From 1 July 2021 the Export Marketing & Development Grant (EMDG) program will become an upfront eligibility-based grants program, and the process for receiving a grant will be as follows:
- A grant application needs to be submitted before you spend money on promotional activities. The application will include milestone payments that link to key expenditure activities you undertake.
- Once all applications have been assessed, Austrade offers a grant agreement to each eligible applicant.
- Once you have your grant agreement you can commence spending. We will then submit your expenditure in line with your milestones to receive a cash back as outlined in your grant agreement.
Your expenses up to 30 June 2021 will not be affected, the same application process applies. This new program applies to your export promotional budget from 1 July 2021.
The EMDG Program Changes
The Export Market Development Grants program will be changing for 2021/22 and beyond.From the 2021/2022 financial year the EMDG program will be an upfront eligibility-based grants program, and the process for receiving a grant will be as follows:
- A grant application needs to be submitted before you spend money on export marketing and promotional activities. The application will include milestone payments that link to key expenditure activities you undertake. Note: Given the first date for submitting an application this year is not until Aug 2021, we expect some leeway for anything spent after July 1st 2021 but prior the formal approval of a grant. If you do spend in anticipation of receiving an EMDG grant and you are not successful in being awarded one then anything spent would not be funded – so please speak to us before you start spending!!
- Once applications have been assessed, Austrade will offer a grant agreement to each eligible applicant.
- Once you have your grant agreement you can commence spending. We will then submit your expenditure in line with your milestones to receive a cash back as outlined in your grant agreement.
- Your expenses up to 30 June 2021 will not be affected, the EMDG program for the 2020/2021 financial year is subject to the same rules as in previous years.
Businesses who engage in export marketing and/or development will be able to apply for grants up to $770,000 per applicant. You still have up to 8 years (not necessarily consecutively) to claim for eligible promotional activities and any previous claims you may have made do count towards these 8 claims.To be eligible, businesses will need to have a turnover of less than $20 million.Grants will be available in 3 stages called tiers:
What Bellajack will do for you
- Bellajack will manage the Export Market Development Grant application for you
- Help negotiate the agreement between Austrade and your company
- Bellajack will manage your Milestone submissions, which unlocks your grant as you progress.
What can you claim?
Eligible promotional items for goods, services or events. If you have claimed under the EMDG previously then you will see that this is largely unchanged. What you can claim going forward includes;
- Overseas representatives (in a foreign country for more than 6 months in a Financial Year)
- Marketing Visits (up to 21 days) per trip per traveller (airfare + a daily allowance) – You MUST keep a travel diary and expenses will be apportioned if any of the trip is not specifically for marketing and development purposes, e.g. adding in a few days off.
- Tradeshow expenses
- Marketing Consultants working specifically on your export markets
- Overseas buyer visits to Australia (up to 21 days)
- Some costs associated with free samples
- Promotional and advertising material – Website costs related to export markets, Google adwords, brochures, digital and social media marketing, etc.
- Some IP Costs
- Eligible expenses of a person in respect of training activities – being for export marketing training only
For more information check out www.austrade.gov.au/australian/export/export-grants