Funding and support to help you successfully develop your capability for long-term R&D
What is the New to R&D Grant and what are the benefits?
We’ve worked with many businesses from startups to sector leaders, and we know many people find R&D hard. There’s a steep learning curve and concern about finding funds for R&D with so many other business costs to cover. The New to R&D Grant offers more than just research and development funding—for up to a two-year period, it will help you develop your R&D capability, making you better at it, not just for the first time, but for the long-term. The grant also helps you prepare your business to access future R&D funding through the Research & Development Tax Incentive.
Building your R&D capability for the future
The New to R&D Grant has been specifically designed to help you become a long-term R&D performer - it’s not for one-off projects - because if you want to continue to differentiate your product or service from your competitors’ and tap into new markets, you need to keep innovating.
To do so, you need to round out your innovation skills and we can help by providing funding and support to develop your R&D capability in the seven critical areas listed below. More information on the support we offer will be available once you are confirmed as eligible for the grant.
- Understanding and using customer input
- Intellectual Property
- Regulatory and Compliance
- Lean R&D
- Project Management
- R&D Information Management
- Understanding the R&D Tax Incentive
How the funding works
The grant has a maximum cap of $400,000, half of which can be spent on R&D and half on Capability Development. Here is an example:
Who is the New to R&D Grant for?
Because the grant is designed with a very specific purpose, there are some stringent rules around who can receive it. Before proceeding further, you should read the full eligibility criteria and see if your business might be eligible.
As a first step, check that your business meets all of the following criteria:
- Your business is an eligible entity (see eligibility criteria here)
- Your business must not have received any government funding for R&D greater than $5,000 on or since 1 July 2019 including Callaghan Innovation grants or loans, the Research and Development Tax Incentive, the R&D Loss Tax Credit or any other government funding intended to support R&D.
- Your business must have spent less than $50,000 in total on R&D over the last three years
- You must be able to fund your share of the R&D costs
If you are part of a corporate group containing other R&D performing businesses, you may not be eligible to apply. You will be assessed on whether you have access to the capabilities of those businesses to assist you with your R&D. See our grouping guidance here.
Guides
Eligible Costs for New to R&D Grant
Stage 1 Application form example
Stage 2 Application Form example
Capability Development Plan Template example
Describing your R&D in your Application
How do I go about applying?
The application process for the New to R&D grant will require information from you to help validate your eligibility for funding. The steps you need to follow are set out in the diagram below (click to expand it), and you will see that you can access help from one of our navigators or funding experts at different stages of your application.
If after reading the full eligibility requirements it looks like your business could be eligible for this grant, get in touch with our Customer Support team below and let’s get started!
New to R&D FAQs
You’ll find answers to some frequently asked questions about the New to R&D Grant below:
Not right for you?
If you aren’t eligible for this grant, Callaghan Innovation’s other funding, products and services may be able to help. Explore them below:
Already performing R&D and interested in getting a tax credit on your R&D expenditure? Find out if you’re eligible for the Research and Development Tax Incentive.
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Updated: 26 July 2023