Frequently asked questions about QSEIF
- To be eligible to receive QSEIF funding, does my company need to be registered in Queensland?
- If my project meets all the eligibility criteria for QSEIF funding, can I expect that it will definitely be funded?
- If my project is approved, am I guaranteed to receive QSEIF funding?
- Who must sign the QSEIF project contract?
- If my project is approved, will the department funding contribution be the amount requested in the application?
- If my project is approved for funding, will I receive funding up-front?
- Who decides whether a milestone has been satisfactorily achieved?
- If my project is approved for funding, will QSEIF provide 100% of project costs?
- Is my organisation the appropriate applicant for QSEIF funding, or should I be collaborating with another organisation that would serve as applicant?
- What project costs are eligible to be offset by a QSEIF contribution?
- Is it necessary that I have patent rights for technology in the project?
- Can I receive funding from other government organisations at the same time as the QSEIF project is underway?
To be eligible to receive QSEIF funding, does my company need to be registered in Queensland?
The applicant must be considered by the department to be a Queensland-based organisation. If there is any reason why this might be in doubt (because, for example, the company is registered in another state, or has branch offices in other states), the application should show how the expertise and benefits gained from the project will be retained in Queensland.
If my project meets all the eligibility criteria for QSEIF funding, can I expect that it will definitely be funded?
No. QSEIF is a competitive process. Each project is rated on its merits against the eligibility requirements and selection criteria, and is ranked against other applications received.
If my project is approved, am I guaranteed to receive QSEIF funding?
No. Before any funding is committed by the department, both the applicant and the department must sign a contract setting out the conditions and milestones for the project. And then, funding is only provided after milestones set out in the project contract are achieved.
Who must sign the QSEIF project contract?
To be legally binding, the contract must normally be signed by two Directors of the applicant company, or by one Director and the Company Secretary.
If my project is approved, will the department funding contribution be the amount requested in the application?
Usually, but not always. The department reserves the right to offer a lower (or higher) amount of funding.
If my project is approved for funding, will I receive funding up-front?
No. Payments are made retrospectively upon satisfactory completion of project milestones. For this reason, it is important that QSEIF projects are structured into a series of clearly-defined, verifiable milestones. The milestones provide a "roadmap" for the project.
Who decides whether a milestone has been satisfactorily achieved?
We (the department) do. That is why it is critically important that the project milestones be clear and verifiable, so that all parties have a clear understanding of exactly what needs to be achieved.
If my project is approved for funding, will QSEIF provide 100% of project costs?
No. At least 20% of project costs must be provided by the applicant organisation or their project partners. The proportion of funding contributed by the department should reflect the degree of technical risk in the project.
Is my organisation the appropriate applicant for QSEIF funding, or should I be collaborating with another organisation that would serve as applicant?
That depends. The applicant will NOT necessarily be the organisation that does most of the active work on the project, or that provides the technological skills, or that owns the intellectual property developed in the project, or that prepares the application for funding. The applicant IS the organisation that has overall responsibility for management of the project.
The applicant organisation must:
- Be able and willing to contribute at least 20% of the project costs.
- Accept responsibility for managing the project to ensure that it reaches a successful conclusion.
- Have the capacity to take the product through to the commercialisation stage.
If your organisation is not able to meet any of these requirements, you may need to enter into a cooperative arrangement with a company that can. Particularly, if you are a university group or research organisation, you might seek out a partner who is positioned to commercialise the technology and to contribute a share of the project funding. You would need to agree with this partner about who will own any intellectual property developed in the project.
What project costs are eligible to be offset by a QSEIF contribution?
To be eligible for QSEIF funding, project expenses must:
- be necessary to achieve the milestones of the project
- be incurred by the applicant
- Be paid to parties that are independent of the recipient organisation (for example, NOT costs of existing staff of the applicant organisation, services purchased from your brother-in-law, or equipment purchased from a company of which you are a Director).
- NOT be normal overhead costs that would likely be paid whether or not you did the QSEIF project (rent, telephone, existing employees, etc). Eligible expenses MAY include design, engineering or other consulting costs, equipment, materials, machining or fabrication, or testing costs necessary to undertake the project. Patenting costs and IP protection may be included, providing that these costs provide no more than 10% of total QSEIF funding.
Is it necessary that I have patent rights for technology in the project?
We expect that some intellectual property (IP) will be developed in QSEIF projects. The key intellectual property must belong to the applicant or another Queensland-based organisation. The applicant will likely need to develop an understanding, and possibly formal agreements, with project partners or sub-contractors regarding who will own the IP developed in the project. The intellectual property will not necessarily be in the form of patents. In some cases, particularly if the technology is evolving rapidly, you may decide to maintain the project know-how as a trade secret, relying on a head-start into the market to protect your technology from being copied by competitors. What is important is that the applicant or project partners have a strategy to manage the intellectual property developed in the project. Protection of intellectual property can be an important and complex issue, and applicants are encouraged to seek professional advice.
Can I receive funding from other government organisations at the same time as the QSEIF project is underway?
Yes, but only if government funding from other sources pays for activities and purchases that are clearly separate and distinct from activities comprising the QSEIF project. You must make the department aware of other government funding received, and not "double dip" by claiming reimbursement for expenses that are covered by other government agencies.
Last reviewed 27 March 2012
Last updated 13 April 2011