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pilots maneuvering an aircraft

Emerging Aviation Technology Partnerships Program

  • Applications Open: Round 2 to be announced, get in touch to stay tuned
  • Grants: Dependent on the applicant

$15.3 million has been committed by the government for the second round of the program until 30 June 2024. The grant amount is not specified hence the applicant must indicate how much grant funding they will be applying for.

The $32.6 million EATP (Emerging Aviation Technology Partnerships) Program aims to encourage the adoption of developing technologies for aviation in order to speak to community needs mainly in regional Australia:
• drones
• electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft
• the latest aviation propulsion systems

Key Requirements

The program aims to improve connections with regional, remote and Indigenous communities, improve supply chain and market efficiency, and expand employment in the aviation sector. It will also contribute to the digital transformation of Australian businesses, increased business efficiency, and reduced carbon emissions through new technology.

To apply you must:

  • complete the attached application form;
  • provide all the information requested;
  • address all eligibility criteria and all the assessment criteria relevant to your proposal;
  • include all necessary attachments;
    • a project management plan (including budget, risk management plan, timeline/key milestones,
      stakeholder management plan);
    • business case for your project;
    • concept of operations and safety case (if applicable);
    • evaluation plan;
    • evidence of support from project partners (if applicable);

Under the Program, the department will partner with industry to test emerging aviation technology through pilot projects across 5 focus areas:

  1. Digital farming;
  2. Connecting regional communities;
  3. Boosting regional supply chains;
  4. Improving health outcomes for remote indigenous communities; and
  5. Manufacturing in emerging aviation technology.

What is eligible for funding?

Eligible activities must directly relate to your project and can include (but are not limited to):

  • conducting trials that undertake rigorous, commercial, and replicable testing of emerging aviation technologies;
  • conducting research and development to support your proposal;
  • communication and information-sharing activities;
  • demonstrating the technical viability of your proposal;
  • technological development;
  • demonstrating the uniqueness of your proposal compared to existing offerings in the market;
  • demonstrating the commercial/scalability potential of your proposal in domestic and/or international markets; and
  • assisting the government and other partners as outlined in the informal agreement, to address policy, regulatory or other issues related to your proposal.

Your proposed grant activity should be able to demonstrate a benefit to and be located in regional Australia. Your grant can include activities at different locations as long as they are in regional Australia, except for proposals that seek to link regional and urban centres.

You can only spend grant funds on eligible expenditures you have incurred on an agreed project as defined in your grant agreement.

Eligible expenditure items can include:

  • the purchase and installation of equipment directly used in the project;
  • employee costs specifically related to the implementation of the project;
  • set-up and administration costs associated with the project;
  • travel and accommodation costs associated with the project;
  • technical consumables associated with the project;
  • specialist technical advice associated with the project;
  • crew and technician costs associated with the project; and
  • Commonwealth regulatory approvals and service provider charges associated with the project.

What companies are eligible for funding?

To be eligible you must:

  • have an Australian Business Number (ABN), and
  • be registered for GST,

and be one of the following entity types:

  • a company incorporated in Australia;
  • a foreign corporation that can demonstrate how funding will benefit the Australian emerging aviation sector and local businesses and communities;
  • a company incorporated by guarantee;
  • an incorporated trustee on behalf of a trust;
  • an incorporated association;
  • a partnership;
  • a joint (consortia) application with a lead organisation – this may include a partnership with a foreign corporation, or with a local government or state/territory government agency or body, with an eligible body as a lead organisation;
  • a registered higher education provider for the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 (Cth), that is registered in a provider category that permits the use of the word ‘university’;
  • an incorporated not-for-profit organisation;
  • an individual; or
  • an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Corporation registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and /or Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006

Is this grant competitive or entitlement based?

Competitive. Your application will be assessed among other applications by a judging panel.

How can I increase my chances of winning this grant?

By engaging an accredited government grants consultant, such as Avant Group.

Competitive grants often require significant business case development and project analysis to support the application, this may include detailed presentations supporting the project’s merit, projected sales, cost-benefit analysis and more.

As part of your engagement with Avant Group, your account manager will assess the required documents and will provide the following as needed to support your grant submission.

Grant application writeup including a detailed presentation illustrating how the grant funding will contribute to your project, how the funding will contribute to the project’s budget, a project milestone plan, delivery timeline, impact on employment if applicable and a breakdown of the management and leadership team for the project

  • Industry analysis presentation
  • Competitor Analysis Presentation
  • Marketing and Sales Analysis Presentation
  • 3-5 year Cashflow Forecast
  • 3-5 year Balance Sheet Forecast
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis of Grant Funding
  • End-to-end grant application including information collating, analysis and application writing
  • CAPEX (Capital Expenditure) cost-benefit analysis
  • Stakeholder relations and Risk Mitigation Plans
  • Any other relevant forecasting that will support your application

How can I get help with my application? Or know if I’m likely to win funding?

Avant Group offers a no-obligation assessment of your eligibility for funding and will assess your likelihood of a successful grant application.