This grant supports a world-leading bushfire and natural hazards technology network by actively fostering the commercial development of technologies and services to better prepare NSW for future bushfires.
Key information
- Status: Closed
- Grant amount: Up to $5,200,000
- Application opened: 3 February 2023
- Application closed: 13 March 2023, 5:00 pm
Program objective
The NSW Government is offering up to $5.2 million over 4 years to establish and operate the Bushfire & Natural Hazards Technology Network (the ‘Network’) for a minimum of 6 years.
The Network is part of the broader $28 million NSW Bushfire Response R&D Mission to accelerate new and emerging industries and technology to better prepare the state for future bushfires.
The objective of the Network is to support a world-leading, mature, and collaborative bushfire and natural hazards technology sector, by actively fostering the commercial development and adoption of technologies and services in NSW to better prepare for future bushfires and natural hazards, protect first responders and communities, and provide economic benefit to NSW.
The Network will cover all phases of bushfire and natural hazards management: preparation, preparedness, response, and recovery and will leverage the skills, expertise, and networks in existing NSW innovation networks, such as the NSW Smart Sensing Network (NSSN), the NSW Bushfire and Natural Hazards Research Centre, or the Australian Government’s Natural Hazards Research Australia to maximise its impact.
The values of the Network are to
- actively facilitate and encourage participants to connect for mutual gain and overcome geographical, cultural, and social barriers
- be sustainable by fostering a collegial pay-it-forward culture where participants are willing to help others, and “pay forward” any positive benefits they receive to create a continuous cycle of connection for mutual gain.
The Network will have four key functions:
- Build trusted relationships between stakeholders for mutual gain.
- Build capability and commercial pathways to scale for NSW businesses and researchers.
- Provide market demand and intelligence services to NSW businesses and researchers.
- Increase awareness and impact of NSW bushfire/natural hazards businesses and build global connections.
This program is administered by Department of Enterprise, Investment and Trade.
Eligibility
Who can apply
The Network will be delivered by a host organisation, or a consortium of organisations, with an organisational presence in NSW.
To be eligible, the organisation/s applying must
- have an Australian Business Number (ABN)
- be financially viable and able to demonstrate they are likely to remain so over the duration of the project.
They must be one of the following entities:
- a company, or
- an individual or partnership, provided you agree to form a company incorporated in Australia to enter into a legally binding grant agreement, or
- university, publicly funded research organisation (PFRO), or their collaborative entities, or
- public sector organisation or other organisation, such as not-for-profit organisations.
All single-entity applicants must have a presence in NSW.
Joint (consortia) proposals will be highly regarded. If a proposal is consortium-based, the proposal lead must be headquartered in NSW.
Who can’t apply
- Those who do not fit the eligibility criteria (see below).
- Ineligible applicants include consortia or partnerships with businesses that are insolvent.
Types of activities funded under this grant
Funding for the Network can be used for:
- salaries and access to external expertise that is directly related to delivery of the Network
- hosting and managing events, workshops, and/or delivering showcases/expos, and demonstration days
- establishing an online presence, virtual networking platform and/or online directory services
- challenges
- practical support and expertise for businesses to apply for grants, innovation prizes and/or identify market opportunities, develop commercialisation strategies, or export plans, and conduct commercial feasibility studies
- pilots or testing of bushfire technologies or services
- economy travel and accommodation to conferences, workshops for businesses and/or Network staff in NSW, Australia or globally
- economy travel, accommodation, and fees, where necessary, for businesses to access relevant test facilities in NSW, Australia or globally
- conducting market and product assessments
- specialist equipment and/or infrastructure necessary to deliver the vision and objectives of the Network
- intellectual property protection or advice.
Types of eligible activities supporting each of the four key functions of the Network
| Key function of the Network | Types of eligible activities |
|---|---|
| 1. Build trusted relationships between stakeholders for mutual gain |
|
| 2. Build capability and commercial pathways to scale for NSW businesses and researchers |
|
| 3. Provide market demand and intelligence services to NSW businesses and researchers |
|
| 4. Increase awareness and impact of NSW bushfire/natural hazards technology businesses and build global connections |
|
What can’t you apply for
Examples of ineligible activities for funding:
- business airline travel
- activities not aligned to the objectives of the Network
- office rental costs
- project costs that are already the subject of another government grant, subsidy, or financial assistance
- project costs incurred prior to an application being submitted (no retrospective funding will be awarded).
