How do I apply?
It will only be possible to apply to the program using the appropriate forms, available from our website (www.daff.gov.au/foodinnovation) or from program staff.
We will endeavour to have multiple funding rounds per year until the funds are committed. The number of rounds and their frequency will depend on the response and availability of funding. We will publish critical dates on our website when known.
Rounds will consist of two stages:
1. Expression-of-Interest
We will publish a form to register details on our website. This form will collect simple information about your company and will be used to make an initial assessment of your eligibility.
On receipt of this form, we will send you an expression-of-interest form to provide us with details on your project and give you a date by which it should be submitted.
Your expression-of-interest should be clear, concise and convincing. We are not looking for the full detail; just enough information to allow us to determine whether your project is likely to be eligible.
2. Application
If, after assessment of your expression of interest, the program decision-maker determines that your business and project are likely to meet the program eligibility criteria and your project could be competitive, we will invite you to submit an application. We will provide you with an application form. We will publish an example of this application form on our website, for information, but you should only submit the application on the form we provide directly. The application form will seek additional detail on your business, its financial situation and your project.
The information in your application form, the advice of an independent advisory panel and any other information relevant to your application will be used to make a final determination of eligibility and competitiveness. Further details of the project or your financial details may be sought by the department to assist in making a decision.
All information provided to the department will be treated as commercial-in-confidence and handled on a strict need-to-know basis. The information collected is necessary for us to make a fair and equitable decision on funding, but we recognise the sensitivity of this data, particularly financial information. The department is obliged to, and will, protect any personal information and private information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
How will my application be assessed?
Expressions of interest
We will accept expressions of interest continuously up to the nominated cut-off date for their submission. Any expressions of interest received after that date will be considered in the next round.
We will assess your expression of interest for eligibility and recommend to the program decision-maker (see Roles and Responsibilities) which applicants should be invited to submit an application.
If your business and your project proposal is considered:
- eligible, you will receive an invitation to submit an application. You will also receive feedback on further likely information requirements to assist you to prepare your application
- ineligible, but if the project could be adjusted to make it eligible, you will receive feedback to assist you to prepare an expression-of-interest for a future round
- ineligible and unlikely to be able to be adjusted to make it eligible, you will receive feedback on the reasons for the decision.
We endeavour to provide a decision on all expressions-of-interest within three weeks of receipt. We will advise of any unforeseen delays.
Applications
If you receive an invitation to submit an application, we will provide you with an application form and a deadline for submission. If you miss that deadline, your proposal will be assessed in a subsequent round.
The Regional Food Producers Innovation and Productivity Program Independent Advisory Panel appointed by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, will assess all applications against the eligibility and merit criteria set out in these guidelines and make recommendations to the program decision-maker for funding.
The members of the advisory panel (see Roles and Responsibilities) will be appointed because of their experience and understanding of a broad range of relevant issues, including food processing technology, financial and marketing acumen and food production industry knowledge.
Advisory panel members will be required to complete conflict-of-interest declarations and will not be allowed to access information or assess projects where a conflict-of-interest, detrimental to your interests or those of your fellow applicants, exists.
The names and a short CV of the advisory panel members will be published on our website when they have been appointed.
Your application will be competing for limited funds and the panel will only recommend the highest-rated applications. Potential outcomes of this assessment are:
- the panel will recommend your project for funding; they will also make recommendations on how much funding you should receive and any changes they feel necessary before the project can begin
- the panel will not recommend your project for funding, but will consider it a candidate for future funding. If this recommendation is accepted, you will receive feedback on how you can make your application more competitive and an invitation to resubmit
- the panel will not recommend your project for funding and they have determined that your project is ineligible or will never be competitive. If this recommendation is accepted, you will receive feedback on the reasons for the assessment.
15 Mar 2011