The Australia-India Council (AIC) seeks to advance Australia’s foreign and trade policy interests by building awareness and understanding between the peoples and institutions of Australia and India.

Objectives

The objectives of the AIC 2020 Grant Program is:

• Support continuity in people-to-people and institutional engagement between Australia and India during and following the COVID-19 pandemic, when restrictions on travel and social distancing will limit opportunities for face-to-face engagement and inward and outbound visits. In this context, the round will target online and other activities or forms of engagement that help bring people together through virtual means and build cross-cultural linkages, but do not require travel and are consistent with government restrictions in response to COVID-19. The round will also prioritize applications that directly contribute to the priority needs of India during and immediately following the COVID-19 pandemic;
• raise awareness of Australia in India, and of India in Australia, in a way that encourages further growth in relations between the two countries, including in the trade and investment relationship;
• promote exchange and collaboration between Australian and Indian organizations in fields of relevance to the bilateral economic partnership;
• deliver high quality programs that demonstrate Australia’s economic credentials and technical excellence to influential audiences in India;
• seek community involvement in, and private sector support for Australian engagement with India including by encouraging corporate investment in collaborations that advance Australia-India relations; and
• Promote examples of a successful bilateral relationship.

Priority Areas

In 2020, priority will be given to projects that:

• support implementation of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and Australia, including by supporting the recommendations of the India Economic Strategy;
• address an identified gap or need; and
• are co-funded by industry, or work to produce commercial collaborations, or demonstrate a path to continuing in future years without government funding.

Deliverables

Key project deliverables for successful applicants:

• further the aims of the AIC including publicizing the impact of the project;
• report project outcomes and expenditure;
• Produce a one to two-page policy paper to inform government on key considerations relevant to the grant topic, including key learning’s, future challenges, opportunities or needs, and recommendations.

Funding Information

• The AIC grant process is very competitive and not all projects that satisfy the guidelines can be funded. In 2020, between $600,000 and $700,000 in total is expected to be available for AIC grants, subject to appropriation.
• Grants will be provided to a number of small and medium projects (up to a maximum of $150,000 each) that demonstrate a clear capacity to maximize impact by fostering ground-breaking collaborations that catalyze positive bilateral engagement.

Eligibility Criteria

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 organization ;
• an Australian registered charity or not-for-profit organization;
• an Australian local government body;
• an Australian State/Territory government body;
• a corporate Commonwealth entity;
• an Australian statutory authority;
• an Australian or permanent resident of Australia; and
• Willing to provide or comply with child protection guidelines for your project if it involves people under the age of 18 years.

For more information, visit Australian Government.