Australia's National Science Agency India Australia Technology Commercialisation Challenge (TCC) Grant Opportunity Guidelines Guidelines for Australian Publicly Funded Research Organisations only Opening date: Monday 26 May 2025 Closing date and time: Monday 30 June 2025; 11:30PM (Australian Eastern Standard Time) Please take account of time zone differences when submitting your application. Commonwealth policy entity: Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) Administering entity: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Enquiries: If you have any questions, contact TCC@csiro.au Date guidelines released: 16 May 2025 Type of grant opportunity: Targeted competitive Contents 1 Technology Commercialisation Challenge process 3 1.1 Introduction 4 2 About the grant opportunity 4 3 About the grant opportunity 5 3.1 Delivery of the grant opportunity 5 4 Grant amount and grant period 6 4.1 Grants available 6 4.2 Grant period 6 5 Eligibility criteria 6 5.1 Who is eligible to apply for a grant? 6 5.2 Priority Areas Challenge Statements 7 6 What the grant money can be used for 7 6.1 Grant available 7 6.2 Eligible grant activities 7 6.3 Eligible expenditure 8 6.4 What the grant money cannot be used for 8 6.5 Who will be paid the grant? 9 6.6 How we pay the grant 9 6.7 Grant payments and GST 9 7 Travel 10 8 How to apply 11 8.1 Application Process 11 8.2 Timing of grant opportunity processes 11 8.3 Questions during the application process 12 9 The assessment criteria 12 9.1 Application Assessment Criteria 12 10 The grant selection process 13 10.1 Assessment of grant applications 13 10.2 Who will assess applications? 14 10.3 Who will approve grants? 14 11 Notification of application outcomes 14 11.1 Further grant opportunities 14 12 Successful grant applications 15 12.1 The Participation Agreement 15 12.2 How we pay the grant 15 12.3 Grants payments and GST 15 13 Announcement of grants 15 14 How we monitor and report on your grant activity 16 14.1 Keeping us informed 16 14.2 Your Reporting 16 14.3 Our Reporting 16 14.4 Participation Agreement variations 16 14.5 Evaluation 17 14.6 Acknowledgement 17 15 Probity 17 15.1 Enquiries and feedback 17 16 Conflicts of interest 17 17 Privacy 18 18 Confidential Information 18 19 Freedom of information 18 20 National security 19 20.1 Know Your Partner 19 21 Glossary 20 1 Technology Commercialisation Challenge process We assess all eligible applications We assess eligible applications based against the assessment criteria and how closely it aligns with the industry requirements, including an overal l consideration of value with relevant money. 1.1 Introduction These guidelines ("Guidelines") contain information for the Technology Commercialisation Challenge Grant opportunity (the "opportunity"). In November 2024 the Australian Government and the Government of India announced an enhanced India-Australia Renewable Energy Partnership ("Partnership"), guiding climate and energy cooperation between both nations. The Partnership provides a framework to promote collaboration in diversifying clean energy supply chains and accelerating the energy transition. In launching the Partnership, both the Australian Government and the Government of India highlighted the crucial role of private sector involvement in renewable energy investment and technology commercialisation. Under this Partnership, the Technology Commercialisation Challenge will see India and Australia establish research and development (R&D) relationships and leadership in the commercialisation of cutting-edge renewable technology. Funding for the opportunity is by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEW). Building on the success of the India Australia Rapid Innovation and Startup Expansion (RISE) Accelerator, the CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, is facilitating the opportunity and Challenge. You must read these guidelines before completing an application. This document sets out: * the purpose of the grant opportunity * the eligibility and assessment criteria * how grant applications are considered and selected * how grantees are notified and receive grant payments * how grantees will be monitored and evaluated * responsibilities and expectations in relation to the opportunity. We administer the TCC Grant opportunity with regard to the Commonwealth Grants Rules and Principles 2024 (CGRPs).1 2 About the grant opportunity The TCC is designed to enhance R&D collaboration between India and Australia, with a specific focus on establishing leadership in the research, development and commercialisation and manufacturing of cutting-edge renewable technology by our two nations. It offers a unique opportunity to bring together Australia's world-class R&D expertise with India's rapidly expanding renewable energy manufacturing capabilities. By combining these strengths, the Challenge aims to drive innovation, improve the sustainability of energy systems, and facilitate the global transition to cleaner, more reliable energy sources. The objective of the opportunity is: * to build formal partnerships between Indian industry and the Australian research sector to advance renewable energy technologies ensuring that the knowledge and expertise of the Australian research sector aligns with the manufacturing strengths of Indian industry. 