Queensland Circular Economy (Industry-Research) Innovation Grant
What is the grant for?
The Queensland Circular Economy (Industry-Research) Innovation Grant aims to bolster industry-driven research and innovation to facilitate the shift from the conventional linear take-make-waste model towards a less wasteful circular economy approach.
Funding opportunities
Grants of up to $50,000 (excluding GST) for an industry-driven research and innovation project to achieve a more sustainable and less wasteful circular economy model
Inclusive of a minimum co-contribution of 20% of the amount of Grant requested (cash or in-kind)
What is the Circular Economy?
The circular economy is a bigger concept than simply switching one material for another or recycling better – it’s about creating interconnected solutions to meet interconnected challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution.
Circular economy focuses on three core principles (from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation), driven by design:
Eliminate waste and pollution
Circulate products and materials at their highest value (for as long as possible); and
Regenerate natural systems
Funds for these Grants have been provided by the Department of Environment, Science, and Innovation (DESI) to support industry and research collaborations and innovation for circular economy outcomes; and to assist Queensland in its journey towards becoming a zero-waste society, in line with the Queensland Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy.
Fund objectives
The primary objective of the Queensland Circular Economy (Industry-Research) Innovation Grant Program is to stimulate and foster industry, government, research sector and other stakeholder connections, and facilitate collaborations to develop innovative solutions (processes, technologies, and business models) where waste is designed out of regional economies and materials are circulated at their highest value.
In a practical sense that means the principal aim of initiatives or proposals will be around eliminating or addressing waste and retaining value of materials and products; and any water and energy efficiency benefits will be seen as a bonus.
Specifically it aims to:
address pressing circular economy challenges in the Greater Whitsunday Region through circular economy principles
promote collaborative efforts among industry professionals, academic researchers, key stakeholders, and the community to devise actionable and tailored regional solutions
advance the transition of circular economy projects from exploratory research or conceptual stages to applied stages
Who should apply?
You are an innovator, inventor, or change-maker whether you are part of an existing business, a start-up venture, a sole-trader, or a university researcher. The project should also have an element of collaboration with at least one other collaborative partnership
You are targeting a specific and significant problem in the Greater Whitsunday region
You have identified a circular economy concept or idea that you are passionate about and are ready to develop, test, and/or validate with collaborators.
You are based in Greater Whitsunday Region (as defined the local government areas of Mackay, Isaac, and Whitsunday)
How is the Resources Centre of Excellence supporting applicants?
The Resources Centre of Excellence is seeking to support potential grant applicants through provision of circular economy education, grant information sessions with Q&A, networking events, and our Circular Collaboration Noticeboard, where people can post their circular economy ideas and invite collaborators to join their application.
How to apply
Grant applications open for submissions on the SmartyGrants portal on April 3rd, 2024. This is the link to SmartyGrants application.
Hints for SmartyGrants
The Queensland Circular Economy (Industry-Research) Innovation Grant online grant application is via SmartyGrants. The Resources Centre of Excellence has utilised Mackay Regional Council’s SmartyGrants platform, and therefore the front screen of the platform carries Mackay Regional Council default branding.
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If you wish to leave a partially completed application, press 'save and close' and log out. When you log back in and click on the 'My Submissions' link at the top of the screen, you will find a list of any applications you have started or submitted.
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You will find a Review and Submit button at the bottom of the Navigation Panel. You need to review your application before you can submit it.
Once you have reviewed your application you can submit it by clicking on 'Submit' at the top or bottom of the screen or on the navigation panel. You will not be able to submit your application until all the compulsory questions are completed and there are no validation errors.
Once you have submitted your application, no further editing or uploading of support materials is possible.
When you submit your application, you will receive a confirmation email with a copy of your submitted application attached. This will be sent to the email you used to register.
If you do not receive a confirmation of submission email, then you should presume that your submission has NOT been submitted.
Hint: also check the email hasn't landed in your spam or junk email folder.
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You will need to upload/submit attachments to support your application. This is very simple, but requires you to have the documents saved on your computer, or on a storage device.
You need to allow enough time for each file to upload before trying to attach another file. Files can be up to 25MB each; however, we do recommend trying to keep files to a maximum of 5MB – the larger the file, the longer the upload time.
