How the right mix of the R&D Tax Incentive, grants and financing lowers the real cost of an AI project in Australia.
dgm is an independent osFoundry integration partner — not affiliated with osFoundry’s maker (OS LLC), and dgm has no completed client integrations yet.
The real cost of an AI project drops when you combine the right funding instruments. Here is how Australian businesses lower the bill.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Build | Industry Growth Program / CSIRO grants cost-share early work |
| R&D recovery | R&D Tax Incentive offsets eligible R&D afterward |
| Finance | National Reconstruction Fund (large-ticket) for scaled firms |
| Platform | Usage-based, BYOK tooling avoids per-seat fees |
Funding levers
Several levers reduce net cost: a grant (the Industry Growth Program or CSIRO Kick-Start) cost-shares early work, the R&D Tax Incentive offsets a share of eligible R&D afterward, and for scaled firms the National Reconstruction Fund offers finance. Used together (without double-claiming), they meaningfully lower the out-of-pocket figure.
Don’t forget the platform cost
Funding is only half the equation — the tooling choice matters too. A usage-based, bring-your-own-key platform like osFoundry avoids per-seat fees, so a small team’s cost scales with use rather than headcount. Program parameters, amounts, rates and round windows change frequently — confirm the current details on the official program page before relying on them.
How to start
The official starting point is the business.gov.au Grants and Programs Finder, the Australian Government’s tool for discovering the federal, state and territory supports you may qualify for, with GrantConnect (grants.gov.au) listing Commonwealth grant opportunities. 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 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.