Status: Round 3 is closed
Austrade’s Export Market Development Grants (EMDG) program helps Australian businesses grow their exports in international markets. These grants encourage small to medium enterprises to market and promote their goods and services globally.
We administer the government’s EMDG program. Since 1974, EMDG has assisted more than 51,000 unique small and medium size Australian businesses (SME) promote and market their products and services to more than 180 countries world-wide. Most of those SMEs received multiple grants across the years for up to 8 years.
EMDG is an eligibility-based, demand-driven program. This means all eligible applicants receive a grant from the available funds. We do not base grants on the maximum grant tier caps. The grant amount depends on the:
More about eligibility.
Grants are for eligible promotional activities undertaken by small to medium sized exporters and representative bodies. Small to medium enterprise (SME) exporters can apply for grants over 8 years in total (not necessarily consecutively). Representative bodies have no maximum grant years. Grants for businesses are available in 3 tiers with each providing a different level of support for SMEs as they grow their export markets. The tiers are:
Businesses don’t have to start at Tier 1 and progress to Tier 2 and 3. They can apply for any grant tier at any time depending on the business need.
The lengths of these grants reflect the different stages of an exporter’s journey. We will issue grant agreements in Round 3 for 1 year. There is a possibility of extension subject to the availability of funds, and the maximum allowable grant term for the relevant tier under the EMDG Rules. Businesses can still access EMDG grants for up to 8 years.
More about Types of grants.
The EMDG program bases criteria on eligibility, not competition. All eligible applicants receive a grant. The process is as follows:
More about How to apply
We set the timing of grant payments by your grant agreement. Your grant agreement will state when you should provide your milestone report.
More about Grant payments
EMDG is an eligibility based, demand driven program. This means all eligible applicants will receive a grant from the available funds. Austrade will calculate how much funding will be given to all eligible applications based on the demand in that round. Each eligible applicant will receive a grant agreement with the grant amount approved.
You must match the dollar value of the grant monies you receive (this means you must spend double the grant amount to receive the grant).
More about Grant amounts
The current eligibility-based, demand-driven program replaced the previous EMDG reimbursement scheme. The previous scheme closed permanently on 30 June 2022.
Applicants or agents in the previous scheme can check their historical application details using the EMDG online portal. For enquiries, contact EMDG.help@austrade.gov.au.
The next opportunity for Round 1 and 2 grantees to provide milestone reports for expenditure incurred in the 2022-23 financial year will likely be from July 2023. In line with feedback, we are working towards providing a broader window for report submission. We will provide further details once known.
Please remember that we must assess your milestone report before we can pay you. We will assess milestone reports in the order we receive them. Inaccurate bank account details will cause delays in payments so please keep this up to date.
For Round 1, we have made almost all payments to Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 grantees, and Representative Body for eligible expenditure incurred in 2021-22.
As at 12 May 2023, 4,718 Round 1 grantees had been paid $121.5 million in total. The remaining Round 1 grantees will be paid progressively over the coming weeks where milestone requirements have been met
We have let most applicants know the outcome of their application. The Round 2 application period was open for 6 weeks and closed on 17 August 2022.
As at 12 May 2023, 2,529 Round 2 grant agreements have been executed. This is 91.6% per cent of total Round 2 applications approved (2,762).
The next milestone report for Round 1 and Round 2 grantees for expenditure incurred in the 2022-23 financial year is due on 31 October 2023.
Please note that we must assess your milestone report before we can pay you. The online portal will likely open for milestone reports from 1 July 2023, and we will assess milestone reports in the order we receive them. Austrade will endeavour to provide payment as soon as possible following assessment and approval of the milestone report. Inaccurate bank account details will cause payments to be delayed so please keep this up to date.
We are currently assessing Round 3 applications and advising applicants of the outcome.
Eligible applicants will be offered a grant agreement expected to start being issued from early June. If eligible you will be notified by email when your grant agreement is issued. Read more about accepting a grant agreement.
View these videos to learn more:
Read more about these grants in the EMDG Round 3 Information session (DOCX357KB) held on 1 March 2023 for new and returning applicants.
Changes in Round 3 include the following: