The TIQ Market Accelerator Program 

Applicants must: 

• be applying for up to $30,000 ex GST in funding and must be able to make a 1:1 matched contribution for each eligible expense 

• must have fully acquitted any grants received by TIQ or Study Queensland  

• have an active Australian Business Number (ABN) and be registered for GST 

• have a company address headquartered in Queensland 

• submit only one application per eligible entity or financial beneficiary 

• be a sole trader, company incorporated in Australia or be an incorporated trustee applying on behalf of a trust, or small industry association, not receiving government funding. 

• be classed as a small – medium sized enterprise with 199 or less full-time employees and not be a subsidiary of a group of companies that has 200 or more full-time-equivalent employees.  

• have a project capable of being completed and delivering export outcomes within the grant period 

• be pre-qualified by TIQ as export-ready (the applicant can be an emerging or new-to-export or growing or experienced exporter) 

• have the buyer pre-qualified by a TIQ Client Manager 

• have a minimum trading history of two full financial years (demonstrated through the provision of financial statements in the business name) and interim FY25-26 statements, with a net profit shown for FY24-25 and FY25-26 

• not be insolvent or have owners/directors that are currently bankrupt or undischarged from bankruptcy 

• have documented proof of the proposed sale for the export of goods or services for the business-to-business transaction (into a new market or market with limited sales – refer to the FAQs) 

• provide evidence of a one-to-one matched cash contribution to the project for each eligible project cost 

• not use federal, state or local government grants towards their one-to-one matched cash contribution 

• produce and export Queensland products and not act as a consolidator or distributor of Queensland, other domestic or imported products.  

• address all assessment criteria and attach all required documentation 

Note - Applicants from the International Education Sector must be a Queensland-based CRICOS registered Vocational Education and Training Provider, ELICOS Provider or Independent School.  

IET Applicants must not be a public education provider or publicly funded university. (See IET Sector FAQs for more information).  

New applications cannot be started after 5.00pm (AEST), Thursday 26 February 2026. 
 
All applicants must read and understand the application guidelines, frequently asked questions and required documentation. 

Existing TIQ clients should speak to their client manager before they begin their application. 

New clients will be prompted to book a call via the self-assessment process.  

Application steps:  

Step 1: Read the required documentation. 
 
Step 2: Complete the pre-qualification assessment. If you are new to us, you will be prompted to book a call with our business advisors. 
 
Step 3: Eligible applicants will receive an application link to SmartyGrants. 
 
Step 4: Save and submit your application.  
 
You must save your application and submit it with all the required documents by the deadline for it to be assessed.  

All applications will be assessed against eligibility requirements. 
 
If any mandatory documentation is missing, this may impact your eligibility for the funding. 
 
Only eligible applications will be assessed by the panel.   
 
Outcomes will be provided via email, within 12 weeks after the closing date. 

Eligible project costs include, but are not limited to, external costs for:

• engaging a market specialist or in-market representative
• export business advisory tools and services such as:
  • market entry requirements; registrations, documentation, and compliance
  • professional advice on contract negotiation; accounting, financial, legal, IP protection, counterfeit protection, or attracting funding to scale-up
• product redesign and testing, packaging, and labelling required to meet an export market requirement
• export accreditation and free trade agreement documentation such as:
  • Good Manufacturing Practice
  • Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point
  • Halal Accreditation
• freight costs incurred by delivering the first export activity in a new international market, product samples or trial shipment with no commercial outcome or return on investment.
• travel costs for product approvals, to finalise a deal, installation, training, operations and maintenance
• travel expenses to attend an international trade show for the explicit purposes of purchasing booth space for product/service promotion or training to finalise the export deal. This includes expenses for travel to the market, entry cost and the cost of the booth.(No other general expo or conference attendance expenses for general attendance are covered).

** IET Sector applicants – please refer to the Study Qld – IET Sector FAQs for more details on eligible costs.

NOTE – All Travel expenses are limited to 30% of the TIQ portion and 30% of the recipient portion. Expenses can be claimed from up to six months prior to the grant launch.

Ineligible costs include: 

• administration costs related to obtaining resources used on the project, advertising and recruitment, project management, staff training and development  
• costs of purchasing, leasing or depreciation of property  
• assets including IT, software, office furniture or equipment  
• routine or business-as-usual operation expenses such as marketing, staff expenses, wages, superannuation, rent, insurance, food and beverage expenditure  
• loans and debt financing expenses including interest and bank fees 
• project or activity costs already funded and/or subsidised from any other federal, state or local government
• participation in study tours or other missions, regardless of the organiser
• participation in, or contribution to expo or event costs, including travel expenses (booth costs are covered as an eligible cost)
• internal staff as suppliers, including from a subsidiary, parent company, partner agency or other internal division. Evidence must be provided that demonstrates suppliers are an external contractor to the business.
• cost of inventory or raw materials in the production of the goods or services being exported
• production costs of the goods or services being exported 
• goods or services purchased earlier than six months before the grant launch 
• business development costs, including travel expenses for business development 
• per diems in market
• any costs associated with conducting ordinary business not related to export

Other costs may also be deemed ineligible.

Successful applicants must sign their financial incentive agreement and return it to TIQ within 10 business days of being sent. 

The project must:  

• be completed within the 12-month due date. 

The grant is a matched grant, meaning that if you are awarded $30,000 ex GST, you will need to show that you have also spent $30,000 ex GST towards the project.  This means that the invoices for expenditure on the export project will total $60,000 ex GST.   

The first payment, which is 50% of the total of the grant awarded, will be paid after the financial incentive agreement has been signed by both parties and you have provided an invoice. 

For example, if you receive a $30,000 grant, the first payment will be $15,000.  

When the project is completed within the required timeframe you must provide: 

• an export success form outlining the export value of the project and number of jobs created 

• copies of all eligible invoices and receipts 

• an acquittal report on the project. 

This information will be reviewed by us for approval of the final 50% grant payment.