Advance Queensland Innovation Events Fund

Advance Queensland Innovation Events Fund — Seed

Provides event organizers in Queensland with practical support through the Advance Queensland Innovation Events Fund for innovation networking.

Eligibility · Australia · AU-QLD

The Advance Queensland Innovation Events Fund provides grants of $10,000 to $25,000 (exclusive of GST) to Queensland-incorporated organisations planning to run innovation and entrepreneurship events in the state. The fund is administered by the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) and processed through the SmartyGrants platform. Funding covers up to 50 percent of an event's cash budget — applicants must match the remainder from their own or other sources. The program runs multiple rounds per year; Round 1 2026 opened 9 February 2026 and closed 16 March 2026, and future rounds are expected on a comparable cadence.

Eligibility is open to incorporated organisations headquartered in Queensland, spanning for-profit companies, non-profits, and universities. There are no stated sector restrictions — events across technology, manufacturing, health, energy, and other innovation-adjacent verticals qualify, provided the event is designed to stimulate innovation activity or entrepreneurship in Queensland. Applicants must be prepared to demonstrate their event's capacity to generate measurable innovation outcomes and economic benefit to the state.

For organisations planning innovation summits, hackathons, pitch competitions, demo days, or similar gatherings, the Innovation Events Fund provides a predictable co-funding option that reopens multiple times annually. Success depends on a clear articulation of event format, anticipated participant profile, geographic reach within Queensland, and a credible post-event impact narrative. Organisations running recurring annual events should monitor the SmartyGrants portal for the next round opening, as prior-year grants do not guarantee renewal.