Defence provides a range of grants to support industry. These grants assist Australian small and medium enterprises in expanding to meet Defence capability needs and join global defence industry supply chains.
Grants programs
The table provides information on the available grants programs, including the link to the application.
Grants program | Details | Closing dates |
---|---|---|
Defence Industry Development Grants Program |
Fact Sheet: Defence Industry Development Grants (PDF, 520.95 KB) |
|
Joint Strike Fighter Industry Support Program Sustainment Grants |
|
Friday 30 June 2028 5:00 pm AEST |
Joint Strike Fighter Industry Support Program - Production and Modernisation |
|
Closed |
Defence Industry Development Grants Program
Caretaker provisions
The Defence Industry Development Grants (DIDG) Program is continuing to receive and assess grants applications during the Caretaker period. The DIDG program will continue to select and award grants throughout the election period and will not be affected by Caretaker provisions which can cause other government programs to pause.
Guidance for applicants
The following guidance is provided to assist applicants before applying for a grants stream within the Defence Industry Development Grants Program (DIDG Program).
For an application to be considered, it must meet eligibility criteria and address the assessment criteria, including all sub-criteria, for the relevant grants program.
Before submitting, applicants should read and understand the Grants Opportunity Guidelines available on the grants program information page. Particularly, applicants should review Section 5.1, Appendices A and B of the Grants Opportunity Guidelines to understand what grants activities and expenditure are eligible.
Grants applications to the DIDG Program are likely to be considered ineligible if they include activities and expenditure such as:
- product development or prototyping
- undertaking research and development
- manufacturing inputs such as non-recurring engineering
- activities which are listed in Appendix B.
To be competitive under the DIDG Program, applications must:
- address all criteria and sub-criteria contained in drop-down menus within the Defence Industry Development Grants Program online application
- include all mandatory attachments (as described in the application form and Grants Opportunity Guidelines at Section 7.1)
- demonstrate a strong link to one or more of the Sovereign Defence Industrial Priorities.
Requests for Letters of Support to accompany applications for the Nuclear-powered Submarines related opportunities can be sent to asa.industry@defence.gov.au and should contain information on:
- What DIDG Program stream and closing date you are applying to
- How your grants project aligns with, and contributes to, Sovereign Defence Industrial Priorities (SDIP) 2. Include detail about any commercial opportunities you are engaged in related to Conventional Submarines and/or Nuclear-powered Submarines, including the maturity of customer-supplier relationships that you have established in those areas
- The broader benefits of this grants project in relation to your business and the wider defence industry.