Industry Growth Program

Industry Growth Program Advisory Service

Provides Australia innovators with hands-on guidance for commercialization strategy and growth planning and commercialization planning.

The Industry Growth Program (IGP) is administered by Australia's Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR) and supports innovative SMEs and startups in commercialising products, processes, and services within the seven National Reconstruction Fund (NRF) priority areas: renewables and low emissions technologies, medical science, transport, value-add agriculture and fisheries, value-add resources, defence capability, and enabling capabilities. The Advisory Service is the mandatory first stage of the program and the entry gate to all IGP grant funding. Through the Advisory Service, eligible SMEs are matched with an experienced IGP Adviser drawn from a national network of state-based specialists in VIC, TAS, NSW, QLD, WA, and SA. The Adviser provides tailored, free-of-charge strategic guidance across commercialisation strategy, business model validation, capital raising, IP management, market testing, partnership development, and growth planning.

To access the Advisory Service, an SME must be an incorporated company, co-operative, or incorporated trustee operating in Australia; hold an ABN and be registered for GST; have averaged annual turnover under A$20 million across each of the most recent three financial years; and be working on an innovative product or service in one of the NRF priority areas. Individuals, partnerships, government agencies, and non-compliant employers under the Workplace Gender Equality Act are not eligible. The Adviser produces a formal Advisory Report with recommendations, which is required before a business can apply for either of the two IGP grant streams: Early-Stage Commercialisation Grants (A$50,000–A$250,000 for TRL 3–6 projects) or Commercialisation and Growth Grants (A$100,000–A$5 million for TRL 4–9 projects). As of 13 May 2026, the program is paused to new Advisory Service applications; existing advisory engagements continue.

The program has awarded 133 grants totalling A$201.5 million (excluding GST) since launch, with recent rounds including A$21.2 million for 13 projects in March 2026 and A$6.9 million for five seaweed and microalgae commercialisation projects in April 2026. Application response time for the Advisory Service, when open, is within 10 working days of a complete submission. Businesses should contact the business.gov.au contact centre (13 28 46) or register on business.gov.au to initiate an Advisory Service engagement and be assigned an Adviser. The formal Advisory Report is the critical output required before any grant application can be lodged.