What is the Australia-Vietnam Enhanced Economic Engagement Grant?
The Australia-Vietnam Enhanced Economic Engagement Grant is a program that will advance Australia’s international economic interests through bilateral engagement with Vietnam on trade and investment policy priorities of the Australian Government.
Objectives
The objectives of the grant opportunity are to:
- promote Australia-Vietnam bilateral economic engagement
- build industry, institutional and government-to-government links to build stronger partnerships
- leverage existing partnerships and foster engagement with key stakeholders in line with the objectives and intentions of the Australia-Vietnam Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy
- support the economic recovery efforts of Australian industries across priority sectors and communities adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic
The intended outcomes of the grant opportunity are to:
- increase public awareness of Australia’s economic opportunities in Vietnam
- develop enduring partnerships across sectors in Australia and Vietnam
- increase Australia’s capacity to effectively engage with Vietnam in existing and emerging areas of mutual economic interest
Overall, the grant program aims to assist Australia and Vietnam meet the policy objectives of the Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy of becoming mutual top 10 trading partners and doubling two-way investment.
Funding
Total funding available for the Australia-Vietnam Enhanced Economic Engagement Grant Pilot Program is $1,500,000 in 2020-21.
- the minimum grant amount is $50,000
- the maximum grant amount is $100,000.
The program will also consider multi-year grants up to a maximum of $100,000 per year for up to three years.
Eligible Projects
To be eligible, your grant must be used for the project outlined within the application. Eligible grant activities may include, but are not limited to:
- industry dialogues (virtual or in-person) to address challenges and opportunities
- trade delegations, particularly in new or emerging sectors
- investment policy talks to further operational objectives
- workshops or seminars with capacity building outcomes
- market access research leading to implementation blueprints
An example project:
- Trade and Commerce – A comprehensive project to support Australian food and beverage exporters through delivery of: webinar/report on Vietnamese consumer behaviour and market trends; and virtual industry roundtables to build people-to-people connections and raise the industry profile.
You can use the grant to pay for costs detailed in your budget and grant agreement, including:
- Economy flights, modest accommodation costs, meals and travel allowances, other transport (subject to compliance with COVID-19 restrictions and pricing)
- Communication and translation
- Venue hire and catering (subject to compliance with COVID-19 safety measures)
- Advertising and promotion, graphic design, photography, social media, video and printed material
- Exhibition or event costs, including freight
- Only one participant per conference or meeting and only where the participant is a principal speaker and the subject of the conference is of direct relevance to the grant opportunity.
Eligible Applicants
To be eligible you must:
- be one of the following entity types:
- an Australian entity with an Australian Business Number (ABN), Australian Company Number (ACN), or Indigenous Corporation Number (ICN)
- an Australian consortium with a lead organisation
- an Australian registered charity or not-for-profit organisation
- an Australian local government body
- an Australian State/Territory government body
- a Corporate Commonwealth Entity
- an Australian statutory authority
- be an Australian or permanent resident of Australia
- and be willing to provide or develop child protection guidelines that meets the Child Protection Policy | Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (dfat.gov.au) for your project if it involves people under the age of 18 years.
Applications from consortia are acceptable, provided you have a lead applicant who is the main driver of the project and is eligible as per the list above.
Individuals who intend the grant to be administered by a university should apply on behalf of the university, i.e. your university is the applicant.
Timing
Applications close 14 May 2021.
