Grants in Mining

The Critical Minerals and High-Tech Metals Exploration Program will invest $2.5 million over the next two year to encourage more exploration in NSW, by funding successful applicants to undertake drilling, geophysics and geochemistry.

The Ignite Ideas Fund offers funding for commercialising highly innovative products or services, at or beyond the minimum viable product stage. This fund serves as a companion program to the Advance Queensland Ignite Spark Program, which supports projects in advancing highly innovative products or services from prototype development through testing and validation to market readiness.

The New Energies Industries Funding Stream, within the IAF, actively contributes to the economic development of WA by focusing on diversification and decarbonisation. This funding stream specifically targets the acceleration of innovation in Western Australia, facilitating the scaling up of commercial potential and the expansion of local manufacturing capacity in emerging sectors like battery and critical minerals, renewable hydrogen, carbon capture and utilisation storage (CCUS), as well as solar and wind.

The CEI offers merit-based funding to encourage industry investment in under-explored areas of Queensland. It supports innovative exploration techniques and promotes the discovery of future minerals, aiming to enhance the resource industry's success by expanding knowledge of the region's geology and resource potential.

The Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation has released the Local Capability Fund, which provides grants to help small and medium enterprises to enhance their competitiveness and secure work on large-scale projects in Australia and overseas. The Supplying Key Projects Round is designed to support Western Australian SMEs in enhancing their business capabilities and capacity to supply to major projects undertaken by the Federal, Western Australian and local governments, along with the private sector. The priority sectors for this funding round include energy, mining, civil construction, defence and marine.

The Co-funded Exploration Drilling Program supports explorers by covering up to half of their exploratory drilling expenses. It's a flagship initiative of the Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS), running twice yearly and refunding up to 50% for innovative drilling projects, with specific limits.

The METS Innovation Program aims to support research initiatives spearheaded by Mining, Equipment, Technology, and Services (METS) companies servicing to WA’s mining sector. With a $3 million funding allocation, the program offers a targeted grant scheme providing matched funding of up to $250,000 for qualifying grant recipients, along with project facilitation support for collaborative ventures. It focuses on advancing technologies in MRIWA’s strategic areas, including low-emissions technologies, precision and low-impact mining, critical minerals, and innovative uses of tailings and waste.

The Powering the Regions Fund's Safeguard Transformation Stream Round 1 grant offers up to $50 million to trade-exposed facilities, enabling them to decrease emissions and support Australia's emissions reduction goals.

The International Partnerships in Critical Minerals Program offers funding of up to $20 million to critical minerals businesses, covering 50% of eligible expenditure. It supports early to mid-stage projects contributing to building end-to-end supply chains with Australia's international partners in the critical minerals sector. Aligned with the Australian Government's Critical Minerals Strategy, the program funds activities like pilot plants, feasibility studies, capacity expansions, and R&D collaboration. These activities must mainly occur in Australia and involve producing or planning to produce critical minerals listed in Australia's Critical Minerals List. The grant opportunity will be open for applications for up to 2 years, with ongoing assessment against selection criteria. Successful applications will be recommended for funding based on merit.