Market Accelerator

2. Eligibility

2.1 Who can apply

Eligible organisations must be one of the following organisation types:

• Businesses (commercial for-profit)
• Social enterprises (must be currently registered with Social Traders or prove accreditation before entering into a funding agreement)

• A registered charity on the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) charity register

• Sole traders (operating as a business with a valid ABN)
  

All applications will require a single lead Applicant, who will be the responsible Contracting Party.

Applicants must:

• have an active ABN by the application closing date
• have current operations in an Australian State or Territory
• agree to comply with the Terms of Participation in Grant Programs
• agree to comply with the Short-form grant funding agreement terms and conditions

The Applicant must demonstrate that they are currently operating in Victoria or seeking to establish a presence in the Victorian market.

Applicants should have the right to commercialise the product/process using recycled materials (incl. relevant IP, licenses).

Advisory Service Providers can assist organisations with their applications but cannot apply for funding directly or on behalf of eligible organisations.

Note: If the applicant is a Trust, the Funding Agreement must be executed by the Trustee of the Trust for example XYZ Pty Ltd as The Trustee for the XYZ Trust. The Trust as the trading entity must meet all the eligibility requirements of the fund (e.g. ABN).

Applicants who do not agree with the Grant Funding Agreement Terms and Conditions will be asked to provide full details of proposed amendments that would render the contractual provision acceptable to the Applicant in the SmartyGrants application form. Applicants should note that significant or substantive variations may delay project commencement and will not be viewed favourably unless the Applicant is able to demonstrate the necessity for such variations. Should applicants be successful, no further amendments to SV’s standard terms and conditions will be considered beyond the variations included in the application form.

We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations.

2.2 Who cannot apply

The following organisations cannot apply for funding:

• Federal, state or local government, including water or other utility corporations and other statutory agencies
• Research institutions including schools, universities and TAFEs
• Unincorporated associations
• Individuals (other than those operating as a business/sole trader)
• Collaborative groups.
• Applicants that:
  
  • are any other organisation type not listed in ‘who can apply’.
  • have failed to satisfactorily complete any other previous projects funded by SV without sufficient reason.
  • are any organisation that is not currently operating in Australia.

Government organisations and research institutes may be involved in the project as a project participant or as a nominated Advisory Service Provider where appropriate (e.g. research institutes providing Life Cycle Assessment services, local governments providing access to product trial sites to facilitate testing).

2.3 What will be funded

Funding will support projects that align with the fund objectives and will engage a suitably qualified external Advisory Service Provider to provide one or more of the following Eligible Advisory Services and Supports:

Eligible Advisory Services and Support

• Business planning and advisory services. Advice may include, but is not limited to:
  • Commercialisation and growth strategies.
  • Business case development.
  • Investment attraction activity (e.g. identifying potential investors or commercial partners, developing an investment prospectus).
  • Marketing and engagement strategy development (product/category promotion) including CSIRO ADOPT model runs.
  • Market research, testing or analysis.
  • Advice to establish operations in Victoria.
• Development of marketing and promotional materials.
• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) development.
• Relevant product certification or accreditation (e.g. NATA accredited testing where this is required, Australian Standards (AS), International (ISO) standards, GECA certification).
• Support to develop/register a new Australian Carbon Credit Unit Scheme (ACCU) project under an existing methodology.

Eligible project costs

• Advisory Service Provider fees for the Eligible Advisory Services and Support.
• Project execution costs essential to the delivery of the Eligible Advisory Services and Support such as material procurement, sample production, freight, printing (noting that staff time and day-to-day operating expenses of the grant recipient are not eligible project costs).

Projects must:

• Meet one or more of the fund objectives:
  • Validate and support the commercialisation of products/processes that use domestic priority and/or problematic recycled materials and meet a demonstrated end user/market need.
  • Support businesses to develop their capability to access and establish new markets for products/processes using domestic priority and/or problematic recycled materials.
  • Increase the value or awareness of products/processes using domestic priority and/or problematic recycled materials.
• Additional objectives (optional):
  • Improve the availability, confidence in and demand for recycled materials in Victoria.
  • Enhance the state of knowledge in bringing recycled products to market and strengthen Victoria’s circular economy.
• Focus on improving the markets for domestic priority and/or problematic recycled materials including organics, plastics, paper/cardboard, tyres, glass, textiles, e-waste (including solar PV) and batteries. Projects seeking to commercialise proven solutions to other problematic material streams, such as wind turbine composites, will also be considered. Preference will be given to products/processes that use Victorian recycled materials (i.e. materials which have been recovered and/or reprocessed in Victoria.)
• Be located in or service Victoria or be seeking support to establish a presence in the Victorian market.
• Be completed by 31 May 2026 (including final invoices submitted to SV).

