What does it offer?
The Green Car Innovation Fund offers grants from $100,000 for projects that significantly reduce the fuel consumption and/or greenhouse gas emissions of passenger motor vehicles.
Funding is granted on a 1:3 ratio, with one dollar of government funding (25%) to three dollars from the applicant. Applicants may seek greater than 25% funding on an exceptions basis.
Who is eligible?
The program is delivered under two streams.
To be eligible to apply under Stream A, applicants must:
- be a Motor Vehicle Producer (MVP) registered under the Australian Government's Automotive Competitiveness and Investment Scheme (ACIS) or the Automotive Transformation Scheme (ATS); and
- apply for a grant of $5 million or more. The cumulative total of grants for an applicant must not exceed $300 million.
To be eligible to apply under Stream B applicants must:
- either be a non-tax exempt company incorporated under the Corporations Act 2001, or an individual who warrants to form such a company, if offered assistance and prior to signing a grant agreement
- not be a Motor Vehicle Producer, or an entity related to a Motor Vehicle Producer registered under ACIS or ATS, and
- apply for a grant of $100,000 or more. The cumulative total of grants for an applicant must not exceed $100 million.
Applicants under Streams A and B must also demonstrate:
- an ability to fund the costs of the proposed project which are not covered by the grant, and
- access to and rights in all intellectual property necessary to carry out and commercialise the project.
Projects involving collaborative arrangements are also eligible. Please consult the GCIF Customer Information Guide on the AusIndustry website for more information.
What are the eligible activities?
Project activities must be carried out in Australia and aim to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions and/or fuel consumption of passenger motor vehicles.
They include:
- research and development
- proof-of-concept
- early-stage commercialisation; and
- pre-production development.
Projects can be up to three years in duration.
How are applications assessed?
The GCIF is a competitive merit-based grants program which means applications must rate highly against the program’s merit criteria and against other applications to result in a grant offer.
Applications were assessed on a continuous basis by a committee of Innovation Australia. The committee provided an independent assessment and merit ranking of each eligible application. The committee met about every six to eight weeks to assess GCIF applications.
Merit criteria
Eligible applications were assessed against the following equally weighted criteria:
- the extent of the reduction in passenger motor vehicle fuel consumption and/or greenhouse gas emissions
- the technical merit, and the extent and calibre of innovation
- the capacity and capability of the applicant to undertake the project
- the commercialisation potential of the proposed project, and
- how the project will contribute to a sustainable and internationally-competitive Australian automotive industry and the broader Australian economy.
Further information about the merit criteria is available in the GCIF Customer Information Guide on the AusIndustry website.
What are successful applicants asked to do?
Successful applicants need to execute a GCIF Grant Agreement with the Commonwealth in order to receive grant funding.
The compliance requirements for successful applicants are set out in the grant agreement, and explained in the GCIF Guide to managing your grant, both of which are available on the AusIndustry website.
Program background
The Green Car Innovation Fund was established as a key element of A New Car Plan for a Greener Future initiative, announced by the Australian Government in November 2008.
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