To be eligible, applicants must:  

• be applying for $10,000 – 25,000 ex GST in funding and must be able to make a 1:1 matched contribution for each eligible expense  

• have fully acquitted any previous grant from TIQ  

• not be a recipient of the New Market E-commerce 2025-26 Program  

• have an active Australian Business Number (ABN) and be registered for GST  

• have a company address headquartered in Queensland  

• submit only one application per eligible entity or financial beneficiary 

• be a sole trader, company incorporated in Australia or be an incorporated trustee applying on behalf of a trust  

• be classed as a small – medium sized enterprise (SME) with no more than 200 full time equivalent employees and not be a subsidiary of a group of companies that has 200 or more full-time-equivalent employees in total  

• have a project capable of being completed and delivering export outcomes within the grant period  

• be pre-qualified by TIQ as export-ready (the applicant can be an experienced exporter/new to exporting)  

• have the buyer pre-qualified by a TIQ Client Manager  

• have a minimum trading history of two full financial years (demonstrated through the provision of financial statements in the business name)  

• have documented proof of the proposed sale for the export of goods or services (into a new market)  

• provide evidence of a one-to-one matched cash contribution to the project for each eligible project cost  

• not use federal, state or local government grants towards their one-to-one matched cash contribution  

• produce and export Queensland products and not act as a consolidator or distributor of Queensland, other domestic or imported products.   

• address all assessment criteria and attach all required documentation 

New applications cannot be started after 5pm Friday 21 March 2025.  
 
All applicants must read and understand the Guidelines, Frequently Asked Questions document and the required documentation for submission. 

Existing TIQ clients should speak to their Client Manager before they begin their application. New clients will be prompted to book a call via the self-assessment process.  

Application steps:  

Step 1: Read the Guidelines, Frequently Asked Questions document and required documentation. 
 
Step 2: Complete the pre-qualification assessment. If you are new to us, you will be prompted to book a call with our business advisors. 
 
Step 3: Eligible applicants will receive an application link to SmartyGrants. 
 
Step 4: Your client manager will provide an export ready certificate and a buyer qualification certificate. 

These documents must be attached to your application and qualifies your business to apply for the grant in the intended market.  
 
Step 5: Save and submit your application.  
 
You must save your application and submit it with all the required documents by the deadline for it to be assessed.  

Eligible project costs include, but are not limited to, external costs for:  

• export business advisory tools and services such as:  

• market entry requirements; registrations, documentation, and compliance  

• professional advice on contract negotiation; accounting, financial, legal, IP protection, counterfeit protection, or attracting funding to scale-up  

• product redesign and testing, packaging, and labelling required to meet an export market requirement  

• export accreditation and free trade agreement documentation such as:  

  • Good Manufacturing Practice  

  • Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point   

  • Halal Accreditation  

• logistics involved in delivering the first export activity in a new international market, product samples or trial shipment with no commercial outcome or return on investment  

• product approvals, installation, training, operations and maintenance required for a new client and/or international market.    

 Ineligible project costs include, but are not limited to: 

• administration costs related to obtaining resources used on the project, advertising and recruitment, project management, staff training and development  

• costs of purchasing, leasing or depreciation of property  

• assets including IT, software, office furniture or equipment  

• routine or business-as-usual operation expenses such as marketing, staff expenses, wages, superannuation, rent, insurance, food and beverage expenditure  

• loans and debt financing expenses including interest and bank fees  

• project or activity costs already funded and/or subsidised from any other federal, state or local government  

• participation in study tours or other missions, regardless of the organiser  

• participation in, or contribution to, booth, expo or event costs, including travel expenses  

• internal staff as suppliers, including from a subsidiary, parent company, partner agency or other internal division. Evidence must be provided that demonstrates suppliers are an external contractor to the business.  

• cost of inventory or raw materials in the production of the goods or services being exported  

• business development costs, including travel expenses for business development  

• other costs may be ineligible where TIQ decides that they do not directly support the program objectives and outcomes. 

All applications will be assessed against eligibility requirements.

If any mandatory documentation is missing, this may impact your eligibility for the funding.

Only eligible applications will be assessed by the panel.  

Outcomes will be provided via email, 6-8 weeks after the closing date.

Successful applicants must sign their financial incentive agreement and return it to TIQ within 10 business days of being sent.

The project must: 

• begin within 90 days of the funding agreement being signed
• and be completed within the 12-month due date.

The grant is a matched grant, meaning that if you are awarded $10,000, you will need to show you have also spent $10,000 towards the project. Invoices should total $20,000. 

First payment 

The first payment, which is 50% of the total of the grant awarded, will be paid after the financial incentive agreement has been signed by both parties and you have provided an invoice.

For example, if you receive a $10,000 grant, the first payment will be $5,000. 

Final payment

When the project is completed, you must provide:

• an export success form outlining the export value of the project and number of jobs created
• copies of all eligible invoices and receipts
• an acquittal report on the project.

This information will be reviewed by us for approval of the final 50% grant payment.