Australian Centre for Quantum Growth

Your application must be a joint (consortia) application with a lead applicant that is eligible to apply. To be eligible to be a lead applicant you must be one of the following entities:

1. 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
2. an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (Cth)
3. a company limited by guarantee
4. an incorporated trustee on behalf of a trust 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
5. an incorporated association
6. a co-operative
7. a university
8. an unincorporated association, provided that if your application is successful you agree to form a company incorporated in Australia, or one of the other eligible entity types listed herein, prior to entering into a grant agreement.

You are not eligible to apply as a lead applicant or be a consortia partner if you are:

• an organisation included on the National Redress Scheme’s website on the 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).

See the guidelines (sections 4.1.1 and 7.2) for further information on joint applications and organisations eligible for ACQG support.

To be eligible, expenditure must:

• be incurred by you within the project period
• be a direct cost of the project
• be incurred by you to undertake required project audit activities
• meet the eligible expenditure guidelines.
• must be incurred between the project start and end date for it to be eligible unless stated otherwise.

Other eligible expenditures for the project may include:

• costs associated with developing and delivering workshops, conferences, professional development, networking events, forums and courses for knowledge transfer and capability development directly related to the project
• reasonable hospitality or catering directly relevant to your project
• prototyping, development and testing to achieve project objectives and outcomes
• engagement of specialist professional services to provide commercialisation and market export and global supply chain advice, such as identifying market opportunities, potential partnerships, and investment to achieve project objectives and outcomes
• market research and marketing activities required to achieve project objectives and outcomes
• expenditure that supports design, development and commercialisation activities directly related to the project and the achievement of its outcomes
• purchase or hire of ICT hardware and software (including user licenses) directly related to the project
• capital items you purchase to undertake your project, other than those assets listed under ineligible expenditure
• IP protection, including fees to a patent office for the cost of filing patent applications, patent searches and examination fees related to the project
• costs of acquiring IP and/or leading-edge technology where subsequent adaptation or commercialisation will contribute directly to the completion of an agreed project. There is no cap on IP and/or leading-edge technology acquisition costs
• staff training and skills development that directly supports the achievement of project outcomes
• financial auditing of project expenditure, the cost of an independent audit of project expenditure up to a maximum of 1 per cent of total eligible project expenditure.

Other specific expenditures may be eligible as determined by the Program Delegate. Examples of ineligible expenditure include:

• research not directly supporting eligible activities
• fees for service and/or payments for activities to portfolio agencies of the Department of Industry, Science and Resources
• maintenance costs
• acquiring/ merging overseas businesses
• costs associated with registering a business and creating a governance plan for managing your project and relationship with consortia partners
• activities that duplicate collaboration and research activities already planned or in development
• expenses associated with business-as-usual activities not related to the objectives and outcomes of this grant
• activities, equipment or supplies that are already being supported through other sources
• costs incurred defending IP rights
• costs incurred prior to the execution of a contract for this grant opportunity
• financial costs, including interest and debt financing including the use of grant funds for any form of security for the purpose of obtaining or complying with any form of loan, credit, payment or other interest
• capital expenditure for the purchase of assets such as office furniture and equipment, motor vehicles, computers, printers or photocopiers and the construction, renovation or extension of facilities such as buildings and laboratories
• costs involved in the purchase or upgrade/hire of software (including user licences) and ICT hardware that are not directly related to the project
• costs such as rental, renovations and utilities
• non-project-related staff training and development costs
• insurance costs (the grantee and all project consortia partners within the consortia group must effect and maintain adequate insurance or similar coverage for any liability arising as a result of its participation in funded activities)
• costs related to obtaining resources used on the project, including interest on loans, job advertising and recruiting, and contract negotiations
• depreciation of plant and equipment beyond the life of the project
• costs of purchasing, leasing, depreciation of, or development of land
• opportunity costs relating to any production losses due to allocating resources to the agreed grant project
• routine operating expenses not accounted as labour on-costs – including communications, accommodation, overheads and consumables, e.g. paper, printer cartridges, office supplies
• ongoing upgrades, updates and maintenance of existing ICT systems and computing facilities, including websites, customer relationship management systems, databases, the cost of ongoing subscription based software and IT support memberships, and warranties for purchases that are not directly related to the project
• recurring or ongoing operational expenditure (including annual maintenance, rent, water and rates, postage, legal and accounting fees and bank charges)
• costs related to preparing the grant application, preparing any project reports (except costs of independent audit reports we require) and preparing any project variation requests
• travel or overseas costs that exceed 10 per cent of total project costs except where otherwise approved by the Program Delegate.

This list is not exhaustive and applies only to the expenditure of the grant funds.

You must ensure you have adequate funds to meet the costs of any ineligible expenditure associated with the project.

See the guidelines for full details of expenditure eligible for ACQG support.

