Funding to develop government solutions to support SMEs engaging with modern awards

Does the project plan in the first application only apply to the feasibility project (the first three months)?

Yes. The project plan provided in your feasibility application only needs to apply to the Feasibility stage project. A separate project plan will be required for the Proof of Concept stage.

Does the commercialisation plan need to be outlined in the feasibility and/or the PoC?

Your feasibility application must address ‘Assessment criterion 2 - ‘Market opportunity of your proposed solution’ (at section 6.2 of the Grant Opportunity Guidelines). A detailed commercialisation plan will be required if you progress through to the Proof of Concept stage.

Can you confirm the closing dates for each stage?

Feasibility applications will close at 5.00pm AEDT on Wednesday 6 December 2023. The closing date for the Proof of Concept stage cannot be confirmed until PoC applications have opened.

Any tips you can offer to increase the chances of getting through the first stage?

Resources including the grant opportunity guidelines, a challenge fact sheet, and a sample application form are available under Key documents.

Do you have to provide a breakdown of costs?

You must submit an outline of eligible project expenditure as part of your application.

Where can I find the application form?

Applications must be submitted through the online portal.

Are proposed solutions confidential to the applicant, i.e. not publicly disclosed unless the applicant is a grant recipient.

Yes, all applications are commercial-in-confidence.

What is the best contact point to ask questions about BRII?

You can email BRII@industry.gov.au or call the contact centre on 13 28 46.

You can also refer to the grant opportunity guidelines and challenge factsheet for further information on this grant opportunity.

We are an employer organisation registered with the Fair Work Commission. Can we apply?

To be eligible you must:

• have an Australian Business Number (ABN)

and be one of the following entities:

• an entity, incorporated in Australia
• an individual or partnership, provided you agree to form a company incorporated in Australia to enter into a grant agreement.
• joint applications are acceptable, provided you have a lead organisation who is the main driver of the project and is eligible to apply.

We can only accept applications where:

• you have a combined annual turnover of less than $20 million for each of the three financial years prior to the lodgement of the application (unless you are controlled by a Publicly Funded Research Organisation, including university spinoffs with at least 40 per cent university ownership, in which case you must have annual turnover in isolation of less than $20 million for each of the three financial years prior to lodgement of the application)
• you provide all mandatory attachments (see section 7.1).

We cannot waive the eligibility criteria under any circumstances.

For further information on eligibility requirements, please refer to the Grant Opportunity Guidelines.

Are not-for-profits, with an ABN, though not an incorporated entity, eligible?

To be eligible you must:

• have an Australian Business Number (ABN)

and be one of the following entities:

• an entity, incorporated in Australia
• an individual or partnership, provided you agree to form a company incorporated in Australia to enter into a grant agreement.
• joint applications are acceptable, provided you have a lead organisation who is the main driver of the project and is eligible to apply.

We can only accept applications where:

• you have a combined annual turnover of less than $20 million for each of the three financial

years prior to the lodgement of the application (unless you are controlled by a Publicly Funded Research Organisation, including university spinoffs with at least 40 per cent university ownership, in which case you must have annual turnover in isolation of less than $20 million for each of the three financial years prior to lodgement of the application)

• you provide all mandatory attachments (see section 7.1).

We cannot waive the eligibility criteria under any circumstances.

For further information on eligibility requirements refer to the Grant Opportunity Guidelines.

Can a participant organisation have an ACN as opposed to an ABN?

To be eligible to apply you must have an active Australian Business Number (ABN).

Are current service providers to relevant departments eligible to apply?

Service providers to relevant departments are eligible to apply, provided they meet the eligibility criteria. Commonwealth, state or local government agencies or bodies (including government business enterprises) are not eligible to apply.

Can a university apply for the grant, or can universities partner with a company?

Universities are not eligible to apply for this grant.

Universities may be a project partner to a lead applicant. The lead applicant would need to meet the eligibility criteria.

