EMDG Grant Guide: Eligibility and Funding Explained

Export Market Development Grants (EMDG) help eligible Australian businesses fund overseas marketing and promotion, with some support for export training. Austrade administers the program through competitive funding rounds. As of October 2026, EMDG Round 4 is closed and Austrade has not announced the timing of another application round. Businesses with Round 4 agreements may still have expenditure and reporting obligations for 2026–27.

The rules below explain Round 4, which funds activities in the 2025–26 and 2026–27 financial years. Austrade may change eligibility, funding amounts and application processes in a future round.

Quick Summary

• EMDG provides matched grant funding for eligible export marketing and promotional activities, rather than a general rebate for every overseas business expense.
• Round 4 applications are closed. Austrade has not confirmed when the next application round will open as at 22 October 2026.
• For Round 4, small and medium enterprise (SME) grant amounts ranged from $20,000 To $80,000 per financial year, depending on the tier, eligibility and grant agreement.
• Sme applicants needed at least two years of operation under the same Australian Business Number (ABN), sufficient turnover, an export plan and the ability to contribute their own funding.
• Round 4 recipients with 2026–27 grant activities must submit their milestone report By 15 June 2027, subject to their agreement and Austrade’s reporting requirements.

What Are Export Market Development Grants and How Do They Work?

EMDG is an Australian Government grants program, managed by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), that assists eligible businesses with the cost of promoting substantially Australian products and services overseas. The program also supports certain export training activities.

For eligible SMEs, a grant contributes to approved expenditure, while the business contributes its own money. Austrade assesses eligibility, allocates limited funding and determines grant payments under a formal grant agreement. An eligible business is not automatically entitled to funding.

For example, a Perth software company considering a launch in Singapore might plan market research, overseas advertising and meetings with prospective business customers. Those activities may fall within EMDG expense categories if the software, business and proposed expenditure satisfy the relevant guidelines. The company would still need to meet the tier requirements and obtain a grant agreement before treating any funding as available.

Is the EMDG Grant Open in 2026?

No. Round 4 is closed to new applications. Applications opened in November 2024 and closed in December 2024, although Tier 2 reached its application closing point on 12 November 2024. The resulting agreements cover eligible activities in 2025–26 and 2026–27.

Austrade currently states that there are no open application rounds and that it will announce the timing of a future round on its website. Businesses planning to apply should use Round 4 as a guide to the types of evidence they may need, without assuming future eligibility rules will be identical.

Who Was Eligible for an EMDG Grant in Round 4?

Businesses generally needed to be Australian SMEs offering an eligible product or service, meet the requirements of their chosen tier and demonstrate that they could fund their share of the proposed activities.

Common Round 4 SME Requirements Included:

• A valid ABN used for at least two years of business operations.
• Annual turnover above the tier’s minimum, but below $20 Million.
• The capacity to spend at least $20,000 Of the business’s own funds per financial year on proposed eligible activities, as well as matching the grant contribution.
• A specific, high-quality plan to market, backed by realistic activities and an export promotion budget.
• Evidence of tax compliance and suitability to receive Commonwealth funding.
• Evidence that the goods, services, software, events or intellectual property meet the Substantially Australian origin requirements.
• Recent export sales for Tier 2 and Tier 3 applicants, or evidence of export readiness for Tier 1 applicants.

Funding from another Commonwealth, state, territory or local government source cannot be used to make up the applicant’s required matched contribution. Representative bodies follow a separate set of eligibility rules.

What Are the EMDG Tiers and Grant Amounts?

Round 4 had three SME tiers and one category for representative bodies, with grant amounts determined by the applicant’s circumstances and the applicable annual funding limits.

Tier 1: Ready to Export

Tier 1 applied to businesses that had not exported before but were ready to begin promoting eligible products or services overseas. In addition to the general criteria, applicants had to complete Austrade-recognised export training and/or the Export Readiness Test before applying.

