Round 4 key statistics

Read about Round 4 EMDG grant recipients, including applicant data and expected export markets.

The data on executed grant agreements in Round 4 is as at 19 January 2026.

Round 4 of the EMDG program opened and closed for applications at different times, as listed below:

  • Representative bodies – opened 10 am AEDT on 6 November 2024 and closed 5 pm AEDT on 20 December 2024.
  • Tier 1 (ready to export) – opened 10 am AEDT on 12 November 2024 and closed 5 pm AEDT on 20 December 2024.
  • Tier 2 (exporting within existing markets) – opened 10 am AEDT on 12 November 2024 and closed 1:30 pm AEDT on 12 November 2024.
  • Tier 3 (exporting to new key markets) – opened 10 am AEDT on 12 November 2024 and closed 5 pm AEDT on 20 December 2024.

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.

Applications by tier breakdown

2,693 applications were received for Round 4. Applicants could apply for one or two years. Totals reflect the number of applications by unique ABN in each year.

Tier category2025–262026–27
Tier 1502448
Tier 21,148973
Tier 3914743
Representative bodies122122
Total2,6862,286

Data is at 20 December 2024 when applications closed for Round 4.

Average planned expenditure per year, by tier

Tier categoryAverage planned expenditure in 2025–26Average planned expenditure in 2026–27Average 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

Applicants' key statistics

  • 1,680 (62%) of total applications were lodged by grant agents and 1,013 (38%) were self-lodged by applicants.
  • Average annual business turnover of applicants was $3.7m.
  • 18 applications were submitted by businesses indicating they are Indigenous owned or controlled.
  • 963 Export Readiness tests were completed, which included 632 Round 4 applicants.
  • 43 representative body applications indicated they would provide export readiness training.

Applications by product category

Product categoryApplications (#)Applications (%)
Goods1,44353.6%
Other services78929.3%
Software42115.6%
Intellectual property or know-how2669.9%
Tourism services1776.6%
Events552%

*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.

Top 10 markets

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 rankMarketGrantees planning to export to market% of grantees planning to export to market
1United States of America1,55370%
2United Kingdom1,25956%
3Canada88740%
4Singapore83237%
5China66730%
6Germany63528%
7France54124%
8Japan52824%
9United Arab Emirates44120%
10Hong Kong43019%

Grant agreements executed by tier as at 19 January 2026

2,693 (100%) applications have been assessed.

As at 19 January 2026, we have made 2,271 grant offers to eligible applicants across all tiers, with 2,230 grant agreements executed. 

To date, $206.1 million has been committed to 2,230 grantees across the two grant years, with some receiving a grant for one year.

  • $103.9 million in 2025-26 to 1,907 grantees
  • $102.2 million in 2026-27 to 1,919 grantees. 

The breakdown of agreements by tier and year is shown below:

Tier categoryGrant agreements executed in 2025–26Grant agreements executed in 2026–27Total grant agreements executed across both years*
Tier 1315282315
Tier 27849381,066
Tier 3699589739
Representative bodies109110110
Total1,9071,9192,230

*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.

Grant agreement commitments by tier as at 19 January 2026

This table shows the breakdown of commitments of grant agreements executed across 2025–26 and 2026–27. The data is as at 19 January 2026.

Tier category

Commitments in executed grant agreements

2025–26

Commitments in executed grant agreements

2026–27

Total commitments in executed grant agreements across both years
Tier 1$9.0m$8.1m$17.2m
Tier 2$38.2m$45.7m$83.9m
Tier 3$51.6m$43.1m$94.7m
Representative bodies$5.1m$5.2m$10.4m
Current total$103.9m$102.2m$206.1m
Remaining funding to be allocated$0.6m$2.3m$2.9m
Budget allocation$104.5m$104.5m$209m

Remaining funding to be allocated includes funding being held for applicants going through an Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) appeal.

Figures in this table are rounded.

Average grant size in executed grant agreements per tier

The average annual grant value of the 2,230 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 19 January 2026.

Tier categoryMaximum grant value per yearAverage annual grant value in grant agreements
Tier 1$30,000$28,738
Tier 2$50,000$48,733
Tier 3$80,000$73,499
Representative bodies$50,000$47,279

Grant agreements by industry group

Industry groupGrant agreements (#)Grant agreements (%)
Services and Technology81336.5%
Consumer – Advisory39917.9%
Food and Agriculture31714.2%
Advanced Manufacturing23410.5%
Education2129.5%
Tourism1074.8%
International Health853.8%
Infrastructure562.5%
Resource and Energy70.3%
Total2,230100%

Internal reviews and appeals

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. It also provides a breakdown of appeals lodged with the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART). Data is as at 19 January 2026. 

 Applicant self-lodgedGrant agent lodgedTotal
Applications lodged1,0131,6802,693
Applications deemed ineligible5495811,130
Number of internal reviews lodged301511812
Number of internal reviews resulting in eligible outcome263457720
Number of internal reviews in progress ---
Number of internal reviews with original ineligible decision upheld385492
Number of appeals lodged with Administrative Review Tribunal (ART)*347

*Includes appeals lodged with ART that have been advised to Austrade as at 19 January 2026.