1 Federal Register of Legislation - Commonwealth Grants Rules and Principles 2024 The intended outcomes of the opportunity are to: * strengthen and diversify renewable energy supply chains in both countries * develop advanced renewable energy technologies through joint research and collaboration * contribute to sustainable, clean energy solutions on a global scale * create new trade and business prospects in the renewable energy sector between India and Australia * enhance ongoing knowledge sharing and capacity-building between both nations. The opportunity requires successful grantees to: * actively engage with potential Indian industry partner/s with a view to exploring and or designing collaborative R&D projects in nominated priority area/s * enter into a Participation Agreement with the CSIRO * develop, negotiate and sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), Letter of Intent (LOI), Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or similar and which may be non-binding with an Indian industry partner, outlining both parties interests in exploring collaborative R&D opportunities, and upon which the grant payment is tied. These Guidelines pertain to Australian research organisations only. Indian industry should direct any enquiries about participation to TCC@csiro.au. 3 About the grant opportunity 3.1 Delivery of the grant opportunity Successfully selected Australian research organisations will engage with nominated Indian industry partner/s, and through a range of cross-border capacity building activities will explore how they may collaborate and innovate in specified R&D priority areas in solar PV, hydrogen and battery technology manufacturing. The grant opportunity (the "opportunity") is open to Australian research organisations. Table 1: Proposed schedule of TCC delivery Organisations to Indian industry partner/s. The Challenge consists of (the "Challenge Activities"): * In-person 'The India Opportunity' capability session/s (Australia) * In-person India Immersion Week (India) * Online and in-person collaborative discussions with nominated Indian industry partner/s * Development of a potential R&D collaboration proposal. To participate in the opportunity, successfully selected Australian research organisations will be asked to enter into a Participation Agreement with CSIRO. Participant Organisations must appoint no less than two individuals as outlined in the Participation Agreement, who will actively support and participate in the Challenge. 4 Grant amount and grant period 4.1 Grants available The TCC grant opportunity will run from 26 May 2025 to 30 November 2025. For this grant opportunity a total grant pool of $250,000 is available, the maximum grant amount is $50,000. The grant will be awarded subject to satisfactory participation in, and completion of Challenge Activities. You may apply for and be awarded more than one grant, for separate applications against the nominated Challenge Statement/s as outlined on csiro.au/en/work-with-us/International/The- Technology-Commercialisation-Challenge. 4.2 Grant period The maximum grant period is 6 months. 5 Eligibility criteria 5.1 Who is eligible to apply for a grant? To be eligible you must: * have an Australian business number (ABN) and * be a publicly funded research organisation (PFRO) as defined in section 21 of these grant opportunity guidelines. You can't apply if you are: * an organisation, or your project partner is an organisation, included on the National Redress Scheme's list of Institutions that have not joined or signified their intent to join the Scheme * an employer of 100 or more employees that has not complied with the Workplace Gender Equality Act (2012) * not one of the entities listed above. You can partner with one or more other organisations that also meet the eligibility criteria. But you must decide who the lead organisation is. The lead organisation: * must fill out the application form * signs the Participation Agreement * is awarded the grant * is responsible for making sure your organisation and partner organisation follows the terms and conditions outlined in the Participation Agreement. The eligibility criteria cannot be waived under any circumstances. A lead researcher must be nominated. You can make more than one application for this opportunity. 5.2 Priority Areas Challenge Statements Priority R&D area Challenge Statement/s relevant to strategic renewable energy supply chains and to participating Indian renewable manufacturers, will be published at csiro.au/en/work-with- us/International/The-Technology-Commercialisation-Challenge. 6 What the grant money can be used for 6.1 Grant available The Grant for each Australian Participant Organisation is up to $50,000 (plus GST), paid in two $25,000 tranches in accordance with the Participation Agreement schedule. Payment of the Grant is subject to: * satisfactory participation in, and completion of, Challenge Activities * timely and satisfactory submission of deliverables - specifically a signed Non-Disclosure Agreement, Memorandum of Understanding, Letter or Statement of Intent or similar, with a nominated Indian renewable manufacturer/s, and * meeting performance milestones and participation requirements. Participant Organisations are responsible for any remaining costs associated with their participation in the Challenge Activities. A separate Travel Allowance to support the costs of travel associated with mandatory, scheduled in- person Challenge Activities, outlined in section 7. 