Tier 2: Expanding in Existing Export Markets

Tier 2 applied to established exporters planning to increase marketing and promotion in markets where they already had export sales. Applicants needed evidence of recent export activity and a plan showing the proposed expansion.

Tier 3: Entering New Key Markets

Tier 3 applied to established exporters planning a strategic shift towards new key markets recognised under the Round 4 rules. The business needed to demonstrate that the proposed market was new to its export sales and that its promotional activity addressed that market. A country was not automatically eligible simply because the business wanted to enter it.

Representative Bodies

Eligible industry associations and other representative organisations could apply to deliver recognised export training or undertake new export promotion activities for their SME members. Separate eligibility requirements applied, including suitable member benefits, a tailored activity plan and matched funding.

For detailed differences between the tiers, Austrade publishes individual guidance for Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 and representative bodies.

Austrade also applies limits to an SME’s participation across grant rounds. From Round 4, the limits included up to two Tier 1 financial years, four Tier 2 financial years and four Tier 3 financial years, subject to an overall eight-financial-year EMDG limit and other program rules. Years covered by a grant agreement may count even when no grant payment is received.

How Does EMDG Matched Funding Work?

Matched funding means the applicant must contribute eligible funds alongside any approved grant contribution. It is not a promise that Austrade will pay half of every cost, and it does not remove the need to meet the minimum capacity-to-spend requirement.

Illustrative example. Assume an existing exporter meets Tier 2 requirements, receives a $25,000 grant agreement for one year and spends $50,000 on activities Austrade accepts as eligible. The business would contribute $25,000 and the grant would contribute $25,000, subject to the agreement, expenditure evidence and milestones. If Austrade accepts less expenditure, the payment may be lower. Actual amounts and timing depend on the grant agreement.

Organisations need to budget for cash flow as well as their contribution. Depending on the agreement, Austrade may pay part of a grant before activities begin or after it accepts a milestone report. Businesses cannot assume the grant will arrive before supplier invoices fall due.

Which Export Marketing Expenses Can EMDG Cover?

EMDG may support direct, eligible overseas marketing and export promotion expenses, subject to the grant tier, eligible market, activity period, documentary evidence and detailed expenditure limits.

Austrade’s Round 4 Categories Included:

• International advertising and promotional material: Digital advertising, campaigns and promotional assets prepared for export markets, where they meet the guidelines.
• Overseas promotional visits: Short trips undertaken for eligible export promotion activities.
• Foreign representatives: Eligible costs associated with maintaining a representative in an overseas market.
• Export consultants and market research: Engaging consultants for eligible research or promotion activities.
• Foreign buyer engagement: Certain visits by overseas buyers and short Australian trips for meetings with foreign buyers.
• Product samples: Providing free samples to prospective overseas buyers where the relevant conditions are satisfied.
• Intellectual property rights: Eligible costs connected with protecting export products in foreign markets.
• Export training: Eligible Tier 1 training and certain representative-body training activities.

Which Costs Need Particular Care?

An ordinary business expense does not qualify simply because the business exports. General domestic advertising, trips without a qualifying export promotion purpose and activities outside the grant’s eligible market or period may fall outside the rules. Supplier invoices also need to show the type of service received, and supporting material should connect that service to the approved activity.

For example, an Australian manufacturer attending a local trade event should not assume its full event budget qualifies. Austrade distinguishes short Australian trips to engage foreign buyers from general networking events where no foreign buyers attend. Review the specific expense rules before committing funds.

What Records Do Businesses Need for an EMDG Application?

Applicants needed financial records, evidence of exporting or export readiness, and a clear business-specific plan. The required attachments varied by tier, business structure and activity.

For a future round, a useful preparation file may include financial statements, tax records, bank statements, ABN history, evidence of Australian origin, a marketing plan, budgets and documents showing prior export sales where relevant. The exact templates, reporting periods and submission format must be checked against the future round’s instructions.