Key Dates
Applications open: 3 April 2024
Applications close: 6 June 2024, 3pm
Notification of outcome: 4 July 2024
Funding agreements established: Early July 2024
Projects commenced: Upon signing the funding agreement with the Resources Centre of Excellence
Project completed and report submitted: 18 April 2025 (approx 9 months)
Where can I learn more?
For further details, eligibility and assessment criteria to be addressed in all applications, please see the Queensland Circular Economy (Industry-Research) Grants Program Draft Guidelines - click to download
Have questions?
Get in touch with our team at events@rcoe.com.au
FAQs
What regions are eligible?
This grant is focused on Mackay, Isaac, and Whitsunday Council LGAs (Greater Whitsunday Region).
I'm not sure if my project will be eligible because of the location of project partners- what businesses are geographically in scope for this grant?
All projects must be based in Mackay-Isaac-Whitsunday (MIW), although there is some flexibility as to where lead applicants and project collaborators can be located. See table below for details.
Can I apply for this grant more than once?
There is no restriction on the number of applications from one lead applicant, as long as the projects proposed are clearly different. Applications will be assessed on each application’s individual merits. Where we are considering funding different projects with the same lead applicant, we will consider their capacity to deliver multiple projects as proposed.
Is my project idea circular?
The Greater Whitsunday Circular Economy Grant program welcomes innovative projects that promote a circular economy in the region. Here's some questions to help you assess if your project aligns with our program's goals.
Consider the three core principles of the circular economy:
Eliminate Waste: Does your project minimise waste generation throughout its lifecycle? Think about reducing packaging, optimising resource use, or extending product lifespans.
Circulate Materials: Will your project keep resources in use for longer? Can products or materials be reused, repaired, or upcycled?
Regenerate Nature: Does your project promote practices that restore and protect the natural environment? Consider initiatives that improve soil health, reduce pollution, or support biodiversity.
Ask yourself these questions:
How does my project eliminate or reduce waste generation?
Does my project create opportunities for reusing or upcycling materials within the local economy?
Will my project contribute to the health and resilience of the natural environment in the region?
Check out the Circular Economy Resources page for useful information including the Online Information Session held on 20th March 2024.
Will the grant support feasibility assessments or business cases?
Business case development or feasibility studies will not be funded. The program is designed to spur innovative processes, business models, or technologies that can help catalyse a circular economy in the Greater Whitsunday region.
What project topics are in and out of scope for eligibility for this grant?
IN SCOPE
Circulation of materials at their highest value for as long as possible (Highest value could be, for example, turning products into valuable new products or directing biological materials towards natural regeneration. It could include keeping products in circulation through reuse, recycling, remanufacturing, delivering products-as-services and sharing)
Designing out waste of products and materials to reduce or avoid going to landfill
OUT OF SCOPE
Water and energy-only projects (though can be part of the project)
Primarily “end-of-pipe” projects e.g. waste to energy, waste to biochar (unless regeneration project)
For a more comprehensive list of what will and will not be funded, please see Section 3.5 and 3.6 of the Grant Guidelines.
Why is biochar not accepted except in instances of natural regeneration?
Biochar projects funded by this grant need to be in line with the principles of a circular economy. While biochar can be a valuable product, using biomass for biochar is considered "end-of-pipe" in a circular context. However, biochar projects will be accepted if that biochar is being redirected back to soil or biodiversity regeneration, which aligns with the third principle of a circular economy, regenerate natural systems.
What sorts of circular opportunities are there in the Greater Whitsunday Region?
Key challenges and opportunities as related to circularity for the three key sectors in the Greater Whitsunday Region have been listed below. These insights have been collated from stakeholder interviews, surveys, and document review. While the focus here is on these three key sectors, most sectors in the region struggle with the same challenges - degradation of ecosystems, tyranny of distance, infrastructure & labour costs, fluctuations in supply and demand, how to manage plastics, prohibitive regulation, to name a few. The circular economy, with three guiding principles and a suite of tools to support taking circular action, offers a solution to all these common challenges. The Resources Centre of Excellence will be regularly updating our circular economy resources page with circular tools & insights into key challenges and opportunities in the region. Email engage@rcoe.com.au if you’d like to be added to our circular economy platform distribution list!
What are the key tools to support our understanding of how to practise circularity?
The five circular economy business models
The Butterfly Diagram
Network Governance for a Circular Economy