6.2 Eligible grant activities To be eligible your participation must: * be consistent with the objectives and intended outcomes of the Technology Commercialisation Challenge; * include eligible activities and eligible expenditure; and * be in support of collaboration in research in a nominated priority area and Challenge Statement/s. 6.3 Eligible expenditure You can only spend the grant on eligible expenditure you incur as a result of your participation in the Challenge. The Program Delegate makes the final decision on what is eligible expenditure. Additional specific expenses may also be deemed eligible at the discretion of the Program Delegate. Eligible expenditure includes (non-exhaustive): * salary and on-costs of PFRO researcher(s) and commercialisation/similar staff. Eligible labour expenditure covers the direct labour costs of employees engaged in the Challenge activities and engagement with your nominated Indian manufacturer. We consider a person an employee when you pay them a regular salary or wage, out of which you make regular tax instalment deductions * be a direct cost of your participation in the Challenge and or to demonstrate a potential collaborative R&D opportunity to your nominated Indian industry partner/s * consumables and or research costs related to your participation in the Challenge and as required to demonstrate a potential collaborative R&D opportunity to your nominated Indian industry partner/s * critical external facilities access/services/contractors required to support you to demonstrate a potential collaborative R&D opportunity to your nominated Indian industry partner/s * critical international and or domestic travel required to demonstrate a potential collaborative R&D opportunity to your nominated Indian industry partner/s Eligible contract expenditure is the cost of any agreed project activities that you contract others to do. These can include contracting: * another organisation * an individual who is not an employee, but engaged under a separate contract. All contractors must have a written contract prior to starting any project work-for example, a formal agreement, letter or purchase order which specifies the nature of the work they perform; and the applicable fees, charges and other costs payable. We may update these guidelines on eligible and ineligible expenditure from time to time. If your application is successful, the version of the guidelines in place when you execute a Participation Agreement applies to your grant activity. You must incur Challenge related expenditure between the Challenge commencement date and end or completion date outlined in your Participation Agreement for it to be eligible. 6.4 What the grant money cannot be used for The Grant cannot be used to support the costs of any activity that would be reasonably anticipated to bring the Challenge into disrepute. The Grant must not be used to make any donations, sponsorships, or gifts, or payments, costs or associated fees paid to the Commonwealth, state, territory and local governments or their officials, in Australia and India. You cannot use the grant for any of the following: * PFRO overhead or infrastructure charges/fees * capital works and expenditure * infrastructure costs * major construction/capital works. 6.5 Who will be paid the grant? The Grant is paid subject to a Participant Organisation satisfying each of the following (the "Milestones"): * You (your Nominated Participant/s collectively) actively participate in no less than 90% of formal virtual and in-person Australia Challenge Activities. * You (your Nominated Participant/s collectively) actively participate in no less than 90% of the formal in-person India Sprint. * Develop, negotiate and submit a copy of a signed Non-Disclosure Agreement, Letter of Intent (LOI), Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or similar with nominated Indian renewable manufacturer/s (Tranche 1, $25,000 plus GST) * Submit a Final Challenge Report in the template provided at the conclusion of the Challenge Activities, that outlines if and how your participation in the Challenge has resulted in collaboration and or commercial engagements, and if your expectations and ambitions regarding these relationships have been achieved. (Tranche 2, $25,000 plus GST) To be satisfactory, deliverables submitted must in CSIRO's reasonable opinion meet the requirements specified in the Participation Agreement. 6.6 How we pay the grant The Participation Agreement will state the how we pay the Grant and: * maximum Grant amount we will pay * anticipated schedule of payment/s * any program contributions you will make. We will not exceed the maximum Grant amount under any circumstances. If you incur extra costs, you must meet them yourself. You must be able to fund the total cost of participating in the Challenge before being reimbursed. Payments will be made according to an agreed schedule set out in the Participation Agreement and these may be reliant upon provision of an agreed tax invoice. Payments will only be made subject to achievement of milestones and submission of tax invoice. 