Due to the funding timelines, successful grant recipients will only be able to engage one Advisory Service Provider to deliver the selected Eligible Advisory Services and Support. If one Advisory Service Provider can demonstrate that they have the capacity to provide multiple Eligible Advisory Services and Support (i.e. your chosen consultant has the capability to deliver both an LCA and a marketing strategy) within the program timeframes and budget, both services can be included in the application and the quotes provided should reflect the requested scope of work.

Only one application can be submitted per product or process using recycled materials. Applicants must prioritise their funding requests and cannot submit multiple applications for different advisory services or support for the same product or process. However, Applicants may submit separate applications if they are for different products or processes using recycled materials.

Note: Applicants will be required to provide a minimum of two quotes from potential Advisory Service Providers and nominate a preferred provider. If there is only one provider who can undertake the work (e.g. there is only one lab in Australia that has the testing facilities required) one quote may be provided.

2.4 What will not be funded

The following projects are ineligible for funding:

• Projects seeking advisory services to support a business or product/process using recycled materials that is not seeking to enter a new market, or grow an undersupplied market in Victoria (i.e. Fully commercialised products/processes using recycled materials).
• Projects seeking to engage multiple Advisory Service Providers.
• Projects seeking to use internal resources to deliver the Eligible Advisory Services and Support.
• Research, development, demonstration or trial projects.
• Projects that focus on products such as un-composted mulch or raw manure, that are not processed in a way that destroys pathogens and weed seeds.
• Projects that focus on waste to energy (excluding organics).
• Projects that use native forestry materials and wastes as a feedstock.
• Projects that don’t meet regulatory or planning requirements.
• Projects that have received funding or support for the same activities from other sources.
• Projects focused on general brand promotion or sales campaigns.

SV will not fund projects that have commenced before the Applicant is notified by SV in writing that their grant application has been successful. Note: if Applicants fail to execute a Funding Agreement, their eligible costs will not be reimbursed.

The following costs are ineligible for funding:

• FTE/Staff time of the grant recipient required to engage the Advisory Service Provider and support delivery and completion of the project.
• Infrastructure or equipment used to scale production and/or manufacturing.
• Permit, licensing, regulatory approval costs.
• Advertising costs (i.e. paid messages placed in media channels to reach a target audience such as TV and radio commercials, online ads (Google, Facebook), print ads (magazines, newspapers), billboards, sponsored social media posts).
• Travel and accommodation expenses.
• Conferences and other educational activities.
• Legal costs related to commercial negotiations or intellectual property.
• Catering costs.
• Lease or purchase of vehicles and fuel.
• Lease or purchase of land.
• Day-to-day operating costs (e.g., rent, bills, website hosting).
• Regular maintenance and repair costs.
• Routine or cyclical maintenance works.
• Repair of facilities damaged by vandalism, fire or other natural disasters where damage should be covered by insurance.
• Construction activities, including pre-construction (site preparation) such as site clearing, earthworks or site accessibility works.
• Contingency costs.

3. Assessment process

3.1 Assessment criteria

The assessment panel will assess the application based on merit according to the criteria below.

What

Weighting: 30%

Demonstrate your project will:

• support a technically proven product/process using domestic priority and/or problematic recycled materials
• meet the needs of your target market
• support you to overcome barriers to market entry.

Why

Weighting: 30%

Describe why the project is needed including:

• why Victorian government funding is needed
• why now is a good time to undertake the project
• alignment with the fund objectives
• environmental, social and/or economic benefits of the product/process
• how will the project build or enhance your organisation’s capacity to advance current and future commercialisation initiatives.

Who

Weighting: 20%

Demonstrate that:

• your organisation has the capability, commitment and IP/commercial rights to bring the proposed product/process to market
• your preferred Advisory Service Provider has the experience, capability and capacity to deliver the project.

How

Weighting: 20%

Describe:

• how the project will be delivered within the program timeframes, including how you will support the preferred Advisory Service Provider
• how identified project risks will be managed.

3.2 Diversity consideration

Preference will be given to Applicants and/or preferred Advisory Service Providers who/which:

• are social enterprises
• are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Businesses – Defined as being at least 50% Indigenous owned and managed and the owner or manager:
  • is of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent or both
  • identifies as an Aboriginal person or Torres Strait Islander, or both
  • is recognised as such by their community
• have a gender equality policy.

SV may overlay rankings to achieve an overall mix of projects that represent:

• a geographical spread across Victorian regions
• spread across industries and types of applicants
• a mix of project types (e.g. projects targeting different material types, product applications, processes).

3.3 Due diligence checks

A risk-based approach will be used to assess the Applicant’s social, economic, safety and environmental risks in relation to the project. This assessment will include the Applicant’s Related Entities and may include Project Participants (see Section 9: Program definitions).