As per the Grant Opportunity Guidelines, applicants who are controlled by a Publicly Funded Research Organisation, including university spinoffs with at least 40 per cent university ownership, must have annual turnover in isolation of less than $20 million for each of the three financial years prior to lodgement of the application, to be eligible to apply.

Are startups with no revenue eligible to apply?

Startups are eligible to apply for this grant opportunity, including those with no revenue.

The point “up to 100k” if after “3 months”. Does this mean the feasibility study grant is given after 3 months?

The Feasibility stage payment is made upfront to the grantee upon execution of the grant agreement.

How many grants are available for the Workplace Relations Usability challenge?

The maximum grant amount for a Feasibility Project grant is $100,000, with a maximum grant period of three months. There is a total funding allocation of $500,000 for the Feasibility grant opportunity.

The maximum grant amount for a Proof of Concept grant is $1,000,000, with a maximum grant period of 18 months. There is a total funding allocation of $2 million for the Proof of Concept grant opportunity.

Does this grant require matched funding?

This grant opportunity does not require matched funding.

The revenue cap is per year correct, not total amount over the three years?

Applicants must have a combined annual turnover of less than $20 million for each of the three financial years prior to the lodgement of the application (unless you are controlled by a Publicly Funded Research Organisation, including university spinoffs with at least 40 per cent university ownership, in which case you must have annual turnover in isolation of less than $20 million for each of the three financial years prior to lodgement of the application)

Is there any conflict with R&D grants?

We cannot fund your project if it receives funding from another Commonwealth government grant. You can apply for a grant for your project under more than one Commonwealth program, but if your application is successful, you must choose either the Business Research and Innovation Initiative (BRII) grant or the other Commonwealth grant.

Is there an option to apply for a grant of less than 100k? We have a product idea with some early investigation complete and would likely be able to conduct a full feasibility study for a lower cost.

There is no minimum grant amount for this grant opportunity. The maximum grant amount is $100,000 for a Feasibility Project, and a further $1 million for a Proof of Concept project.

Is grant money considered to be income and hence taxable?

Grants are assessable income for taxation purposes, unless exempted by a taxation law. We recommend you seek independent professional advice on your taxation obligations or seek assistance from the Australian Taxation Office. We do not provide advice on taxation matters.

Is the grant funding ex or incl of GST

Grant funding is GST exclusive.

Does the revenue cap only apply to the lead organisation or also partner organisations?

The revenue cap applies to the lead organisation only.

Can the proof of concept begin before September 2024? What if you are already working on the proof of concept?

You must incur the project expenditure between the project start and end date for it to be eligible, unless stated otherwise. You must not commence your project until you execute a grant agreement with the Commonwealth. Proof of concept projects may only start upon execution of the grant agreement. To be eligible for a Proof of Concept grant, you must have successfully completed a project under the Feasibility stage, and then have had your Proof of Concept stage application be assessed as successful.

After first stage - can participants merge, to produce better results? For example - if entrepreneurs have good idea, but does not pass ‘resources criteria’… and another organisation can supplement with resources.

Yes. Joint applications are acceptable, provided you have a lead organisation who is the main driver of the project and is eligible to apply. Joint entities will need to be formed prior to application.

Is there an approximate timeline for the application process, and the 3 month feasibility study would commence on acceptance?

A table showing the expected timing of this grant opportunity can be found in section 7.3 of the Grant Opportunity Guidelines.

Can the proposal be an add-on to a related solution a current startup is working on?

SME’s with a great idea are invited to apply and address the challenge through the development of a new solution. Your new solution can be a modification of an existing technology.

How would the meetings be held? Face to face or online?

Challenge Management Group meetings are typically held virtually using Microsoft Teams.

Can you if possible list some of the solutions available in the market today?

Some potential themes, but not limited too are:

• artificial intelligence
• machine learning
• advanced data analytics
• unstructured data processing
• image recognition
• optical character recognition
• natural language processing
• interoperable systems
• workflow automation
• chatbots
• blockchain
• smart contracts

Timothy raised a point earlier regarding awards being "large legal documents". A concern arises around the problem of providing legal advice. Will the program offer advice on where those boundaries are drawn?

