Battery Breakthrough Initiative (BBI)

  • Grants from $2M-200M to enhance Australia’s battery manufacturing capability and commercialise battery manufacturing processes
  • Applications are open until funds are fully allocated

The Battery Breakthrough Initiative (BBI) was announced as part of the Federal Government’s Future Made in Australia (FMA) policy. The program has a $500 million of grant funding pool available.

Key Requirements

The program’s objective is to fund projects that contribute to one or more of the following program outcomes:

  • Enhance Australia’s battery manufacturing capability to improve supply chain resilience and support emissions reduction
  • Commercialise battery manufacturing processes and technologies that can contribute to emissions reduction.

Projects must:

  • primarily take place in Australia
  • relate to or enable the manufacturing of Electrochemical Batteries where the relevant technology is at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 or higher

Co-Funding Requirements

It is expected that applicants will provide a combination of cash and in-kind contributions, alongside the ARENA Grant. For Capital Grants, applicants are typically expected to at least match the funding being sought from ARENA. Projects which require lesser contributions from ARENA may be considered of higher merit.

What is eligible for funding?

Funding provided through BBI may include capital grants, production incentives or other payments deemed appropriate by ARENA for the project.

ARENA will seek to fund projects across all the Focus Areas, which are:

  1. Active materials
  2. Battery cell manufacturing
  3. Battery pack assembly

Focus Area 1: Active Materials

Focus Area 1 aims to support projects relating to the production of cathode materials, anode materials, and electrolytes used in electrochemical batteries.

Funding support is intended for projects that increase capabilities and/or drive commercialisation in the following areas:

  • production of Cathode Active Materials (CAM) and Anode Active Materials (AAM);
  • production of cathodes or anodes; and
  • production of battery electrolytes.

In some cases, Focus Area 1 may also support projects that primarily relate to production of inactive cathode and anode materials (such as purified spherical graphite).

Focus Area 2: Battery Cell Manufacturing

Focus Area 2 aims to support projects providing for the manufacture of electrochemical battery cells and components that directly support battery cell manufacturing.

In the case of flow batteries, this includes the manufacture of cell stacks.

FEED studies may also be considered where there is a clear pathway to a future investment decision and commercial operations.

Focus Area 3: Battery Pack Assembly

Focus Area 3 aims to support projects related to battery pack assembly, which includes the connection of battery cells (or modules and flow battery stacks) into battery packs.

This requires the manufacturer to incorporate a battery management system (BMS).

ARENA funding support is intended for projects in the following areas:

  • supporting new pack assembly facilities
  • upgrading existing pack assembly facilities to help reduce operational costs
  • upgrading existing pack assembly facilities to improve manufacturing capability and capacity.

What companies are eligible for funding?

At the time of applying and throughout the life of the Project, the Applicant must hold an Australian Business Number (ABN) and be:

  • an Australian entity incorporated under the Corporations Act 2001
  • a corporate Commonwealth entity or a Commonwealth company as defined in the Public Governance Performance and Accountability Act 2013
  • a body corporate owned by, or established under a law of, an Australian State or Territory or a subsidiary of such a body corporate; or
  • be an Australian local government or council or an Australian organisation that is purposed with representing and supporting local governments or councils.

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.