There are dozens of active programs at any one time. Key ones for startups and SMEs include the R&D Tax Incentive (43.5% cash offset on R&D spend), the Export Market Development Grant (EMDG) for businesses expanding internationally, the Industry Growth Program for SMEs scaling innovative products, and state-based programs like Ignite Ideas (WA), MVP Ventures, and various ARENA-backed programs.

Granton offers a free consultation to identify which programs suit your business — because applying for the wrong grant wastes everyone's time.

A government grant is a direct cash payment awarded competitively — you apply, you might win, you receive funds. The R&D Tax Incentive is an entitlement program: if you meet the criteria, you're entitled to the offset as a matter of law, not luck. Both can be accessed simultaneously if you're eligible.

The R&D Tax Incentive is generally more reliable and faster than competitive grant rounds. Grants can offer larger sums but require a compelling application and there's no guarantee of success.

Usually yes, but there are offset rules. If you receive a government grant that funds specific R&D activities, you generally can't also claim the R&D Tax Incentive on the same expenditure. However, you can often claim on the portions of your R&D spend that weren't covered by the grant. We help clients structure this correctly.

The Export Market Development Grant (EMDG) reimburses up to 50% of eligible export promotion expenses — things like attending international trade shows, overseas marketing, and developing export materials. You need to have at least $15,000 in eligible expenses and be an Australian business with under $50M turnover. It's one of the most underutilised grants for tech companies with global ambitions.

It depends on the program. Some grants have acceptance rates below 10%; others are much more accessible. The quality of your application matters enormously — a strong, evidence-based submission with a clear commercial case significantly outperforms a generic one. Granton helps you assess whether a grant is worth your time before you commit to an application.

For grant applications we work on an upfront preparation fee plus a success component — the split depends on the grant size and complexity. This is different from R&D Tax Incentive work where we're purely success-fee. We'll always be transparent about fees before you commit.

We keep it simple. First, a quick eligibility call (15 mins) to confirm your project qualifies. Then a discovery meeting or short form to understand your activities. You send through your financials, and from there we do the heavy lifting — preparing the full claim, activities, evidence, calculations and write-up.

We handle lodgement and send you the tax schedule to pass on to your accountant.

Typically 2–4 weeks from when you provide the information we need. We factor in statutory deadlines so you don't miss cut-off dates.

Very little. We handle the write-ups and structure. You'll need to be available for a discovery conversation and to provide your financials. We don't send you blank templates and ask you to fill them in.

The ATO expects you to justify time allocations. Timesheets are ideal — if you don't have them, we can help you reconstruct a defensible time allocation based on what was actually built.

Often yes. Most generalist accountants focus on tax lodgement and don't specialise in the technical, documentation-heavy side of R&D. We handle the AusIndustry registration and technical write-ups while your accountant handles the company tax return.

We work on a success fee basis — you only pay if your claim is successful. No upfront costs, no surprises.

Refunds under $20k: $4,500 + GST (fixed). $20k–$54,999: $5,500 + GST (fixed). $55k and above: 10% of refund.

Many R&D consultancies take a large chunk of your refund. Our model is built for startups that can't afford to lose that much runway. We rely on efficient processes and sector focus to keep fees down while still doing audit-level work. There's no catch — we just think founders should keep more of what they've earned.

No. Our fees are success-based. If your claim isn't successful, you don't pay. That's why we're careful about who we take on — if we don't think you'll have a strong claim, we'll tell you upfront.

Sometimes — but software is scrutinised heavily. Routine development isn't R&D. AusIndustry's guidance is strict about what counts as experimental versus routine, and whole-of-project claims are a red flag. We specialise in positioning software and AI work correctly under the latest guidance.

Yes — software can absolutely be eligible. The scrutiny has increased, but that just means the claim needs to be built properly. We know exactly where the lines are and how to frame technical work under current guidance.

You can, but it's risky. AI tends to generate generic language, invent experiments, and miss the technical logic AusIndustry expects. They're getting better at identifying AI-written content. A properly prepared claim requires someone who actually understands your work.

We build every claim as if AusIndustry or the ATO may review it. That means framing work as hypotheses, experiments and results; matching language to sector guides; and capturing evidence contemporaneously where possible. To date, Granton reports a 100% success rate and zero audits on client claims.

If your claim is selected for review, we can assist with the full response — drafting, evidence, and mapping experiments to the logic the regulator expects.

Vague technical descriptions with no experiments, inflated labour percentages, AI-generated content, whole-of-project claims, and claims written by people not involved in the technical work. We check for all of these before lodgement.

We'll tell you clearly and explain why. Protecting you from a bad or unsustainable claim is part of the service. We'd rather lose a fee than put a client at risk.

Yes. We'll flag weak explanations, missing evidence, inflated costs or things likely to attract review attention. If you've claimed before and want a second opinion, that's exactly what our strategy call is designed for.

If they never spoke to your technical team, sent you a blank template to fill in, or made you write everything yourself — that's a red flag. We can review your previous claim and tell you where the risks are.

Yes, as long as you continued to do eligible R&D activities in the subsequent financial year. Each year is assessed on its own activities and expenditure.

Absolutely — especially around timesheets, evidence capture, and documentation. We can help you set up a simple system that makes the next claim much easier.