6.7 Grant payments and GST Participant Organisations must supply Australian bank account details, which will be verified by CSIRO, and ensure the business's Goods and Services Tax (GST) registration status is provided. If you are registered for the Goods and Services Tax (GST), where applicable GST will be added to your Grant payment/s. Travel Allowance payments will be inclusive of GST. Grants are assessable income for taxation purposes, unless exempted by a taxation law. We recommend you seek independent professional advice on your taxation obligations or seek assistance from the Australian Taxation Office, https://www.ato.gov.au. We do not provide advice on your particular taxation circumstances. 7 Travel Participant Organisations will receive a Travel Allowance to support the reasonable cost of flights and accommodation required for two Nominated Participants to attend the mandatory in-person activities. The Travel Allowance supports the eligible costs outlined in Table 2, up to the maximum allowance listed in Table 2 and only on receipt of a tax invoice that must include tax receipts of flights and accommodation expenses. All other costs are at the expense of the Participating Organisation and cannot be claimed as part of the Travel Allowance. Eligible air transportation is limited to an economy class fare for each sector travelled; where non- economy class air transport is used only the equivalent of an economy fare for that sector is eligible expenditure. Where non-economy class air transport is used, the Participant Organisation must provide evidence showing what an economy airfare cost at the time of travel. The Travel Allowance payment is subject to Nominated Participant/s from the Participating Organisation collectively attending at least 90% of scheduled in-person Program Activities. The Travel Allowance shall be paid, upon receipt of tax invoice/s, as per Schedule 1 of the Participation Agreement. Additional Nominated Participants may attend the in-person experiences, at the Participant Organisation's cost and or using the Grant. Travel costs are to be submitted in the template provided at the commencement of the Program and must clearly demonstrate costs incurred for expenses outlined in Table 2 only. Nominated Participants travelling to in-person experiences who anticipate eligible expenses to be above 'reasonable costs' must outline costs and reason for higher travel costs via email to TCC@csiro.au. Any costs deemed unreasonable will be at the expense of the Participating Organisation. Table 2: Domestic and International Travel Allowance In-person travel experience Maximum travel allowance, per person - note that two Nominated Participants are eligible for travel allowance Eligible Costs Travel 1 - Australia up to 3 nights Total $2,500 (inclusive of GST) per person * maximum flight allowance $1000 (inclusive of GST) * maximum accommodation allowance $1,200 (inclusive of GST) * maximum ground fares and incidentals $300 (inclusive of GST) * Flights if required, tax receipt required * Accommodation, tax receipt required * Up to $100 per night, for the maximum nights shown left, supporting ground fares and incidentals; no receipts required * If the maximum allowance is reached, no further (flight, accommodation or daily) allowances can be claimed. Travel 2 - India up to 6 nights Total $5,000 (inclusive of GST) per person * maximum flight allowance $3,000 (inclusive of GST) * maximum accommodation allowance $2,400 (inclusive of GST) * maximum visa, ground fares and incidentals $600 (inclusive of GST) Nominated Participants are responsible for all travel insurance and medical expenses in relation to any travel associated with the Program. Nominated Participants should consult with their medical provider to obtain clearance to travel and conduct necessary due diligence regarding medical conditions before travelling to in-person activities. 8 How to apply Before applying, you must read and understand these Guidelines, paying close attention to all Eligibility Criteria and Assessment Criteria, and the sample Participation Agreement. These may be found at csiro.au/en/work-with-us/International/The-Technology-Commercialisation-Challenge. 