Grant agreement timeline 

You can expect to receive grant agreements from mid-February 2022 onwards.

Payment timeline

For Tier 1 grants and Representative Body grantees, you can expect to get first payment from March 2022.

For Tier 2 and Tier 3 grants, you can expect to get payments from 1 July 2022 after milestone reports have been received and accepted. Your milestone report must show spending on eligible expenses for double the grant amount – that is, the grant amount and your matched funding. Your grant agreement will outline a reporting and payment schedule. 

Cannot vary grant agreement to a higher amount if spend more

I understand that the grants are lower than your expected, but Austrade will not vary the amount of an agreement in a way that will result in a higher payment as the funding pool available for each Tier is fully allocated at the time of entering into grant agreements. So, the grants amounts are fixed in your plan agreement.

Accept your grant agreement by MyGovID

For accepting EMDG grant agreement, we could not accept it on your behalf as EMDG consultant. There is no option for paper agreement acceptance procedure. You must have a MyGovID to access EMDG online portal and accept the agreement. 

Log in to EMDG online portal to view a copy of your agreement:

·       Accept the agreement by clicking on the ‘Accept agreement’ button - this is the equivalent of a signature. You must have a MyGovID to accept the grant agreement.

·       Accept the agreement within 21 days of receiving the offer

·       Austrade will then execute the grant agreement

·       You can view and download a copy of the grant agreement for your records from the online portal.

If you do not have a MyGovID, follow these steps as below. 

MyGovID

A MyGovID is the Australian Government’s digital identity, a way to prove who you are online. Download MyGovID and set it up based on set up procedures. Once the app is set up, you need to link your MyGovID to your business using the authorization service called Relationship Authorization Manager (RAM).

Link your MyGovID to your business

To get started, the principal authority (business owner) needs to do the following:

·       Download the MyGovID app from the App Store or Google Play and use your Australian identity documents to enroll.

·       Log in to RAM using your MyGovID and link your business. Before you link your business, check your details on the Australian Business Register are up to date so RAM can use the correct information.

·       (optional): Some clients do not have MyGovID, then please use this alternative step to accept it: authorize your employees and others in RAM to act on behalf of your business online. They will receive an email to accept the authorization request using their MyGovID.

Matched funding and milestone reports

The maximum grant amount you will get per financial year will be shown in your grant agreement. It’s important to remember:

·       You must spend double the value of the grant amount in the financial year on eligible expenses. This means the grant amount plus your matched funding.

·       Your matched funding must at least equal the amount of your grant.

If you spend an amount more than required to get the maximum grant amount, you will only get the maximum grant amount.

If you spend less, you will only get up to half (50%) of the total amount you spent.

Milestone reports

Milestone reports are part of your grant agreement. You must submit these regardless of the amount you spend. Find out when and how to do this by checking the reporting and payment schedule in your agreement.

All grantees will be required to submit milestone reports. You must also keep all records related to eligible promotional marketing expenditure and provide it to Austrade on request.

Chang Accounting Advisory Pty Ltd, we are CPA practice and EMDG Consultant. If you or your families or friends need our services, please feel free to contact our team for any assistance. 

This article is for informational purposes only and does not form part of our advice. This article is based on Export Market Development Grants Guidelines and website information. Please contact our team if you need any assistance.

Claire Chang, 0497 131 419, claire.chang@changadvisory.com.au, wechat: clairechang26

Michelle Cui, 0433 539 870, michelle.cui@changadvisory.com.au, wechat: michellejc