Applications for round 4 of the EMDG program opened and closed at different times:
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 – Tier 2 had the highest demand.
In August 2024 we published the number of grant opportunities in each tier in the grant guidelines, this was explained in all program communcations. We accepted more applications than funding was available to account for applications that are ineligible (this is referred to as the ‘buffer’).
Following closure of the round, we have assessed all applications in chronological order based on the submission time stamp.
Figures on this page reflect the breakdown of applications at the time Round 4 closed.
We received 2,693 applications 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 can apply for one or two years. Data is at 20 December 2024.
| Tier category | Average planned expenditure in 2025–26 | Average planned epxenditure 2026–27 | Average planned expenditure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 knowhow | 266 | 9.9% |
| Tourism services | 177 | 6.6% |
| Events | 55 | 2% |
*Note: 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. Figures are as of 9 September 2025.
The percentages do not add to 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 | 1,354 | 72% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 1,103 | 59% |
| 3 | Canada | 784 | 42% |
| 4 | Singapore | 753 | 40% |
| 5 | China | 597 | 32% |
| 6 | Germany | 576 | 31% |
| 7 | France | 495 | 26% |
| 8 | Japan | 490 | 26% |
| 9 | United Arab Emirates | 396 | 21% |
| 10 | Hong Kong | 371 | 20% |
We have assessed all 2,693 (100%) applications and issued 188 grant agreements and executed 1,960 grant agreements. Figures are correct as of 9 September 2025.
The breakdown of agreements by tier 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 0 | 316 | 0 | 284 |
| Tier 2 | 3 | 781 | 161 | 702 |
| Tier 3 | 11 | 690 | 23 | 562 |
| Representative bodies | 0 | 109 | 0 | 110 |
| Total | 14 | 1,896 | 184 | 1,658 |
*Grant agreements issued are agreements that have been sent to eligible applicants awaiting acceptance.
This table shows the breakdown of commitments of grant agreements issued and executed across 2025–26 and 2026–27. The data is as at 9 September 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 applicants going through an internal review process or 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 | $0 | $9.1m | $0 | $8.2m |
| Tier 2 | $0.1m | $38m | $7.8m | $34.2m |
| Tier 3 | $0.8m | $50.9m | $1.5m | $41.4m |
| Representative bodies | $0 | $5.1m | $0 | $5.2m |
| Current total | $0.9m | $103.2m | $9.3m | $89.1m |
| Remaining funding to be allocated | - | $0.4m | - | $6.1m |
| Budget allocation | - | $104.5m | - | $104.5m |
*Grant agreements issued are agreements that have been sent to eligible applicants and are awaiting acceptance.
The average annual grant value of the 1,960 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 9 September 2025.
| Tier category | Maximum grant value per year | Average annual grant value for grant agreements executed |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | $30,000 | $28,744 |
| Tier 2 | $50,000 | $48,738 |
| Tier 3 | $80,000 | $73,779 |
| Representative bodies | $50,000 | $47,279 |
Ineligible applications 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 9 September 2025.
| Applicants self lodged | Grant agent lodged | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applications lodged | 1,013 | 1,680 | 2,693 |
| Applications deemed ineligible | 551 | 578 | 1,129 |
| Number of internal reviews lodged | 298 | 500 | 798 |
| Number of internal reviews resulting in eligible outcome | 258 | 438 | 696 |
| Number of inernal reviews in progress or original decision upheld | 40 | 62 | 102 |
| Number of appeals lodged with Administrative Review Tribunal (ART)* | 0 | 1 | 1 |
*Includes appeals lodged with ART that have been advised to Austrade as at 9 September 2025.