Applicants (and their Related Entities and, if applicable, their Project Partners and/or Project Participants) must:

• have had no Environmental, Safety or Workplace Breaches in the last five years or, if there was a breach, Sustainability Victoria may assess that the Applicant’s breach poses a satisfactory level of risk;
• have not been the subject of an enforceable undertaking or successful litigation by the Fair Work Ombudsman for a breach of the Fair Work Act 2009 or a fair work instrument within the last five years;
• demonstrate financial capability to undertake the project;
• have adequate insurance as outlined in the funding agreement such as:
  • Public liability $5M minimum
  • Professional indemnity $1M minimum (if required) – Note: relevant Advisory Service Providers (i.e. those providing professional advice or a skilled service) must also meet this requirement and provide evidence prior to the project commencing
  • WorkCover
• have not failed to satisfactorily progress or complete previous projects funded by Sustainability Victoria within funding program timelines and without sufficient reason; and
• manage any conflicts of interest adequately.

Assessment of satisfactory level of risk will include but not be limited to Sustainability Victoria’s consideration of:

• the seriousness of any finding/s;
• whether the finding/s has been resolved to the satisfaction of the relevant enforcement agency, or the Applicant can demonstrate it is working effectively to resolve the finding;
• the efforts made by the Applicant including implementation of management systems, to ensure no further finding/s occur; and
• whether, since the finding, the Applicant has had a satisfactory level of compliance with relevant Environmental and Safety Laws and Workplace Laws.

Sustainability Victoria may conduct due diligence checks on Project Participants involved in the delivery of the project. The Applicant must ensure that any Project Participants agree to cooperate with this requirement and will provide information at Sustainability Victoria’s request.

Sustainability Victoria reserves the right not to award funding to Applicants where the due diligence risk (including that of Project Participants) is unsatisfactory or not able to be managed.

4. Funding conditions

Successful applicants approved for funding must do the following.

4.1 Before starting the project 

• Participate in an inception meeting to discuss their project and the funding agreement.
• Agree to realistic evidence-based and performance-based milestone payments.
• Provide Sustainability Victoria with insurance certificates of currency.
• Sign Sustainability Victoria’s funding agreement within 10 business days of receipt via DocuSign.

4.2 During and after the project 

• Deliver the project as outlined in the application and comply with the funding agreement.
• Contribute to and attend regular project progress updates or meetings.
• Notify Sustainability Victoria immediately about any delay or change to the project.
• Provide update reports to Sustainability Victoria at agreed milestones with evidence of expenditure, progress and performance.
• Provide adequate monitoring and evaluation of the project according to the funding agreement.
• Collect and release data and information for use by Sustainability Victoria, including a copy of the full report, advice and or research received by the Applicant from the Advisory Service Providers and any back up or evidentiary documentation in support of the report, advice or research. Sustainability Victoria may share, analyse and assess any data and information received by it from the Applicant or the Advisory Service Provider for the purposes of analysis, education, reporting and accountability as well as Sustainability Victoria’s obligations as a government agency and at law. Any confidential information will be used and shared on a confidential basis, unless agreed otherwise.
• Contribute to the project’s promotional activities (for example, provide Sustainability Victoria with support by reviewing and approving written stories or videos).
• Acknowledge that Sustainability Victoria has contributed funding in all promotions related to the project, in a manner as directed by Sustainability Victoria.
• Participate in a community of practice led by Sustainability Victoria for 12 months after project completion to share project outcomes and learnings with SV stakeholders. Involvement in the community of practice may include mentoring businesses undertaking a similar project, presenting at a showcase event, participating in an online forum, and attending networking events. The community of practice is expected to support grant recipients to make new connections and strengthen Victoria’s circular economy eco-system. It is anticipated that the minimum time commitment to deliver your project and contribute to SV’s Community of Practice is 30 hours.

5. Timeline

6. How to apply

The grant program involves a competitive, merit-based application process.

1. Ensure that your organisation can apply.
2. Ensure that your project is qualified.
3. Read Sustainability Victoria’s funding agreement. You must meet the terms and conditions to ensure funding.
   1. For grants $50,000 or less read the Short-form grant funding agreement.
4. Read Sustainability Victoria’s Terms of participation in grant programs.
5. Create an account and start your application on the SmartyGrants website.
6. Submit your application by 11:59 pm, 5 November 2025. Late applications will not be accepted except under exceptional circumstances. See Terms of participation in grant programs for further details regarding exceptions.

Your application

• Allow adequate time to plan, research, gather supporting documentation and draft your application and obtain quotes from Advisory Service Providers.
• As this is a competitive grant, the program team cannot review drafts or provide feedback, however you can engage with our Application Review and Advisory Service.
• You must use SmartyGrants, unless you have written permission from Sustainability Victoria.

7. Assistance available

7.1 Contact us

Any question/s specifically related to eligibility for this program please email: grants.enquiries@sustainability.vic.gov.au

In the subject line, use the grant name 'Market Accelerator'.