8.1 Application Process You can only apply between the Opening and Closing Dates of the Round. You will need to set up an account via the Good Grants platform to access our online application portal. To apply you must: * complete and submit your application using the online form in the Good Grants platform * provide all the information requested * address all eligibility criteria and assessment criteria * review privacy and other application consents specific to the program * submit your application by the notified closing date/time. Personal Information is collected, including sensitive information of Nominated Participants for the purposes of delivering the Challenge, see section 17, Privacy. Applicants should not disclose sensitive Participant Organisation Confidential Information in the application. Participant Organisation's should take all reasonable steps to ensure they do not disclose material which would undermine their ability to secure patent or other protection for Participant Organisation Confidential Information, or which would jeopardise or hinder their commercial activities. You are responsible for ensuring that information provided in the grant opportunity application is complete and accurate. Giving false or misleading information is a serious offence under the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth). We will investigate any false or misleading information and may exclude your application from further consideration. If you find an error in your application after submitting it, you should contact us immediately via email to TCC@csiro.au. We do not have to accept any additional information, or requests from you to correct your application after the closing time. You should keep a copy of your application and any supporting documents. If you need further guidance about the application process or if you are unable to submit an application online contact us at TCC@csiro.au. 8.2 Timing of grant opportunity processes You must apply between the Opening and Closing Dates stipulated at the start of this document. Late application acceptance is at the discretion of the Program Delegate. Table 3: Expected timing for this grant opportunity Activity Maximum Timeframe Applications open Monday 26 May 2025 - Monday 30 June 2025 Assessment of applications and selection Monday 16 June 2025 - Monday 14 July 2025 Approval of outcomes of selection process From Tuesday 1 July 2025 or later Participation Commences From date of execution of Participation Agreement Earliest start date of Challenge Activities Tuesday 1 July 2025 End date of grant commitment Sunday 30 November 2025 8.3 Questions during the application process If you have any questions during the application period, email TCC@csiro.au. We will respond to emailed questions within two working days. We may contact you to ask for clarification or additional information from you regarding the information and the nature of your application. 9 The assessment criteria We first review your application against the eligibility criteria. If eligible, we will assess the suitability of your application based on: * how well it meets the criteria * how it compares to other applications. 9.1 Application Assessment Criteria Your application must address the assessment criteria outlined below. We will assess your application based on the weighting given to each criterion. The amount of detail and supporting evidence you provide in your application should allow assessors to determine your capacity and capability to participate in Challenge activities and your relevance to the Challenge Statement/s.. The application form displays size limits for answers. We will only consider applications that score at least 50 per cent against each criterion, as these represent best value for relevant money. Application assessment criterion 1 (40%) Alignment with grant opportunity Challenge Statement/s, objectives and outcomes Provide an overview of you, your team and or research organisation, giving consideration to: a. the value you will provide to the Challenge through specialised and sectoral advisory services, including access to any specific and relevant facilities or resources b. alignment to objectives and outcomes as documented in section 2 of the grant opportunity guidelines. c. your understanding of the Challenge Statement/s and how your expertise and experience could assist nominated Industry partner/s to address these areas in their business, including the rationale for your approach and any existing research you will build on. Where relevant identify the current competitive landscape in your chosen area of research, including a comparative analysis of similar or alternate technology. Application assessment criterion 2 (40%) Capacity, capability, and resources to deliver the project Describe how you will deliver the project by identifying: a. your capacity and experience to deliver the proposed activities b. the extent to which your organisation specialises in one or more of the Challenge Statement/s, in which areas, and why and how you can draw on this sectoral expertise for the benefit of manufacturers c. your access to personnel with the relevant experience and expertise in one or more Challenge Statement/s required for the successful delivery of the proposed project, including management and technical staff (and which are specifically made available to your project) d. your ability to provide access to equipment and resources. Application assessment criterion 3 (20%) Benefits for both Australia and India a. how your project will develop robust and sustainable collaboration between Australia and India in your area of research expertise. 