$150 million Defence Industry Development Grants Program launched

Program guidelines have been released for Defence Industry Development Grants, with applications to open on Tuesday for the new program which is planned to award $150 million in grants over four years to SMEs

DIDG covers four streams – “development of sovereign industrial priorities, export opportunities, technical skills and security controls which are relevant in the defence sector” – according to its fact sheet..

It offers funding covering up to half of costs for eligible projects. Grants are up to $1,000,000 for the sovereign industrial priorities stream, $250,000 for the skilling stream, $250,000 for the exports stream, and $100,000 for the security stream.

(Information on applying can be found here.)

“I am very pleased to launch the new Defence Industry Development Grant program, with publication of the program guidelines which will allow applications to be submitted within the next few weeks,” said defence industry minister Pat Conroy.

“The new program places stronger emphasis on our need to focus financial support on industry priorities which have flowed from the Defence Strategic Review, through the Defence Industry Development Strategy which I released in February, and with clear alignment to the National Defence Strategy which was released in April.”

DIDG was announced as part of the federal government’s Defence Industry Development Strategy (DIDS), revealed on February 29 this year.

Picture: credit Defence

Further reading

New strategy to support defence industry

Eight grants to develop priority defence capabilities