Factsheet

The Textile, Clothing and Footwear Strategic Capability Program (TCF SCP) offers grants from $250,000 to projects that will boost innovative capability in the TCF industries at the enterprise and workplace level.

The minimum grant size is $250,000 and funding must be matched on a dollar for dollar basis by the successful grant recipient to support projects of a minimum of $500,000 in eligible expenditure. Funding for the program runs from June 2010 to June 2015, with $35 million available for grants during the five years of the program. AusIndustry calls for grant applications in selection rounds.

The program is a competitive, merit-based grants program. All eligible TCF businesses can apply.

Consortium applications are also available which can include any non-TCF business provided that the consortium includes an eligible TCF business.

The program funds strategic projects that increase innovative capability across the Australian TCF industry. By supporting the development of innovative capability, the program aims to assist the growth and development of a highly-creative, sustainable and internationally-competitive TCF sector.

To be eligible for a grant, the applicant or lead applicant in the case of a consortium must meet the eligibility criteria. These include (but are not limited to):

• being an entity undertaking an eligible TCF activity or being a prescribed entity under the guidelines
• accredited with, or seeking accreditation with, Ethical Clothing Australia (ECA). To be 'seeking accreditation', you will need to have submitted an application in accordance with the procedures of ECA and to the satisfaction of the department
• able to demonstrate they can pay their share of the proposed projects costs
• able to demonstrate that the application is for eligible project expenditure, and
• able to demonstrate that it has access to, or the beneficial use of, any intellectual property required to carry out and commercialise the project.

Applicants should read the TCF SCP Customer Information Guide to familiarise themselves with all the eligibility criteria. Applications that do not meet the eligibility criteria will not be assessed.

Proposed projects need to be in the form of one or more of the following activities to be considered eligible:

1. Innovation, research and design capability.
   Supporting projects that will build innovative capability, increase the intensity of research and technology development or contribute to market-leading design relevant to manufacturing in Australia.
2. Collaboration, networks and supply chain participation.
   Cultivating networks and partnership activity among firms, including with research and educational institutions, and developing their role in local and global supply chains.
3. Accessing market opportunities.
   Supporting firms and organisations to access markets because of their unique design, innovation and knowledge-driven competitive advantage.
4. New business models and strategic repositioning.
   Enabling firms and organisations to reposition themselves in response to changing market conditions and opportunities with innovative business models.
5. High-performance work and management systems.
   Developing an inclusive partnership approach to productivity-enhancing organisational change and improvement in the workplace.
6. Education and skills.
   Funding educational and skills-development initiatives within firms, including in partnership with external education and training providers.
7. Environmentally-sustainable and ethical practices.
   Helping firms to pursue environmentally-sustainable practices and ensuring ethical supply chains.

Applications that meet the eligibility criteria will be assessed on the following merit criteria.

1. How the proposed project will contribute to building innovative capability in sustainable and internationally competitive TCF industries.
   The applicant's capacity and capability to undertake the project, including management capability
2. The applicant's capacity and capability to undertake the project, including management capability
3. How the applicant intends to disseminate the learning outcomes of their project to benefit others.

Merit criterion 1 is weighted at 60%, criterion 2 at 30% and criterion 3 at 10%.

Applicants will be informed in writing of the outcome of their applications. Successful applicants must enter into a grant agreement with the Commonwealth of Australia within 45 days of being notified of the outcome of their application.

There will be a number of grant payments during the life of the grant. Payments will be milestone-based, as detailed in the funding agreement. Part of the funding will be paid in advance once the funding agreement is signed. The final payment will be dependant on the receipt and acceptance of a final audited project report.

The dates of application rounds will be published on the TCF Strategic Capability Program information page.

To apply, you must fill in the TCF Strategic Capability Program grant application form then lodge it with your nearest AusIndustry State/Territory or regional office by the due date. Late applications will not be accepted.