What your application needs to include
This application form must be
- completed in full and within the word limit
- signed by the project lead or representative of the lead organisation, and
- submitted electronically through SmartyGrants.
Forms submitted by any other means will not be accepted.
Download a sample application form to see all the sections that need to be addressed in the applications portal:
File
Bushfire & Natural Hazards Technology Network application form (PDF 105.76KB)You can also download the complete guidelines:
File
Bushfire Natural Hazards Technology Network guidelines (PDF 345.05KB)
Prepare your application with this checklist
Applicants need to:
- submit the online application form through Smarty Grants, ensuring all questions are answered or indicated not applicable
- clearly identify in their application (including attachments) any information that the applicant requests be treated as confidential
- sign their application. If applying as a consortium, the lead applicant must sign and have at least one of the core participants sign (by the head of the organisation or their authorised delegate). If all core participants’ representatives have not signed the application, the signatories must acknowledge that the application is made with the knowledge and on behalf of all core participants.
Failure to provide the above information may result in the application being set aside from further consideration at DEIT's absolute discretion.
Late proposals will not be considered except where DEIT is satisfied that the integrity and competitiveness of the program has not been compromised.
Address the eligibility criteria
The Network will be delivered by a host organisation, or a consortium of organisations, with an organisational presence in NSW.
To be eligible, the organisation/s applying must
- have an Australian Business Number (ABN)
- be financially viable and able to demonstrate they are likely to remain so over the duration of the project.
They must be one of the following entities:
- a company, or
- an individual or partnership, provided you agree to form a company incorporated in Australia to enter into a legally binding grant agreement, or
- university, publicly funded research organisation (PFRO), or their collaborative entities, or
- public sector organisation or other organisation, such as not-for-profit organisations.
All single-entity applicants must have a presence in NSW.
Joint (consortia) proposals will be highly regarded. If a proposal is consortium-based, the proposal lead must be headquartered in NSW.
Address the assessment criteria
As this is a competitive grants process, the assessment will be a comparative assessment of the application against all other eligible applications.
| Assessment Criteria | Criterion | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Impact (40%) | 1 (20%) | How will the proposal establish the Network to achieve its objectives and values, and deliver its functions? (Question B1) Note: Proposals that include co-funding and/or leverage opportunities with other associated organisations or networks will be assessed more favourably. |
| 2 (20%) | To what degree does the organisation or consortium have high quality links to the bushfire/natural hazards technology sector to support activities that establish NSW as a major world centre of bushfire/natural hazards research, and technology development and commercialisation? (Question B2) | |
| Deliverability (60%) | 3 (15%) | To what extent does the proposed team have the necessary capabilities to lead the delivery of the Network’s objectives, values, and functions? (Question B3) |
| 4 (15%) | How does the proposed operating model support the Network to meet its objectives and deliver its functions? (Question B4) | |
| 5 (15%) | How does the project plan and strategy set out an effective approach to growing the impact and influence of the Network? (Question B5) | |
| 6 (15%) | In what way does the financial model maximise the sustainability, resilience, and impact of the Network in delivering each of its functions? (Question B6) |
DEIT may seek clarification from any applicant in relation to its application, including seeking further information on the eligibility or assessment criteria.
After the application is submitted
The applications will be assessed and both successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified.
The assessment of applications will be led by the independent Expert Panel, supported by the OCSE as Secretariat to the Bushfire Response R&D Mission.
Once applications close, OCSE will review the applications for eligibility and provide a report to the Expert Panel on all eligible and ineligible applications. The OCSE, on behalf of the Expert Panel, may seek further information on individual applications in relation to eligibility.
The Expert Panel will:
- identify any conflicts of interest in relation to any eligible applications and sign a confidentiality agreement
- assess and rank eligible applications according to the assessment criteria
- engage with applicants through the OCSE Secretariat, where appropriate, to clarify aspects of an applications or explore opportunities to collaborate between applicants, and
- make recommendations on which applicant, if any, should receive the grant and the amount of those grant.
Support and contact
For all enquiries, please contact the Investment NSW concierge team.
Phone: +61 2 4908 4800
Postal address: Investment NSW, GPO Box 5341, Sydney NSW 2001