Proof of Concept Funding

Reference number: PROC-9177259

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Release date:: Wednesday 16 April 2025
Closing time:: Wednesday 28 May 2025, at 05:00 PM (Australian Eastern Standard Time)
Enquiry deadline:: Thursday 15 May 2025, at 05:00 PM (Australian Eastern Standard Time)

Summary

The GRDC Proof of Concept Funding program focusses on research activities that provide critical information to give confidence in the potential concept or innovation and facilitates the scoping of future research and development.

Proof of concept activities are a critical step in the development of any innovation. It is at this stage that the feasibility of an innovative concept is tested through experimentation or pilot projects. Proof of concept projects are usually time-sensitive, relatively low in capital and set the scene for future research and development, typically involving a significant increase in the financial resources as well as technical sophistication required to take the innovation all the way to adoption and impact.

Example eligible activities may include:

in planta proof of concept studies in relevant models;
controlled environment trials,
in-silico modelling;
pest management methods/technology in situ; and
feasibility studies.

The Proof of Concept Funding will also seek to support cross industry/discipline technology translation activities to encourage the application of existing research and development from adjacent industries, within the grains industry.

Strategic Alignment

GRDC welcomes proposals in all Focus Areas identified in GRDC’s Research, Development & Extension Plan 2023-28. The alignment with GRDC’s strategy will be considered as part of the evaluation criteria.

Activities must be supported by a plan for research and development activities to realise the concept and deliver the benefits to Australian grain growers.

Offer period

Offers will remain open for acceptance by the GRDC for a period of 6 months after the Closing Time.

Document contact and enquiries

Attention: Jenny Trang, Contract Administrator – Enabling Technologies
Grains Research and Development Corporation
Email: ETcontract.administrator@grdc.com.au

Make all requests for further information or clarification in relation to this procurement in writing (email) prior to Wednesday 15 May 2025.

GRDC will publish all requests and responses to requests on the GRDC website under Questions and Answers at the bottom of this webpage.

Consortia response

GRDC will accept Tenders from Consortia.

Lodgement of Tender

Submit your Tender response electronically through the Grains Investment Portal.

Applicants must submit their proposal to the Grains Investment Portal on the Proposal Application Template provided (max 6 pages) in the Attachments below.

For the avoidance of doubt, any references to Request for Tender (RFT) Terms and Conditions on the GRDC Website and the Grains Investment Portal should be taken as the Terms and Conditions for this Request for Proposal (RFP).

AusTender

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Description

GRDC’s purpose is to invest in research, development and extension that creates enduring profitability for Australian grain growers. To help deliver on its purpose GRDC seeks applications for funding to support early-stage innovations that have the potential to create value for Australian grains growers and require proof of concept studies to demonstrate their feasibility and applicability to the industry.

Funding will support key early-stage research and development activities that will provide critical information to demonstrate the feasibility of the concept or innovation or support cross industry/discipline technology translation activities of existing research and development from adjacent industries. This is an open, competitive process and not all applicants may be awarded funding.

To participate in this process, applicants must be seeking funding that is no more than $250,000.00 excluding GST, with a minimum of 1:1 leveraged funding of financial commitments or in-kind equivalent. Research must align to the research and development priorities of the Australian grains industry identified in the GRDC RD&E Plan 2023-28. Proof of concept activities and milestones, including reporting, must be completely within 18 months of commencement.

Outcome

Outputs

Proposed Budget

Proposed Contract & Term

GRDC will contract under the terms of the GRDC Funding Agreement provided in Attachments.

The schedule(s) attached to the contract will detail the project details: the outcomes, outputs, milestones, budget, participating personnel and required intellectual property.

The template contract containing the proposed Terms and Conditions is available in the Attachments.

Any resultant contract in relation to this procurement will commence with a proposed term of no more than 18 months.

Conditions for Participation

The following are mandatory conditions with which a Tenderer must comply to participate in this procurement process:

The Tenderer and any subcontractor must not be named on the Consolidated List, being the list of persons and entities who are subject to targeted financial sanctions or travel bans under Australian sanction laws, as maintained by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The Tenderer and any subcontractor must not have a judicial decision against it (not including decisions under appeal) relating to employee entitlements and who have not paid the claim.
The Tenderer must be a single legal entity or recognised firm of partners.
The Tenderer and any proposed subcontractor must be compliant with the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012, the Modern Slavery Act 2018 and any other applicable labour laws and standards in the jurisdiction in which they operate.
The Tenderer has read, and the application meets the stated Minimum Form and Content Requirements of the Request for Tender

Minimum Form and Content Requirements

The following are the mandatory content and format requirements that the Tenderer must complete and provide to participate in this procurement process:

Applicants must complete the Proposal Application Template and submit it via the Grains Investment Portal.
Write Tenders in English and express any measurements in Australian legal units of measurement.
Budget details must be submitted on the ‘GRDC Budget Template’ provided in the Grains Investment Portal.
Requested GRDC Research Funds are no more than $250,000.00 excluding GST and GRDC In-kind contribution.
When submitting their Tenders through the Grains Investment Portal, Applicants must respond “yes - fully compliant” in the Contract Compliance statement section. GRDC does not intend to enter negotiations with Applicants and will not consider Applications that are not fully compliant with the Funding Agreement.

Evaluation Criteria

In the table below are the Evaluation Criteria that the Tender Evaluation Team will use to assess the value for money of all Tenders.

