ClosedBusiness

Early Adopter Grant Program — NSW

$100K – $500K available

Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure

The Early Adopter Grant Program provided funding to New South Wales councils to trial and implement artificial intelligence solutions from the AI Solutions Panel to improve the local development application process. Grants supported limited implementation and optional full implementation of approved supplier solutions.

Funding

$100K – $500K

Closed

22 May 2024

Duration

up to 1 year

Location

New South Wales

Who Can Apply

• Applicant must be a council within New South Wales • Must commit to signing a funding agreement in the required form • Must draft a statement of work for a product from the AI Solutions Panel within 6 weeks of funding distribution • Must engage an identified supplier from the AI Solutions Panel using the MICTA/ICTA contracting framework within 12 weeks of funding distribution • Must identify an opportunity where the supplier solution helps achieve at least one of: decreased development application workflow timeframes, improved submission-to-lodgement success rate, or time/process efficiencies for pre-lodgement activities • Application must cover at least one eligible expenditure type: limited implementation and/or implementation at scale • Must provide a letter of support from the council General Manager or Chief Executive Officer • Projects funded under another New South Wales Government or Australian Government program are not eligible • Projects currently under consideration for other government funding are not eligible
Applicants must be councils within New South Wales. They must commit to signing a funding agreement, drafting a statement of work for a product from the AI Solutions Panel within 6 weeks of funding distribution, and engaging an identified supplier from the AI Solutions Panel using the MICTA/ICTA contracting framework within 12 weeks of funding distribution. Applicants must identify an opportunity where an AI Solutions Panel supplier solution can help decrease average timeframes associated with development application workflows, improve the development application submission to lodgement success rate, or create time or process efficiencies for pre-lodgement activities. Applications must be for eligible expenditure involving delivery with limited implementation and/or implementation at scale, and include a letter of support from the council's General Manager or Chief Executive Officer. Projects already funded under other government programs, or currently under consideration for other government funding, are not eligible.

What's Funded

Procurement and implementation of one or more products from the AI Solutions Panel, including limited implementation to validate solutions in a council environment and optional full implementation at scale. Eligible activities can include third-party professional services, project staff salaries, staff training, community consultation, and project management costs up to 10% of total project value.

Before you apply

Check Early Adopter Grant Program fit and evidence gaps before 22 May 2024

Use this business grant page to sanity-check eligibility, funding fit, evidence gaps and application effort before you commit days to drafting. If you already know the grant you want, the 48-hour audit gives a practical go/no-go view, reviewer-readiness score and next-step risks.

Get a 48-hour grant fit audit

Expected Outcomes

Projects are expected to improve pre-lodgement development application processes, reduce assessment effort and processing timeframes, improve submission-to-lodgement success rates, introduce trusted AI technology into council digital environments, and complete implementation milestones by 30 June 2025.

Grant not accepting applications

Applications for this round are closed. A new round may open in the future.

Browse open grants

Key Information

Applicant Types

local_government

Stage

any

Funding Purposes

innovationcommunitytrainingother

Keywords

artificial intelligenceplanningdevelopment applicationscouncilslocal governmentdigital transformationAI Solutions PanelNew South Wales

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the Early Adopter Grant Program?

The Early Adopter Grant Program is a business grant offered by Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure in Australia, providing $100K – $500K in funding. The Early Adopter Grant Program provided funding to New South Wales councils to trial and implement artificial intelligence solutions from the AI Solutions Panel to improve the local development application process. Grants supported limited implementation and optional full implementation of approved supplier solutions.
2

How much funding does the Early Adopter Grant Program provide?

The Early Adopter Grant Program provides $100K – $500K in funding. The typical project duration is up to 1 year.
3

Who is eligible for the Early Adopter Grant Program?

  • Applicant must be a council within New South Wales
  • Must commit to signing a funding agreement in the required form
  • Must draft a statement of work for a product from the AI Solutions Panel within 6 weeks of funding distribution
  • Must engage an identified supplier from the AI Solutions Panel using the MICTA/ICTA contracting framework within 12 weeks of funding distribution
  • Must identify an opportunity where the supplier solution helps achieve at least one of: decreased development application workflow timeframes, improved submission-to-lodgement success rate, or time/process efficiencies for pre-lodgement activities
  • Application must cover at least one eligible expenditure type: limited implementation and/or implementation at scale
  • Must provide a letter of support from the council General Manager or Chief Executive Officer
  • Projects funded under another New South Wales Government or Australian Government program are not eligible
  • Projects currently under consideration for other government funding are not eligible
4

When does the Early Adopter Grant Program close?

Applications closed on 22 May 2024.
5

What activities are funded?

Procurement and implementation of one or more products from the AI Solutions Panel, including limited implementation to validate solutions in a council environment and optional full implementation at scale. Eligible activities can include third-party professional services, project staff salaries, staff training, community consultation, and project management costs up to 10% of total project value.
6

How do I apply for the Early Adopter Grant Program?

Start by checking your eligibility using the free Beta Docs eligibility checker. If eligible, Beta Docs' AI-powered platform can help you draft, review, and refine your application to maximise your chances of success.

Need help applying?

Beta Docs has helped founders secure $160M+ in competitive grants. Our AI platform drafts compliance-perfect applications — and our expert reviewers make sure you stand out.