A plan to market should describe the actual export activity. Identify the overseas market, the intended buyers, the proposed campaigns or meetings, the costs, the business objective and the measures you will use to review progress. A generic marketing proposal copied between businesses may not satisfy Austrade’s requirements.

How Does a Business Apply for an EMDG Grant?

Applications must be lodged through Austrade’s EMDG online portal during an open round. The following process reflects Round 4 and can help businesses prepare for any future announcement.

In Round 4, applicants also needed access to myID and the Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM), their Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC) code, and the relevant application templates. Austrade assessed applications in order of receipt and closed each tier when its available funding was allocated. Even an application lodged before closure could be unsuccessful.

A grant consultant may assist with information gathering and drafting, but Austrade alone determines eligibility, offers agreements and authorises payments. Businesses seeking help preparing grant documentation can review Origin’s grant writing and application support.

When Are EMDG Milestone Reports and Grant Payments Due?

For Round 4 activity in 2026–27, Austrade requires milestone reports by 15 June 2027. Its portal opened for those reports on 3 August 2026. A grant recipient must submit a milestone report for the financial year even if it spent nothing, subject to the terms of its agreement.

Keep clear evidence of eligible activity and spending, including supplier invoices, proof of payment where needed, and records showing the export market and promotion purpose. Austrade may ask for more information before accepting a report or making a payment.

Round 4 recipients may submit one milestone report per grant activity year. If eligible spending is planned for 15 to 30 June 2027, Austrade instructs recipients to identify that intention in the report; the agency may seek further details. Your grant agreement governs the reporting schedule and the amounts payable.

What Changed Under Round 4 of the EMDG Program?

Round 4 introduced changes intended to direct funding towards businesses with export capability, stronger planning and the capacity to invest in overseas promotion.

The Principal Changes Included:

• Stated grant ranges for each tier, with higher annual maximums than in previous arrangements.
• More specific annual turnover thresholds and a two-year ABN operating history for SMEs.
• A requirement to demonstrate at least $20,000 per year of available business funds for proposed eligible activities.
• An export readiness requirement for Tier 1 and a focus on new key markets for Tier 3.
• Assessment in the order applications arrived, with a tier closing once funding had been allocated.
• Revised rules for counting years under an EMDG agreement against the overall program limit.

These were Round 4 requirements, not confirmed terms of a new round. Businesses reading older EMDG articles may encounter different grant amounts or descriptions of retrospective rebates. Use Austrade’s current guidelines and your grant agreement as the primary references.

How Origin May Be Able to Help

Origin Business Consultants is a First Nations-led accounting, tax and business advisory firm based in West Perth. We may be able to help your business assess the financial and documentary requirements of an EMDG application or manage the reporting obligations of an existing grant.

Depending on your circumstances, support may include reviewing the relevant eligibility criteria, examining financial records, preparing an export marketing budget, organising supporting documents and working through the reporting requirements set out in your grant agreement. We can also help you consider the cash flow implications of matched expenditure, drawing on our financial modelling services.

Origin cannot determine your eligibility or approve EMDG funding. Austrade makes those decisions. Where a business needs legal advice about agreements or other specialist issues, separate professional advice may also be appropriate.

Get in touch with our EMDG grant application experts today.

FAQs

Review Your EMDG Position Before Making Spending Commitments

If you already have a grant agreement, check its eligible activity period, reporting terms and cash flow requirements. If you plan to apply in a future round, prepare the records and export plan you may need, while waiting for Austrade to announce new guidelines.

Official sources: Austrade’s EMDG program overview, Round 4 grant amounts and expense categories, Round 4 grant guidelines, milestone reports and payments and grant agreements. Accessed and reviewed 22 October 2026.

This information is general in nature and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or individual circumstances. Tax, accounting and business outcomes depend on your circumstances and the rules applying at the relevant time. Consider obtaining professional advice before acting.