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We are currently assessing 2025-26 milestone reports in the order they were received. As most reports were submitted in the final weeks of June, we are working through a high volume of assessments and processing payments as quickly as possible.
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 was published in the grant guidelines in August 2024 and explained in all program communications.
Austrade accepted more applications than funding was available, in order to account for applications that were ineligible (this is referred to as ‘the buffer’).
Following closure of the round, all applications were 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.
In accordance with Commonwealth reporting requirements, details of all executed grant agreements are published on GrantConnect.
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 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 |
Data is at 20 December 2024 when applications closed for Round 4.
| Tier category | Average planned expenditure in 2025–26 | Average planned expenditure in 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 one product category. This is why the sum of applications in the above table differ from the total number of applications.
187 agents submitted applications, 49 of which were agents new to EMDG. Of the 187 agents:
Agents submitted applications across all tiers. The highest number of agents per tier were:
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 | 1,537 | 70% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 1,250 | 57% |
| 3 | Canada | 884 | 40% |
| 4 | Singapore | 817 | 37% |
| 5 | China | 654 | 30% |
| 6 | Germany | 631 | 29% |
| 7 | France | 537 | 24% |
| 8 | Japan | 522 | 24% |
| 9 | United Arab Emirates | 435 | 20% |
| 10 | Hong Kong | 423 | 19% |
2,693 (100%) applications have been assessed.
The data on executed grant agreements in Round 4 is as at 31 August 2026. During the life of a grant, an agreement may be varied, concluded or terminated, including where a grantee withdraws or does not comply with the terms of the agreement. As a result, figures may change over time and differ from previous reports.
We have made 2,273 grant offers to eligible applicants across all tiers, with 2,199 grant agreements executed. To date, $212.4 million has been committed to 2,199 grantees across the two grant years, with some receiving a grant for one year.
We have offered grant agreements up to the limit of available funding. We were also able to extend extra offers for 2025-26 to eligible grantees in Round 4, through the effective use of funds released from earlier grant rounds.
The breakdown of agreements by tier and year is shown below:
| Tier category | Grant agreements executed in 2025–26 | Grant agreements executed in 2026–27 | Total grant agreements executed across both years* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 304 | 271 | 304 |
| Tier 2 | 986 | 922 | 1,055 |
| Tier 3 | 712 | 570 | 730 |
| Representative bodies | 109 | 110 | 110 |
| Total | 2,111 | 1,873 | 2,199 |
*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 executed across 2025–26 and 2026–27. The data is as at 31 August 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 | $8.7m | $7.8m | $16.5m |
| Tier 2 | $48.0m | $44.4m | $92.4m |
| Tier 3 | $52.1m | $41.0m | $93.2m |
| Representative bodies | $5.1m | $5.1m | $10.3m |
| Total commitment as at 31 August 2026* | $114.0m | $98.4m | $212.4m |
*Note: Austrade sets aside funds for applicants going through an Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) appeal.
Figures in this table are rounded.
The average annual grant value of the 2,199 executed grant agreements across all tiers is $53,000—a significant increase in the average grant value from Rounds 1–3 of $24,000. Data is as at 31 August 2026.
| Tier category | Maximum grant value per year | Average annual grant value in grant agreements |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | $30,000 | $28,724 |
| Tier 2 | $50,000 | $48,447 |
| Tier 3 | $80,000 | $72,663 |
| Representative bodies | $50,000 | $46,914 |
| Industry group | Grant agreements (#) | Grant agreements (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Services and Technology | 800 | 36.4% |
| Consumer – Advisory | 397 | 18.1% |
| Food and Agriculture | 309 | 14.1% |
| Advanced Manufacturing | 232 | 10.6% |
| Education | 211 | 9.6% |
| Tourism | 105 | 4.8% |
| International Health | 82 | 3.7% |
| Infrastructure | 56 | 2.5% |
| Resource and Energy | 7 | 0.3% |
| Total | 2,199 | 100% |
Figures in this table are rounded.
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 31 August 2026.
| Category | 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 | 512 | 813 |
| Number of internal reviews resulting in eligible outcome | 263 | 458 | 721 |
| Number of internal reviews in progress | - | - | - |
| Number of internal reviews with original ineligible decision upheld | 38 | 54 | 92 |
| Number of appeals under consideration before the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) | 1 | 0 | 1 |