10 The grant selection process 10.1 Assessment of grant applications We first review your eligibility (Section 5). If eligible, we then assess your application responses. We may contact you, after your submission, to ask for clarification or additional information from you regarding the information and the nature of your application. When assessing the extent to which the application represents value with relevant money, we will have regard to: * the overall objective/s to be achieved in providing the grant * the relative value of the grant sought. Highest merit ranked applications are then invited to participate in a series (between 1-3) of online interview/s, with assessor/s (interview panel/s). You must ensure at least two personnel attend the interview including the proposed lead researcher/s who would participate in the Challenge. We recommend that a team member from your Commercialisation or Technology Transfer office attend the interview also. The information provided in your application and the interview responses are assessed using the weighted Assessment Criteria (section 9.1), and by comparison to other interviewed applicants. Following all interviews, Assessors will review suitability and alignment of interviewed applicants against nominated Indian renewable manufacturer/s needs. At the conclusion of the interviews, the Assessor panel recommends successful applicants to the Program Delegate for approval. 10.2 Who will assess applications? Assessors are CSIRO and DCCEEW employees, external technical and commercial professionals approved by the Program Delegate as having knowledge and experience aligned to the Program objectives, and nominated Indian renewable manufacturers. Assessors include those who sit on an interview panel and assess each application on its merit and compare and rank it against other eligible applications. All Assessors are required to declare any conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from any applications affected. Assessors may seek additional information about an application from independent technical experts and other government agencies where appropriate. Assessors may also consider information about an application that is available through the normal course of business. We assess each application on its merit before recommending which grant applications should be awarded a grant. We may ask external experts/advisors to inform the assessment process. Any expert/advisor, who is not a Commonwealth Official, will be required/expected to perform their duties with regard to the CGRPs. We may seek additional information about you, your application, related bodies corporate, related entities and associated entities (as defined in the Corporations Act) and related personnel from third party sources, including other Commonwealth entities. The assessment committee may also consider information about you or your application that is available through the normal course of business. The assessment committee recommends to the Program Delegate which applications to approve for a grant. 10.3 Who will approve grants? The Program Delegate decides which grants to approve taking into account an application's assessment and availability of grant funds for the purposes of the grant opportunity. The Program Delegate's decision is final in all matters, including: * the approval of the grant * the grant funding amount to be awarded * the terms and conditions of the grant. There is no appeal mechanism for decisions to approve or not approve a grant. 11 Notification of application outcomes We will advise you of the outcome of your application in writing. If you are successful, we will advise you of any specific conditions attached to the grant. You can submit a new application for the same grant (or a similar grant) under this opportunity. 11.1 Further grant opportunities If there are not enough suitable applications to meet the program's objectives, we will deliver subsequent grant opportunities through closed non-competitive processes. 12 Successful grant applications 12.1 The Participation Agreement You must enter into a legally binding Participation Agreement with the CSIRO, it's terms and conditions cannot be changed. By request, you may review a sample Participation Agreement. To request a sample Participation Agreement, email TCC@csiro.au. 12.2 How we pay the grant The Participation Agreement will state the: * maximum grant amount to be paid * eligible expenditure covered by the grant * any financial contributions you must make. We will not exceed the maximum grant amount under any circumstances. If you incur extra costs, you must meet them. You must be able to fund travel and costs of participating in Challenge Activities before being reimbursed. 12.3 Grants payments and GST Grants may be assessable income for taxation purposes, unless exempted by a taxation law. We recommend you seek independent professional advice on your taxation obligations or seek assistance from the Australian Taxation Office.2 We do not provide advice on your particular taxation circumstances. 13 Announcement of grants If successful, your grant will be reported to DCCEEW, and listed online at www.csiro.au/en/work-with- us/International/The-Technology-Commercialisation-Challenge within 21 calendar days from the date of effect as required by Section 5.4 of the CGRPs. Information published may include: * name of your organisation * business location * logo * Challenge Statement/s being addressed or endeavoured to be addressed via your participation in the Challenge * amount of grant funding awarded. 