Round 4 of the EMDG program opened and closed for applications at different times, as listed below:
There were 2,693 applications submitted across the two years with demand exceeding the available budget. The demand for funding was higher in 2025–26 than in 2026–27. The demand was the highest in Tier 2.
The number of grant opportunities in each tier were published in the grant guidelines in August 2024 and explained in all program communications.
Austrade accepted more applications than funding was available to account for applications that were ineligible (this is referred to as ‘the buffer’).
Following closure of the round, all applications have been assessed in chronological order based on the submission time stamp.
Figures on this page reflect the breakdown of applications at the time Round 4 closed.
2,693 applications were received for Round 4. Totals reflect the number of applications by unique ABN in each year.
| Tier category | 2025–26 | 2026–27 |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 502 | 448 |
| Tier 2 | 1,148 | 973 |
| Tier 3 | 914 | 743 |
| Representative bodies | 122 | 122 |
| Total | 2,686 | 2,286 |
*Applicants could apply for one or two years. Data is at 20 December 2024 when applications closed for Round 4.
| Tier category | Average planned expenditure in 2025–26 | Average planned expenditure 2026–27 | Average planned expenditure across both years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | $57,597 | $58,070 | $57,821 |
| Tier 2 | $97,489 | $97,673 | $97,576 |
| Tier 3 | $148,044 | $148,273 | $148,148 |
| Representative bodies | $95,230 | $95,575 | $95,403 |
| Product category | Applications (#) | Applications (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Goods | 1,443 | 53.6% |
| Other services | 789 | 29.3% |
| Software | 421 | 15.6% |
| Intellectual property or know-how | 266 | 9.9% |
| Tourism services | 177 | 6.6% |
| Events | 55 | 2% |
*358 applications have selected more than 1 product category. This is why the sum of applications in the above table differ from the total number of applications.
The figures for target markets indicated by EMDG Round 4 grantees are below. They include executed grant agreements only.
The percentages do not total 100%. This is because a grantee can target multiple markets.
| Market rank | Market | Grantees planning to export to market | % of grantees planning to export to market |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States of America | 1,541 | 70% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 1,245 | 56% |
| 3 | Canada | 883 | 40% |
| 4 | Singapore | 827 | 37% |
| 5 | China | 664 | 30% |
| 6 | Germany | 627 | 28% |
| 7 | France | 538 | 24% |
| 8 | Japan | 525 | 24% |
| 9 | United Arab Emirates | 438 | 20% |
| 10 | Hong Kong | 425 | 19% |
2,693 (100%) applications have been assessed.
As at 24 November 2025, we have made 2,268 grant offers to eligible applicants across all tiers, with 2,221 grant agreements executed. There are 12 grant agreements currently with applicants to accept.
To date, $205.6 million has been committed to 2,221 grantees across the two grant years, with some receiving a grant for only one year.
We continue to offer grant agreements up to the limit of available funding.
The breakdown of agreements by tier and year is shown below:
| Tier category | Grant agreements issued* 2025–26 | Grant agreements executed 2025–26 | Grant agreements issued* 2026–27 | Grant agreements executed 2026–27 | Grant agreements issued* | Total grant agreements executed across two years** |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 0 | 316 | 0 | 283 | 0 | 316 |
| Tier 2 | 0 | 784 | 9 | 930 | 9 | 1,058 |
| Tier 3 | 1 | 699 | 3 | 588 | 3 | 737 |
| Representative bodies | 0 | 109 | 0 | 110 | 0 | 110 |
| Total | 1 | 1,908 | 12 | 1,911 | 12 | 2,221 |
*Grant agreements issued are sent to eligible applicants and await acceptance.
**Applicants may receive grant agreements for both 2025–26 and 2026–27 or for one of those years. The total number of executed grant agreements is represented in this column.
This table shows the breakdown of commitments of grant agreements issued and executed across 2025–26 and 2026–27. The data is as at 24 November 2025.
Grant offers continue up to the limit of available funding, which is $104.5 million in each 2025–26 and 2026–27. Remaining funding to be allocated includes funding being held for Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) appeals.
| Tier category | Commitments for grant agreements issued* 2025–26 | Commitments for grant agreements executed 2025–26 | Commitments for grant agreements issued* 2026–27 | Commitments for grant agreements executed 2026–27 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | - | $9.1m | - | $8.2m |
| Tier 2 | - | $38.2m | $0.4m | $45.4m |
| Tier 3 | $0.1m | $51.6m | $0.2m | $43.0m |
| Representative bodies | - | $5.1m | - | $5.2m |
| Current total | $0.1m | $103.9m | $0.7m | $101.7m |
| Remaining funding to be allocated | - | $0.5m | - | $2.1m |
| Budget allocation | - | $104.5m | - | $104.5m |
*Grant agreements issued are agreements that have been sent to eligible applicants and are awaiting acceptance.
Figures in this table are rounded.
The average annual grant value of the 2,221 executed grant agreements across all tiers is $54,000—a significant increase in the average grant value from Rounds 1–3 of $24,000. Data is as at 24 November 2025.
| Tier category | Maximum grant value per year | Average annual grant value for grant agreements executed |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | $30,000 | $28,742 |
| Tier 2 | $50,000 | $48,735 |
| Tier 3 | $80,000 | $73,449 |
| Representative bodies | $50,000 | $47,279 |
Applicants deemed as ineligible have review rights to appeal the decision. The table below shows the breakdown of internal reviews between agent lodged and self-lodged applications as well as the outcome of the review. Data is as at 24 November 2025.
| Applicant self lodged | Grant agent lodged | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applications lodged | 1,013 | 1,680 | 2,693 |
| Applications deemed ineligible | 549 | 581 | 1,130 |
| Number of internal reviews lodged | 301 | 511 | 812 |
| Number of internal reviews resulting in eligible outcome | 263 | 457 | 720 |
| Number of internal reviews in progress | - | - | - |
| Number of internal reviews with original ineligible decision upheld | 38 | 54 | 92 |
| Number of appeals lodged with Administrative Review Tribunal (ART)* | 3 | 4 | 7 |
*Includes appeals lodged with ART that have been advised to Austrade as at 24 November 2025.