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Timber processing Australia

Accelerate Adoption of Wood Processing Innovation Program

  • Applications Open: until 28 February, 2023
  • Grants: $1 million – $5 million

Available grant funding will be for projects which aim to make better use of existing timber supplies, add value to existing products, create new products, and/or reduce the industry’s carbon footprint.

Key Requirements

The below assessment criteria must be addressed in the application with a character limit of up to 6,000 characters:

Criterion 1 – Project proposal:

  • what element of your business are you seeking to diversify or improve?
  • what (if any) equipment will be purchased?
  • how will it address the aim of your proposal?
  • demonstrate how the project will achieve the objectives and intended outcomes of the grant opportunity
  • how the proposal will future-proof your business and contribute to improving the broader industry.

Criterion 2 – Benefits and efficiencies:

  • detail how many jobs will be created or retained
  • detail the benefits to your business gained by implementing this proposal, such as: – the financial benefit gained through increased efficiencies
  • value of new products produced
  • volume of increased production capability (for example, how much more wood can be processed? How much more of a log can be used?)
  • reductions in waste.

Criterion 3 – Value for money:

  • provide a budget clearly identifying which items will be funded by the Commonwealth contribution (up to 40%) and which will be funded by the grantee contribution (at least 60%). This must be provided in the appropriate template.
  • describe and provide evidence of your ability to meet the grantee contribution
  • describe and provide evidence of your long-term access to timber supply.

Criterion 4 – Experience:

  • clearly describe how the proposal will be implemented, including associated governance arrangements. This must be accompanied by a project management plan in the appropriate template
  • provide details of particular skills or experience of personnel/project partners will bring to the project
  • identify any risks associated with the proposal, and mitigation strategies to manage the risks. This must be provided in the appropriate template.

What is eligible for funding?

Your project must:

  • increase or diversify your production capabilities. This may include increasing the capacity of existing production lines or expanding an existing production range, which you intend to sell solely or mainly to interstate and/or international markets or enhancing your capacity to improve carbon efficiency
  • have eligible activities which directly relate to the project and can include:
    • upgrades or adaptation of existing plant and equipment
    • development of new manufacturing processes
    • investments in new technology, including diversifying product lines.

What companies are eligible for funding?

To be eligible you must be one of the following entity types:

  • Indigenous Corporation
  • Company
  • Cooperative
  • Incorporated Association.

Applications will only be accepted from:

  • privately owned wood processing facilities that are all of the following:
    • not owned by a state or territory government
    • do not form part of a state or territory
    • not a statutory authority established under a law of a state or territory.

Eligible organisations must have at least $2.5 million in total project costs.

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.