The grants team cannot review drafts or provide feedback, please see section 7.2 below if you require assistance with your application.

7.2 Investment facilitation

We recommend Applicants to engage with Sustainability Victoria’s Circular Economy and Investment Facilitation Service before submitting their application to ensure their project is aligned, ready and set up for success. Sustainability Victoria offers personalised support and project development assistance for companies that invest in Victoria’s circular economy. Read about our free Application Review and Advisory Service.

This service is available up to 24 October 2025 to allow time for review and any changes to your application.

Investment facilitation support is separate and removed from the panel assessment process.

Use of this service does not guarantee any level of success with any application.

Please note: questions about the program eligibility or guidelines must be directed to the Grants Enquiries team at grants.enquiries@sustainability.vic.gov.au

8. Why the Victorian Government is providing this funding

This fund is released as part of the Victorian Government’s Recycling Victoria policy.

The policy will fundamentally boost jobs and establish a recycling system Victorians can rely on.

Key Commitment 8 of the policy is to increase the use of recycled materials. Under this commitment, the Recycling Markets Acceleration package (RMAP) is being delivered. The RMAP is designed to drive demand for recycled materials across the economy, identify new uses for these materials, and make it easier for recycled products to be adopted. This fund is a component of this package.

The Market Accelerator is focused towards supporting industry to commercialise domestic uses for recycled materials and validating developed products and processes to ensure they meet end user needs and specifications. This will help drive demand and support increased adoption of recycled materials across the economy.

9. Definitions

Applicant

The applicant who applies for the funding and is responsible for all details in the submission of an application and the contractual obligations under the funding agreement with Sustainability Victoria if successful for grant funding. Applicants must be legally constituted organisations and with a current ABN that is active by the application closing date.

Advisory Service Provider

An organisation that has the relevant experience and expertise to provide the Eligible Advisory Services and Support (e.g. consultants, marketing firms, research institutes, testing facilities etc.) Advisory Service Providers must have an active ABN.

Business

A commercial enterprise seeking to generate profit through its activities, including Social Enterprises.

Charity

A Charity is an organisation that is not-for-profit and has only charitable purposes that are for the public benefit. A Charity must not be an individual, political party or government entity, and must be registered on the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Charity Register.

Co-contribution

The Applicant’s required cash or in-kind contribution to the total project income. Co-contributions must be for eligible activities.

Environmental, Safety or Workplace Breach

An environmental or safety breach is any past or current prosecution, reportable incident, investigation, notice, penalty, warning, regulatory intervention or enforcement action from the Environment Protection Authority (EPA), Victorian WorkCover Authority (WorkSafe) or Fair Work or failure to comply with any environmental, safety and workplace laws.

Environmental and Safety Laws

Environmental and safety laws are the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, Environment Protection Act 2017 or any other legislation, regulation, order, statute, by-law, ordinance or any other legislative or regulatory measure, code, standard or requirement relating to the protection and safety of persons or property or which regulate the environment including laws relating to land use planning, pollution of air or water, soil or groundwater contamination, chemicals, waste, the use, handling, storage or transport of dangerous goods or substances, greenhouse gas emissions, carbon trading, or any other aspect of protection of the environment.

Not-for-profit

A not-for-profit (NFP) organisation is an entity that does not operate for the profit or gain (either direct or indirect) of particular people. Unincorporated entities are ineligible to apply.

Related Entities

Entities which are related to the Applicant, including:

• Holding companies of the Applicant
• Subsidiaries of the Applicant
• Subsidiaries of holding companies of the Applicant
• Companies with common directors or shareholders as the Applicant
• Companies that are a beneficiary under a trust of which the Applicant is a trustee
• Trustees of a trust under which the Applicant is a beneficiary
• Companies that conduct business at the same address as the Applicant, or the same address as the location of the activity for which the funding is sought

Related Person/s

Related Person means a director, officer, employee, agent, board member or contractor of the Applicant or a Related Entity.

Social Enterprise

A social enterprise is a business that trades to intentionally tackle social problems, improve communities, provide people access to employment and training, or help the environment.

Social enterprises:

• are driven by a public or community cause, be it social, environmental, cultural or economic
• derive most of their income from trade, not donations or grants
• use the majority (at least 50%) of their profits to work towards their social mission.

Technically proven product or process

A technically proven product or process is one that has been thoroughly tested and evaluated to show it works reliably, meets its intended purpose, and aligns with relevant technical standards or performance expectations.

Workplace Laws

Workplace laws are the Fair Work Act 2009, or any other legislation, regulation order, statute, by-law, ordinance or any other legislative or regulatory measure, code, standard or requirement relating to the provision of fair, relevant and enforceable minimum terms and conditions for all persons and to prevent discrimination against employees