A practical sequence for finding, scoping and applying for Australian AI funding — from the business.gov.au Finder to submission.
dgm is an independent osFoundry integration partner — not affiliated with osFoundry’s maker (OS LLC), and dgm has no completed client integrations yet.
There is a sensible order to finding and applying for AI funding in Australia that saves a lot of wasted effort — especially around the R&D Tax Incentive.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| 1. Discover | business.gov.au Finder; filter to open, eligible programs |
| 2. Scope | Define the AI project, costs and outcomes |
| 3. Match | Grant, R&D Tax Incentive, or loan/equity |
| 4. Apply/claim | Apply directly; for the RDTI, register then claim with an adviser |
A step-by-step sequence
- Discover — start with the business.gov.au Grants Finder and filter to open, eligible programs. 2) Scope the AI project so you can describe costs, timeline and outcomes. 3) Match to the right instrument (grant, R&D Tax Incentive, or loan/equity). 4) Apply or claim — apply to grants directly; for the R&D Tax Incentive, register your activities with AusIndustry, then claim with a registered R&D tax adviser.
Common pitfalls
Applying to a closed or paused program (Accelerating Commercialisation has ended; EMDG is between rounds), assuming building software is automatically R&D, missing the AusIndustry registration deadline, and assuming a consultant can claim the RDTI for you. Important: these are programs a business applies for directly with the government agency or, for the R&D Tax Incentive, claims through a registered tax adviser. dgm is an independent AI-integration agency — not a registered or approved program deliverer, an Industry Growth Program adviser, or a registered R&D tax agent. dgm can help scope and build the AI project; eligibility and any claim are determined and lodged by you or a registered adviser.
Where dgm fits
dgm can help scope the AI project and document genuinely experimental work, but you submit grant applications and claim the R&D Tax Incentive yourself or with a registered adviser.
Where dgm fits
dgm is an independent integration partner that helps Australian businesses adopt osFoundry — scoping a first use case, handling the build, and connecting AI to the systems you already run. dgm can help you scope the AI project that a program would fund — but you apply to the program (or claim the R&D Tax Incentive with a registered adviser) directly. dgm is independent of osFoundry’s maker (OS LLC) and has no completed client integrations yet, so everything described here is a service offered, not a past result. If you want to scope a practical first project, dgm can help you map it out.