The South East South Australia Innovation and Investment Fund (SESAIIF) will assist with industry development in South Australia following the decision of Kimberly-Clark Australia to restructure its operations in South Australia.
The SESAIIF is a $12 million competitive, merit-based grants program for innovative job creation projects to strengthen south east South Australia's regional economy and employment base. It will encourage applications for manufacturing, manufacturing services and other services projects. It will be jointly administered by the Australian and South Australian governments.
What projects are eligible?
The following conditions apply to project eligibility:
- projects must have at least $100,000 in eligible capital costs (primarily being for plant and equipment directly applied to the production of the outputs of the investment proposal)
- projects which involve Kimberly-Clark Australia will not be funded
- funding will be directed at sustainable job creation in south east South Australia, rather than community-based projects
- projects which involve no sustained net increase in economic activity in Australia or involve a relocation of activity to South Australia from other states and territories will not be funded
- projects that help to diversify the south east South Australian manufacturing and economic base will be favoured
- projects which demonstrate the introduction of new innovations or technology (rather than research and scoping studies) will be favoured
- funding will not be provided for retrospective activities (i.e. project expenditure prior to the finalisation of the funding agreement will not be funded) except with prior approval.
Who can apply?
Eligible applicants are those firms/commercial enterprises:
- which are legal entities, i.e. with whom the Commonwealth and the South Australian Government can enter into a legally binding funding agreement; and
- which have an Australian Business Number and are registered for the Goods and Services Tax (GST); and
- which can demonstrate the commitment of funding, exclusive of in-kind contributions, to the investment proposal which is free of other government funding and which at least matches the funding which is being sought from the program.
How do I apply for the program?
Applicants must complete the application form which is available online at AusIndustry or from the AusIndustry Hotline 13 28 46. Round 2 of the program closes at 5.30pm AEST on Wednesday 29 February 2012. Directions on how to apply are set out in the SESAIIF guide for applicants.
How will an application be assessed?
AusIndustry will evaluate each application in terms of its eligibility. If eligible, AusIndustry will then assess the application and determine the strengths and weaknesses against the evaluation criteria. In assessing applications, AusIndustry will seek advice from the South Australian Department of Manufacturing, Innovation, Trade, Resources and Energy (DMITRE), as well as from other sources internal or external to the government.
If the investment proposal is of sufficiently high merit, AusIndustry will provide an assessment of the proposal, including the advice of the DMITRE, to the SESAIIF Advisory Committee.
The Committee will then make recommendations on project funding to the relevant federal minister and the South Australian Minister for Manufacturing, Innovation and Trade.
These recommendations will include which projects should be funded and the level of funding that should be provided to each project. Final decisions on project funding will rest with the relevant federal minister in consultation with the South Australian Minister for Manufacturing, Innovation and Trade.
What will a customer be asked to do if successful?
All offers of funding will be dependent on the successful applicants entering into a funding agreement with the Australian and South Australian governments. The funding agreement will reflect the investment proposal and proposed outcomes, the funding that has been approved and the conditions on which payments will be made.
Further information
For further information on the program, contact the AusIndustry hotline on 13 28 46 or email saiif@innovation.gov.au. Alternatively, see the AusIndustry website.
Note: There may be links contained within this document which will transfer you from the AusIndustry website. AusIndustry does not have responsibility for these external websites nor does linking constitute any form of endorsement.
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