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GRDC Infrastructure Grants 2026

GRDC Infrastructure Grants 2026

  • Tier 1 – Physical Infrastructure
    • Funding between $3 million and $5 million (excluding GST) per project.
  • Tier 2 – Enabling and Operational Capability
    • Funding between $500,000 and $3 million (excluding GST) per project.
  • Applicants may apply for one or both tiers. Separate budgets are required for each tier.
  • Applicants may submit multiple applications provided each application relates to a different project.

The GRDC Infrastructure Grants program funds strategic and transformative grains research and development infrastructure across Australia. The program supports construction, upgrades and enabling capability that deliver long-term industry benefits and strengthen Australia’s grains research ecosystem.

Key Requirements

Tier 1 – Physical Infrastructure

Projects must support:

  • Construction of new shared research facilities
  • Major upgrades to existing research infrastructure
  • Industry-significant infrastructure with long asset lives
  • Infrastructure that facilitates strategic and transformative grains RD&E

Examples include:

  • Controlled-environment research infrastructure
  • Greenhouse and glasshouse facilities
  • Field research and experimentation infrastructure
  • Breeding and genetics infrastructure
  • Soil, water and environmental research facilities
  • Grain quality, post-harvest and seed-processing research facilities

Tier 2 – Enabling and Operational Capability

Projects must support:

  • Plant and equipment
  • Specialist systems and platforms
  • Dedicated operational, coordination or technical roles
  • Infrastructure accessibility and utilisation

Examples include:

  • Advanced sensing and phenotyping technologies
  • Glasshouse and specialist laboratory equipment
  • Data, modelling and decision-support platforms
  • Digital systems supporting research capability and collaboration
  • Capability investments improving infrastructure utilisation

General program requirements

  • Projects must be located in Australia.
  • Applicants must have all approvals in place, or be capable of obtaining them before 31 March 2027.
  • Applicants must demonstrate ownership or legal rights to the project site.
  • Applicants must provide a cash co-contribution equal to or greater than the funding requested.

What is eligible for funding?

Physical infrastructure

  • New research facilities
  • Major facility upgrades
  • Shared grains research infrastructure
  • Long-life grain RD&E facilities

Enabling capability

  • Specialist plant and equipment
  • Technical systems and platforms
  • Infrastructure coordination capability
  • Shared research support infrastructure

All infrastructure must support grains research and development outcomes within Australia.

What companies are eligible for funding?

Applicants must:

  • Be a single legal entity capable of entering into a funding agreement
  • Hold an ABN
  • Not appear on the Workplace Gender Equality Act non-compliant register
  • Not have unpaid judicial decisions relating to employee entitlements

Consortium applications are permitted where one entity is nominated as lead applicant and assumes responsibility for project delivery.

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.