Innovation Booster Grant

About this programme

The Innovation Booster Grant (IBG) is a competitive Western Australian Government grant funded through the $40 million New Industries and Innovation Fund (NIIF, 2025-29), administered by the Department of Energy and Economic Diversification (DEED). It targets early-stage founders, innovation-driven SMEs, and startups based in Western Australia, funding a share of the cost of external support services that help a business get an innovation from idea to commercially-ready.

The grant is designed to fund the procurement of external support services against a project, not the day-to-day work of the business itself. Eligible uses include developing or enhancing a commercially-ready product or service, testing/validating/certifying a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), procuring specialist consultancy for IP, marketing or commercialisation, or addressing a specific technical problem the business cannot solve in-house.

IBG sits at the pre-seed/seed end of the funding pathway: the business's project must be pre-revenue (the business itself can have prior revenue, but the specific project cannot). Projects further along, at the commercialisation stage, are pointed instead to DEED's companion Commercialisation Bridge Grant (CBG) - a business may apply to both for the same project but can only accept funding from one.

The Minister for Science and Innovation makes the final funding decision on the recommendation of an independent Evaluation Panel, and all decisions are at the State's absolute discretion. Since 2021 the program has awarded roughly $6.6 million across close to 200 projects; the 2025 round funded 16 businesses with grants between $26,137.50 and $50,000, most at the $50,000 cap, for a total of $748,173.50.

How it works

Maximum grant per application is $50,000, for a project completed within 12 months of the Financial Assistance Agreement (FAA) being executed. There is no stated minimum, but the applicant must demonstrate genuine need for the funding.

The applicant must co-contribute matched cash funding: 15% of the total project cost for businesses headquartered in regional WA, First Nations founded businesses (at least 50% First Nations founded), or female founded businesses (at least 50% female founded); 20% for all other applicants. Matched funds must be cash the business already holds at the time of application - in-kind contributions are not recognised, and the matched funds cannot themselves be other Western Australian government funding.

Total project budget (grant plus matched funding) must be under $100,000. At the 20% tier, a $50,000 grant requires a minimum $12,500 co-contribution (min. total project cost $62,500); at the 15% tier, a $50,000 grant requires a minimum $8,824 co-contribution (min. total project cost $58,824).

Funding is paid in two instalments via EFT, GST-excluded: 50% on execution of the FAA against an invoice, alongside submission of a Project Plan and evidence of public liability insurance of at least $5,000,000 per claim; the remaining 50% is invoiced after the 12-month project period, once activities are complete and expenses paid, against an Acquittal Report and Expenditure Summary with proof of expenditure (paid invoices, bank statements).

Grant and matched funds can only be spent on external support services - procured from a provider that is not affiliated with the applicant business (no parent/subsidiary or shared-founder/board relationships) - across four categories: (1) Research and Development - compliance testing, product testing and validation, laboratory verification, certification; (2) Product Development - engineering design work, building an MVP; (3) Technology Transfer and IP - IP protection, legal advice, licensing; (4) Commercialisation Support Services - innovation management/consulting, commercialisation strategy including market-entry marketing, feasibility studies, financial support such as tax incentive advice or capital raising strategy.

Ineligible uses include in-house/business-as-usual activity (existing staff costs, website development), business and strategic planning, marketing/promotional material or events not tied to a commercialisation pathway, standard hardware/software purchases, training courses, and facility maintenance.

Who can apply

The applicant business must be registered in Western Australia with a current ABN and/or ACN, and must intend to remain based in WA for the next three years.

The business must employ between one and 20 people - sole traders, private-sector firms, partnerships and non-profit entities are all included.

The business must be solvent and pass due diligence checks, and must not have previously raised $5,000,000 or more in capital.

The specific project/initiative must be pre-revenue, have a total project budget under $100,000, and must not have already commenced - grant funding cannot be applied to a project already underway.

The business must not have previously received an Innovation Booster Grant for the same project, and must not have received, or be likely to receive, other WA government funding for the same project.

The applicant must be willing and financially able to provide the required matched cash co-contribution, and must intend to use the grant and matched funds to procure an external, unaffiliated support service.

Applications are submitted through the Good Grants platform by the stated closing date and time.

How to apply

1. Read the current year's Innovation Booster Grant Guidelines to confirm eligibility and alignment with program objectives.
2. Prepare the application addressing the five evaluation criteria - innovation, need for funding, competitive advantage, capacity/capability/resources, and impact and alignment to Diversify WA priority sectors - each scored out of 10 by an independent panel.
3. Complete the Forecasted Expenditure spreadsheet using the Department's own downloadable template; applications using any other format are found ineligible.
4. Submit the application via the Good Grants platform before the round's stated closing date and time.
5. DEED first runs an eligibility check on submitted applications, then an independent Evaluation Panel scores and ranks the eligible ones, and the Minister for Science and Innovation reviews the panel's recommendations for final approval. Per the published Key Dates for the 2026 round, roughly two to three months elapse between the application closing date and outcome notification.
6. All applicants are notified of the outcome by email. Successful applicants undergo due diligence checks and are then invited to sign a Financial Assistance Agreement (FAA), which must be returned within 30 days of receipt or the approval may lapse.
7. After the FAA is executed, submit a Project Plan and evidence of public liability insurance ($5,000,000 minimum per claim) to trigger the first 50% payment; at project completion (within 12 months), submit an Acquittal Report and Expenditure Summary with proof of expenditure to trigger the final 50% payment.

Documents you’ll typically need

• Completed application via the Good Grants platform, addressing all five evaluation criteria
• Forecasted Expenditure spreadsheet (Department's own template - no substitutes accepted)
• Name or clear description of the selected external support service(s)
• Post-award: Project Plan (Department template)
• Post-award: evidence of public liability insurance, minimum $5,000,000 per claim
• At completion: Acquittal Report (Department template)
• At completion: Expenditure Summary spreadsheet, based on the original Forecasted Expenditure
• At completion: proof of expenditure - paid invoices (with service description, cost, date paid) and/or bank statements

Frequently asked

Reviewed 2026-08-16. Programmes change — confirm current eligibility, amounts and deadlines on the official page before you apply. CapEasy is a private consultancy and is not affiliated with any government authority.