Apply for the New Market 
E-commerce Program

The applicant organisation must: 

• Be an experienced exporter.
• 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.
• Be applying for funding of up to $10,000 ex GST and must be able to make a 1:1 matched contribution for each eligible expense.  
• Have fully acquitted any grant they have previously received from TIQ. 
• 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 business or financial beneficiary.
• Have a minimum trading history of two full financial years (demonstrated through financial statements in the business name). 
• Have a project capable of being completed and delivering export outcomes within the grant period.
• Be seeking to export to a new international market not previously exported to via an e-commerce platform.
• Provide evidence of your ability to meet the matched cash contribution to the project for each eligible project costs.
• Produce and export Queensland products and not act as a consolidator or distributor of Queensland, other domestic or imported products.
• Provide a TIQ-endorsed E-commerce Market Identification Certificate confirming the market. suitability for your product, signed by a TIQ international representative.
• Address all assessment criteria and attach all required documentation.

Eligibility may be at the discretion of the TIQ CEO in extenuating circumstances.  

New applications cannot be started after 5pm Friday 28 February 2025. 

All applicants must read and understand the application guidelines, frequently asked questions and required documentation.

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 application guidelines, frequently asked questions 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 E-Commerce Market Identification Certificate. This document, to attach to your application, 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 associated with:

• Online content development to support international e-commerce presence via a digital agency/marketing consultant (eg localised international content pages, mobile commerce).
• Product redesign, packaging, and labelling required to meet an e-commerce export market requirement for storage, distribution, or market regulation requirements.
• Enhancement of localised marketing material (eg visual and audio media, translation services).
• Purchasing of in-market advertising to support international e-commerce activities (email marketing, Marketplace Sponsored Advertising etc.) Advertising expenses are limited to 50% of the TIQ Grant portion (eg for a $10,000 grant, only $5,000 can be spent on advertising and the other $5,000 must go to other eligible expenses listed here. Recipients must make a 1:1 matching contribution for all eligible expenses). 
• External ICT (Information and Communications Technology) to support e-commerce activities (eg website upgrades, functionality enhancements, implementing B2C platforms, email marketing solutions, logistics integration, domain name mapping, international market setup). 
• Setting up 3PL (third party logistics) partner for e-commerce sales to the international market (initial set up fees, initial 3PL receiver fees, in-market logistics consultant).
• Legal/tax/trademark advice to finalise e-commerce sales in-market and modify payment systems. 

• Maintenance of existing digital technologies.
• Website hosting as a stand-alone cost.
• Payments of wages/salaries – any supplier or consultant hired for the project must be external to the organisation (evidence will be required via an invoice for services provided at acquittal).
• Third-party (3PL) storage costs.
• Freight costs and import duties.
• Marketing and advertising campaigns aimed at Australian audiences.
• Advertising via an influencer and other related expenses.
• Marketing campaigns on the TikTok platform.
• Goods or services purchased prior to the grant opening date and/or any retrospective costs.
• Any program, project or activity that is subsidised directly by another government agency.
• Activities that are elsewhere covered by contributions from other agencies, including but not limited to local, state, or federal government grant or reimbursement programs.
• Participation in study tours or other missions, regardless of the organiser nor contributions to, booth, expo, or event costs.
• Cost of inventory or raw materials in the production of the good or service.
• Internal costs of routine operational business activities such as marketing, salaries, superannuation, wages, rent, food and beverage expenditure - all supplier invoices must be from external suppliers.
• 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.
• Loans and debt financing expenses including interest and bank fees.
• Internal expenses for buying physical assets (such as photography/video equipment/laptops).
• Using a subsidiary, parent company, partner or other internal division as a supplier, with the same parent company, same management and/or address.
• 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.