Supporting Queensland innovation-driven enterprises

Apply by 31 October 2023

Ignite your innovation with up to $75k Ignite Spark funding and business mentoring

If you’re a Queensland small or medium-sized enterprise with an innovative new product or service prototype to finesse, then here’s a chance you don’t want to miss!

• The Advance Queensland Ignite Spark Program provides up to $75k funding to develop your prototype towards minimum viable product stage and ready for commercialisation
• Successful applicants also gain privileged access to the Ignite+ program offering a wealth of professional expertise, invaluable business advice, and dedicated mentoring to propel your business forward
• Access program guidelines and apply today.

About the program

The Ignite Spark Program aims to support Queensland-based small to medium-sized innovation-driven enterprises with high-growth potential to progress the development of an innovative product or service closer to market.

In particular, the program aims to support innovation-driven enterprises to progress prototypes to advanced staged products and/or services that have been tested, validated, customer endorsed and are ready to be commercialised.

An innovation-driven enterprise is a business that emphasises innovative solutions as a key driver of growth, competitive advantage, and value creation. Such enterprises focus on developing and commercialising new products and/or services to achieve their strategic objectives.

The objectives of the program are to:

• strengthen key industries in Queensland
• diversify the Queensland economy
• compete in domestic and global markets
• engage and/or benefit regional Queensland
• create new jobs, now and into the future.

Funding and support

Funding of $50 000 to $75 000 (excluding GST) is available for projects with a duration of up to twelve months with a matched funding contribution from the applicant organisation in either one of two tiers. Organisations and their related parties are limited to one application per funding round.

Application process and timeframes

• The program has a two-staged application process – an Expression of Interest application being the first stage followed by a Full Application stage for shortlisted Expression of Interest applicants
• All applicants will receive written notification of the outcome of their Expression of Interest application to the email address provided in the application form.

Eligibility

To be eligible for funding, applicant organisations must, at the time of application:

• be a business headquartered in Queensland
• have no more than 50 full-time-equivalent employees
• not be a subsidiary of a group of companies that has more than 50 full-time-equivalent employees
• not have received funding for the proposed project activity from either the state, federal or local government
• be registered for GST (at time of Full Application submission).

To be eligible for funding, at the time of application, projects must:

• have an existing functional prototype for a product and/or service that is scalable to meet industry/market demand
• demonstrate that the product and/or service is ready to be validated in an industrially or operationally relevant environment
• demonstrate that the product and/or service is not currently in market.

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