Local Battery Manufacturing Program: Production Scale-Up Funding Stream

To be considered eligible for funding under the Stream, applicants must meet all the following criteria at the time of application submission: 

• Have an Australian Business Number (ABN). 

• Have a minimum of 50% Australian ownership. 

• Be a for-profit entity, or an incorporated not-for-profit Aboriginal Corporation operating as a commercial enterprise.  

• Be a legally registered entity that can enter into a Financial Assistance Agreement (FAA) with the Department, and can include a corporate trustee applying on behalf of a trust. 

• Be operating within the battery energy storage supply chain, within the scope identified in 1.3 of the Guidelines. 

• Have been operating for at least 12 months at the time of the application submission or have evidence of market acceptance of the Project (e.g. offtake agreements). 

• Be registered for GST for a minimum of 12 months and intend to remain registered for a further 12 months at minimum. 

• Be a solvent business and remain so throughout the Project duration. 

• Provide evidence of a physical business presence including FTEs in Western Australia. Where a business operates in multiple locations, headquarters may be located outside of WA.  

• Businesses seeking funding for activities in support of full or partial relocation of operations to Western Australia will only be considered where: 
  • sufficient intent to establish local presence is demonstrated (e.g. evidence of engagement with a commercial real estate agent to acquire or lease business premises in WA).
  • the relocation introduces new forms of activity into the Western Australian economy i.e. when it does not directly complete with existing Western Australian manufacturers. 

• Be a business that intends to continue operating in Western Australia for at least another 3 years or until the completion of the funded Project, whichever is longest, and to progress any completed grant-funded and flow-on activities and outcomes in Western Australia.  

Eligible applicants must submit their application online via the SmartyGrants portal. Applicants must create an online account via the portal and complete all parts of the application form, including attaching required documentation. Applicants can submit one application in this Stream per round. 

Applicants have the ability to preview the application form before starting a submission, and the ability to save their progress before final submission. Once submitted, applicants may also make changes until the advertised round close time. 

Applicants are responsible for ensuring their application is complete and accurate before submission. Unsubmitted applications will not be considered. Where submissions are incomplete, the evaluation panel Chairperson will determine whether this renders an applicant ineligible, or whether this should simply be reflected in the evaluation and scoring process. 

Before applying, applicants should thoroughly review the relevant guidelines and preview the application form. It is recommended that applicants contact the Department for further advice if they remain unsure about elements of their eligibility or any other requirements. 

All applications must be submitted online via the SmartyGrants portal by the advertised deadline. No submissions via email, registered post or any other format will be accepted. Late submissions will not be accepted. 

We need a line somewhere that saying that the full application guidelines are below, and that what is provided here in the website is a summary of key points.