1. Project alignment with program objectives and outcomes (40 points).

Applicants must demonstrate how they intend to achieve the objectives and outcomes of the program listed above at section 2 of the grant opportunity guidelines. You must provide detail of how your Centre will:

• support the development and commercialisation of quantum technologies in Australia and directly contribute to the growth of the Australian quantum industry
• facilitate strategic, genuine and lasting partnerships between the quantum industry, research institutions and governments, both nationally and internationally
• educate industry and broader society on the benefits and potential use cases of quantum technologies
• ensure that ethics and security are a foundation of the Australian quantum ecosystem.

2. Capacity, capability, and resources to carry out the project (30 points).

Applicants must provide an overview of your consortium (and where applicable, each organisation in your proposed group), demonstrating:

• the consortium’s ability to and/or experience in supporting industry to develop, commercialise and advance to market, including your ability to analyse and address industry needs and gaps and overcome barriers to accessing new markets across Australia and overseas
• the consortium’s prior experience in developing strategic connections across wide groups of stakeholders, and your ability to ensure continued collaboration across industry participants to meet common goals
• the consortium’s access to personnel with the appropriate skill sets and experience required for the successful delivery of the Centre, including management and technical staff. You should also provide details of your ability to dedicate resources to the Centre, and how any part time or volunteer staff will split their time with competing priorities
• a clear record of delivering on objectives and performance measures in complex environments, and the ability to develop performance frameworks which deliver impactful outcomes
• the readiness of the consortium to commence delivery in line with the timeline at 7.3 of the grant opportunity guidelines.

Consortia partners with existing technical experience in the quantum space and access to relevant quantum infrastructure and technology will also be viewed positively.

3. How will your proposed Centre support the vision outlined in the National Quantum Strategy? (20 points).

Applicants must demonstrate how the Centre will:

• support the five central themes of the National Quantum Strategy
• have positive impacts on gender equality, and the participation of First Nations Australians in the industry
• maintain an Australia-wide reach for Centre activities
• remain engaged with Government and the Department throughout the lifecycle of the grant opportunity to ensure alignment with national quantum priorities and provide oversight of Centre alignment with key milestones set out in the work plan (to be prepared by successful applicant as part of the first milestone).

4. How will your project provide value with money? (10 points).

You must demonstrate that your project will provide value for money with government resources. To support your response you will need to provide the following:

• a detailed project plan (which includes a governance plan, a business plan, a risk management plan, and a data collection plan)
• a project budget

See the guidelines for full details of the assessment criteria.

Your application will be considered on its merits, based on:

• how well it meets the criteria
• how it compares to other applications
• whether it provides value with money.

When assessing the extent to which the application represents value with relevant money, assessors and decision maker will have regard to:

• the overall objective/s of the grant opportunity
• the evidence provided to demonstrate how your project contributes to meeting those objectives
• the relative value of the grant sought
• the extent to which the proposal delivers a nationally impactful Centre.

Applicants must:

• Read and understand the guidelines.
• Ensure eligibility for the funding. Applicants that do not meet all the eligibility criteria will not be considered.
• Deliver the project as outlined in the application and agreed project plan.
• Provide complete information requirements.

You must provide the following documents with your application:

• a project plan – and associated documents as detailed at section 6.4 of the grant opportunity guidelines (Assessment Criteria 4 in the guidelines)
• a project budget – as detailed at section 6.4 of the grant opportunity guidelines (Assessment Criteria 4 in the guidelines)
• CV – include a Curriculum Vitae (CV) for each of the key personnel in the lead organisation and each consortia organisation (max. 4 pages)
• accountant declaration – verifying the financial sustainability of your organisation (independent of the grant funding), and confirming your share of the project costs can be met (template provided on gov.au and GrantConnect)
• a letter of support from each of the project consortia partners (template provided on gov.au and GrantConnect).
• trust deed (where applicable).

You must attach supporting documentation to the application form in line with the instructions provided within the form. You should only attach requested documents. The total of all attachments cannot exceed 20MB.

Your application must be a joint (consortia) application with a lead applicant that is the main driver of the project and is eligible to apply.

Each joint (consortia) application must include amongst its project consortia partners and lead entity at least:

• one Australian industry consortia partner that is currently working in the quantum sector.

You may also wish to consider including:

• one or more Australian research partners (such as universities, research centres)
• one or more state or territory government partners
• one or more existing intermediary organisations (such as an established Growth Centre or Centre of Excellence).

Only one lead entity can enter into the grant agreement with the Commonwealth and report on the outcomes of the project as specified in the grant agreement. The application should be submitted by the lead entity and should identify all other members of the proposed consortia, the intended governance arrangements and include a letter of support from each of the project consortia partners. Each letter of support must include:

• details of the project consortia partner
• an overview of how the project consortia partner will work with the lead entity and any other project partners in the group to successfully complete the project
• an outline of the relevant experience and/or expertise the project consortia partner will bring to the group
• the roles/responsibilities the project consortia partner will undertake, and the resources it will contribute (if any)
• details of a nominated management level contact officer.

A sample letter of support and partnership template are available on business.gov.au.

See the guidelines for full details of information requirements.

Applicants can submit their applications online via the business.gov.au portal.

Register your interest here with GrantHelper to explore your alignment with this program and how we can assist you to increase your chances of success.