I need to prepare for lodging a Moon to Mars Supply Chain Capability Improvement Grants application?
You must provide the following documents with your application:
- evidence demonstrating your space supply chain opportunity
- project plan
- budget to support your claims against assessment criterion 2 (see below)
- accountant declaration
- letter of support from the board, CEO or equivalent
- trust deed (where applicable)
What is the assessment criteria of the Moon to Mars Supply Chain Capability Improvement Grants?
| Ref | Criteria | Weighting |
| 1 | How your project will grow your skills, capability and capacity to participate in domestic and/or international space industry supply chains | 40 points |
| 2 | Your capacity, capability and resources to deliver the project | 30 points |
| 3 | The impact of grant funding | 30 points |
See the guidelines for full details of assessment criteria.
Need help applying for the Moon to Mars Supply Chain Capability Improvement Grants funding?
Is your business eligible for this government grant? Or perhaps you’re not sure and want to know more?
GrantHelper offers a range of government grant services, helping businesses of all sizes to discover, apply for, and win the best grant opportunities. We can help you with anything from finding the right grants, to writing your application, formulating an ongoing grant strategy, and more.
Get started now by filling in the form below, or tap the ‘Book a Discovery Call’ button to schedule a no-obligation virtual meeting with an experienced government grants consultant.
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I want to learn more about Moon to Mars Supply Chain Capability Improvement Grants
Moon to Mars Supply Chain Capability Improvement Grant recipients
The Moon to Mars Supply Chain Capability Improvement Grants program funded 17 projects in intakes 1 to 5, with individual project funding ranging from $317,844 to $1 million. A sample of successful projects from each intake included:
| Intake 1 | Grant amount |
| Inertial navigation in space by software-enabled quantum-classical sensing | $690,892 |
| Supporting Infrastructure for Space Edge Computing | $416,250 |
| Intake 2 | |
| Enabling Space Capability | $461,118 |
| Space Supply Chain Opportunities Using Low Power Wide Area Networks | $436,770 |
| Intake 3 | |
| Manufacturing COPVs for Space Applications | $1,000,000 |
| Responsive Common Use Booster using Solid Rocket Fuel | $678,487 |
| Intake 4 | |
| Toolkit for Risk Assessment & UnCERtainty Quantification for Space Missions | $442,320 |
| Space-optimised manipulator for in-orbit and rover foundation services | $317,844 |
| Intake 5 | |
| Enhanced high-pressure cryogenic enabled test stands for liquid rockets | $1,000,000 |
| TinySpaceML Platform for Edge Computing in Space | $750,000 |
A full list of grant recipients, including project descriptions and funding amount, is available at business.gov.au.
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