BRII and DEWR will work closely with the successful applicants on where the boundaries will be made.

As a general rule of thumb is the program likely to be more interested in specialised products useful for individual industries, or in generalised systems to help a broader collection?

If your solution can be used across various sectors it is beneficial for you to be able to commercialise. The scope of the solution is a decision for the applicant. You may want to consider which industries have higher award coverage.

Also missed the point about who retains the IP?

 Grantees will retain intellectual property rights and the right to sell in domestic and global markets.

Can the same applicant apply for more than 1 project/concept?

The applicant can submit multiple applications, but can only be awarded one grant under the BRII Workplace Relations Usability round if successful.

If you enter an agreement under the Business Research Initiative and Innovation (BRII) program, you cannot receive other grants for this project from other Commonwealth, State or Territory granting programs.

Would the department require an interface to the solution?

Solutions could include innovations that improve business processes, that do not necessarily have an interface.

Is there an expectation that the solution be provided as a free service for workers and employers or a paid for service?

That will be a decision for the grantees as they will own the IP for the solution at the end of the BRII.

For Tim, is it possible for the government agency to introduce us to potential users of the product. Would be good to interview some of these businesses to see their needs. Probably more of a question after the funding is granted. Do you have a database of Frequently asked Questions that employees and employers typically ask or are confused about?

At this point in the BRII process that will not be possible. But we would encourage applicants to seek out public information and commentary about the modern award system, have a go at accessing and navigating the award system, and speak with businesses in their networks about their experiences of engaging with modern awards.

Will part of the meetings with DEWR/BRII Department discuss the legal liability of the solution? for example, if the solution gives a recommendation of an award based on the information given, is there limited liability or is this something needed to be covered in the feasibility study?

We would encourage businesses to consider the line between providing information (either fact based or general information) and providing an interpretation or tailored advice. We can also work with successful applicants to explore potential liability issues of different solutions.

How would you define the ultimate goal of this grant in plain English? What in an ideal world will you get out of it?

How might we make it easier for employers and employees to know their legal obligations and entitlements. Can we make it so that every small business knows what a modern award is, how it’s relevant to their business and how to apply it in their business. Similarly, can we ensure every employee paid under a modern award can access the modern award and understand how it applies to them.

What is the expected outcome/output of a feasibility project? Is there more information on what exactly the feasibility project entails?

Successful Feasibility stage projects will demonstrate the technical and commercial feasibility of their proposed solution to the challenge. Further information can be found in the Grant Opportunity Guidelines.

Is one of the challenges getting the employers to correctly identify which award actually applies?

Yes, this is in scope for the challenge.

Is part of the challenge also explaining what the penalties might be for incorrect payment?

This would be out of scope of this challenge, as we’re focussed on helping small businesses find and apply information in modern awards.

Could it include a compensation to the work incidents? Working in harsh environments, i.e. exposure to the radiation? Use of Drones?

No this would be out of scope.

Are you looking for a separate solution or would a redesign of the Modern Awards Data Base content be considered?

No, this would be out of scope.

Are we looking at National System Employers as well as State System employers?

Modern Awards only cover National Systems Employees so this project would not focus on state system employees – but you could consider how it might apply to them.

Is the focus here more employers as users or do we want to consider employees as well?

We’ve kept the scope broad so that you can consider solutions that target employers, employees or both.

Can the initial proposal be based on a single modern award rather than all 121 modern awards?

Yes, though we would recommend choosing one of the more commonly used awards, such as:

• Children's Services Award 2010
• Clerks – Private Sector Award 2020
• Fast Food Industry Award 2010
• General Retail Industry Award 2020
• Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020
• Restaurant Industry Award 2020
• Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010

Can we charge end users a license fee to use the developed solution?

Grantees will maintain the IP and can decide how best to take the solution to market.