- § 01
What changed in Round 4
Austrade rebuilt EMDG as a first-come, first-served grant programme with a finite $104.5m pool. Applications are assessed in lodgement order, not on merit alone, so timing matters as much as quality. Reimbursement timelines have moved upfront via signed Grant Agreements, but the trade-off is a stricter Plan to Market and capacity-to-spend test.
- § 02
Who qualifies
Australian businesses with 2+ years of continuous ABN history, turnover between $100,000 and $20m, an existing or credible plan to export within 12 months, and the financial capacity to spend at least $20,000 of their own funds per claim year on eligible export marketing.
- § 03
Tier maths
Tier 1 ($100k to $2m turnover) caps at $30,000 per year. Tier 2 ($2m to $5m) caps at $50,000. Tier 3 ($5m to $20m) caps at $80,000. Austrade matches 50% of eligible export marketing spend up to your tier ceiling. Run the numbers in the calculator before you commit to a tier.
- § 04
Plan to Market
The Plan to Market is the make-or-break document. It must name target markets, channel mix, expected outcomes, KPIs, and the matched spend you can credibly fund. Vague plans get pushed to the back of the queue. Use our template to structure yours in the format Austrade expects.
- § 05
Eligible expense categories
Overseas representation and travel, marketing and promotional materials, trade fairs and missions, intellectual property protection in overseas markets, training, market visits and free samples. Each category has its own evidence bar. The checklist walks you through what to keep.
- § 06
Timing and queue dynamics
Austrade publishes the round opening date with roughly two weeks' notice. Drafted applications sit in escrow and lodge inside the first hour, ahead of the bulk of consultants who scramble in the first week. Late lodgement is the single biggest cause of Round 4 rejection.
Sources: austrade.gov.au · business.gov.au