Export Market Development Grants

The intended outcome of the EMDG program is increased export promotion for eligible products in foreign markets by grant recipients.

To be eligible, you must have a total turnover of less than $20 million in the financial year before the financial year in which you are making an application.

For Tier 1 you will need to be ready to start exporting. For Tiers 2 and 3 you will have already exported and must show you are expanding your marketing activities. Tier 3 applicants will also show they are making a strategic shift in their marketing or promotional activities.

If you are a representative body, you are able to access a grant to:

• enable you to undertake promotional activities on behalf of your members in foreign markets
• help you provide training to your members to help them become export ready

There is no limit on the number of times you can apply for a grant, however, you can only have one grant agreement operating at a time.

To be eligible for a EMDG grant you must be one of the following:

• an individual whose principal place of residence is in Australia
• a body incorporated under the Corporations Act 2001
• an association, or cooperative, incorporated under an Australian law
• a partnership that is Australian
• a trust that is Australian within the meaning of the EMDG Rules
• a body corporate established for a public purpose by or under an Australian law
• a representative body

Partnerships and trusts are treated as if they are persons under the Export Market Development Grants Legislation Amendment Act 2020, but with the changes set out in sections 105A and 105B of the Act.

At the time you apply for a grant, and at all times while you are a grantee, you must have an ABN and have complied with all the relevant ATO legislation, rulings and guidelines.

You must not:

• have any outstanding disqualifying convictions
• be under insolvency administration
• be included on the National Redress Scheme’s list of ‘Institutions that have not joined or signified their intent to join the Scheme

See the guidelines for full details of eligible organisations and the requirements.

EMDG grant funds must be used for promotional activities to market eligible products in foreign countries or for training activities to develop skills in such marketing.

To be an eligible product, your product(s) must be of substantially Australian origin and be:

• goods
• services
• events
• intellectual property or know-how
• software

See the guidelines for full details of eligible and ineligible products.

All expenses must relate to promotional activities to market your eligible products in foreign countries, or training activities to develop skills in such marketing.

Your expenses are eligible where:

• they are in respect of promotional activities undertaken during the period of your Grant Agreement for the purpose of marketing eligible products in foreign countries and you have a designated connection to the eligible product, or
• if you are a Tier 1 or representative body grantee, training activities undertaken for the purpose of developing skills in marketing eligible products in foreign countries

Eligible expenses must fall into one or more of the following categories:

• Maintaining a representative in a foreign country
• Short trips to a foreign country
• Consultants
• Short trips within Australia
• Foreign buyer visits
• Soliciting for business in a foreign country
• Free samples
• Promotional and advertising material
• IP rights
• Training activities – representative bodies
• Training activities – Tier 1 applicants

Ineligible expenses are as follows:

• Expenses covered by other financial assistance schemes and grant programs
• The sale or export of products that contravenes Australian law
• Soliciting sponsorship for events
• Capital expenses
• Trade with New Zealand
• Paid expenses
• Government costs
• Sales-related expenses
• Remuneration and remuneration-like expenses
• Illegal activities
• Detrimental impact
• Grant writing expenses

See the guidelines for full details of eligible and ineligible products.

All SME exporters must provide a:

• Profit and Loss Statement from the most recent financial year
• Plan to Market submission (template available)

Applicants that have goods and services made outside Australia will also need to provide a Balance Sheet for the most recent financial year.

Tier 1 applicants will need to provide evidence of export readiness, through a declaration that you have:

• completed any suitable export readiness training course, or
• used Austrade’s export readiness assessment tool and believed you are ready to export

You must also declare that you have not previously exported.

All Tier 2 and 3 applicants must also provide documentary evidence for your most recent export sale of an eligible product.

All SME exporters operated by a trust must provide a Trust Deed including any amendments (if applicable) and including current trustee details.

All SME exporters with goods made outside Australia must provide a Goods made outside Australia eligibility submission (template available).

All SME exporters with services other than tourism must provide a Service product eligibility submission (template available).

Representative bodies must provide Representative body submission (template available).

See the guidelines for full details of information requirements.

Applications are submitted via the EMDG application portal, which uses the Australian Government Digital Identity System to verify users.

Book a no obligation discovery session with GrantHelper to explore your alignment with this grant and how we can assist you to increase your chances of success.