No	Type	Weighting
1	Technical – Qualitative evaluation criteria related to non-price factors such as methodology, project plan, track record, experience.
1a	The proposal demonstrates a strategic fit and benefit to Australian grain growers: The research/technology or application of the research/technology is a novel concept to the grains industry. Strategic alignment to a GRDC Focus Area(s) The innovation has a compelling, significant, and realistic value proposition to benefit to the Australian grains industry.	40%
1b	The proposal’s project plan describes the activities necessary to achieve proof of concept objectives, efficiently and effectively and in the specified timeframe.	25%
1c	The proposal outlines a potential post-PoC research and development plan to bring the innovation to commercial readiness or adoption, including: high level steps of the research and development program and overview of the pathway(s) to market, including intended end users, regulatory requirements, and estimated future funding, infrastructure, and capability requirements	25%
1d	Key personnel, detailing relevant: experience within relevant industry/scientific discipline achievements of the Project Lead in providing effective leadership, management and timely delivery of high quality outputs.	10%
2	Price The tendered budget presents value for money GRDC Research Funds are no more than $250,000.00 excluding GST and GRDC In-kind contribution.	N/A
3	Risk - Risks inherent in the application including the degree of compliance with the draft contract and any actual or perceived conflict of interest.	N/A

Lodging a Tender

Submit your Tender through the Grains Investment Portal by 5pm Canberra local time on Wednesday 28 May 2025.

Applicants must complete the Proposal Application Template and submit it via the Grains Investment Portal (GIP). For sections of the proposal template that are duplicated in the GIP, applicants may simply indicate "As per proposal document."

Attachments

Questions and Answers

Q1. Can I just submit answers to the questions in the Grains Investment Portal?

A1. No, you must meet the Minimum Form and Content Requirements, and upload your answers in the Proposal Application Template format provided in Attachments.

Q2. I submitted an application in a previous call but was unsuccessful. Can I participate in this call?

A2. ‎If you participated in a previous call you may participate in the current call. Applicants are welcome to submit substantively the same idea as what they submitted in a previous round. It's possible that some applications that were not funded in a previous round may be funded in a subsequent round.

Q3. If I am resubmitting, do I need to re-upload my proposal application?

A3. ‎Please ensure you upload a new proposal application document as the template may have been updated.

Q4. Can I request more than the $250,000 proposed budget?

A4. GRDC will not fund projects greater than $250,000 (excluding GST and GRDC in-kind).

Q5. Can I submit more than one application?

A5. Organisations can submit more than one application if they have multiple, different Proof-of-Concept proposals. Each will be evaluated individually.

Q6. Can you please share the expected IP ownership framework attached to proof of concept activities?

A6. IP ownership and related terms can be found in the provided Funding Agreement under Attachments.

Q7. What is the start date and window for taking up and using the 250,000K for 18 months, if successful?

A7. The start date (Commencement Date of the contract) will be agreed up front with successful candidates.

Q8. Will the GRDC consider digital projects which use emerging technologies to support a research portfolio—that is, through extension of digital tools and IP we have created which have broad reaching applications for R&D to benefit numerous GRDC related stakeholders ?

A8. The Proof of Concept Funding is technology agnostic.

Q9. If during the POC our IP is enhanced (which by definition it should be) will there be any limitations placed on us for future use of the technology? The IP would not be directly agriculture related, but in the case of no further development with GRDC, we’d seek assurance there would be no restrictions on further application.

A9. Terms relating to IP access and right are provided within the Funding Agreement, located in the Attachments for review.

Q10. Can you please suggest whether international centres can apply for this grant with Australian research partners?

A10. GRDC welcomes international applicants.

Q11. Given that our funding requirements are relatively modest compared to the AUD $250,000 ceiling, would our application be considered too small in scale to be eligible or seriously considered under the scheme?

A11. The Proof of Concept is open to proposals of all sizes. All compliant proposals will be evaluated under the same evaluation criteria including "The tendered budget presents value for money".

Q12. Would collaborating with an industry partner active in this field enhance the competitiveness of our proposal?

A12. We do not specify a requirement for industry collaboration. Please see Evaluation Criteria 1d for further detail on evaluation of personnel.

Q13. Are there specific expectations in terms of project maturity, commercial potential, or timelines that GRDC prioritises when reviewing PoC funding applications?

A13. The proof of concept is an open call to be evaluated on the criteria provided. Outcome and Outputs expectations are provided.

Q14. Finally, is the scheme open to applications led by students or must it be submitted through University as the administering institution?

A14. The proof of concept Conditions of Participation are provided above. Please check with your administering institution for the institution's rule for submission.

Q15. I’m writing to check whether our proposed project would be suitable for PoC funding. We’re exploring the use of AI and reinforcement learning to improve agronomy/crop management—specifically through an intelligent decision support system that helps identify optimal crop management strategies.

Could you please clarify how strictly the "minimum 1:1 leveraged funding (financial or in-kind equivalent)" rule is applied? What qualifies as an in-kind contribution—for example, would staff salary allocations meet the requirement?

We are also currently in discussions with another organisation. Would funding or support from other grants or partners count toward the 1:1 leverage requirement if combined?

A15. In-kind contributions are contributions other than cash, paid wholly by the research organisation and/or their sub contractors, that are required to deliver the project. Allowable In-kind contributions include:

salary and on-costs for personnel directly employed on the project activities;
allowable operating costs provided by a research organisations or their sub contractors; and
organisational overheads

All In-kind contributions must be given a cash value equivalent (exclusive of GST), that is realistic, reasonable and justifiable to the investment.

Q16. I am wondering if the any opportunity to use part of this fund to purchase an instrument that will be used in the proposed study.

A16. GRDC will assess the justification for the use of funding, including the purchase of equipment, on a case-by-case basis within the Evaluation Criteria.