2 https://www.ato.gov.au/ 14 How we monitor and report on your grant activity 14.1 Keeping us informed You should let us know if anything is likely to affect your project or organisation. You must also inform us of any changes to your: * name * addresses * nominated contact details You must notify us of events relating to your grant and provide an opportunity for the Minister or their representative to attend. 14.2 Your Reporting Successful applicants will be required to submit reports in accordance with the Participation Agreement. We may use information from successful applications for reporting and evaluation purposes. We may also survey you or ask you for more information to help us understand how the Challenge impacted your Organisation. We may contact you up to 12 months after completion date of Program Activities for more information to assist with this evaluation. Please refer to the Participation Agreement for further details. Final Report: You must submit a final report in line with the Participation Agreement, within 30 days of Challenge completion. We will remind you before that report is due. We will ask you to complete a final report that outlines: * if and how outcomes have been achieved * anticipated impacts and your next steps with regards to project outcomes. Post-Challenge Reporting: For a period of 12 months post-Challenge Completion Date, survey responses may be required to assist us to reasonably track how you and your India cross-border activities have generally progressed since Your completion of the Challenge must be returned within four weeks of receiving any online survey request. 14.3 Our Reporting CSIRO shall report to DCCEEW via both a written report and verbal presentation, a summary of high- level outcomes of the Challenge, achievements and benefits of the R&D and how this may or has advanced Australia and India's R&D collaboration. This reporting is at a project, and high-level and will not include any commercially sensitive information. 14.4 Participation Agreement variations We recognise that unexpected events may affect your project progress. If circumstances arise that may impact the completion of your project. You may request a variation to your Participation Agreement. You should not assume that a variation request will be successful. We will consider your request based on provisions in the Participation Agreement and the likely impact on achieving outcomes. Contact us via email, to discuss unexpected events and potential circumstances affecting your project and Participation Agreement. 14.5 Evaluation We will evaluate the grant opportunity to measure how well the outcomes and objectives have been achieved. We may use information from your application and reports for this purpose. We may also interview you or ask you for more information to help us understand how the grant impacted you and to evaluate how effective the grant opportunity was in achieving its outcomes. We may contact you up to one year after you finish your grant for more information to assist with this evaluation. 14.6 Acknowledgement If you make a public statement about the TCC collaboration funded under this grant opportunity, we require you to acknowledge the grant by using the following: 'The Technology Commercialisation Challenge (TCC), part of the India-Australia Renewable Energy Partnership, is funded by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.' The statement must be used in full, without any alterations, and should appear in no smaller than 10pt font. 15 Probity The CSIRO will make sure that the grant opportunity process is fair, is conducted according to the published grant opportunity guidelines, incorporates appropriate safeguards against fraud and corruption, unlawful activities and other inappropriate conduct and is consistent with the CGRPs. These guidelines may be changed from time-to-time by CSIRO. When this happens, the revised grant opportunity guidelines will be published online at csiro.au/work-with-us/International/India-Australia- Innovation-Technology-Challenge. You should be aware of your obligations under the National Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2022, noting that under the Act grantees will generally be considered 'contracted service providers' [see https://www.nacc.gov.au/resource-centre/nacc-fact-sheets]. 15.1 Enquiries and feedback There is no appeal mechanism for decisions to approve or not approve a grant, however requests for Challenge information or clarifications can be directed by email to TCC@csiro.au. You may contact the Commonwealth Ombudsman with complaints. There is no fee for making a complaint, and the Ombudsman may conduct an independent investigation. The Commonwealth Ombudsman can be contacted on: * Phone (Toll free): 1300 362 072 * Email: ombudsman@ombudsman.gov.au * Website: www.ombudsman.gov.au 16 Conflicts of interest Any conflicts of interest could affect the performance of the grant opportunity or program. There may be a conflict of interest, or perceived conflict of interest if you or any of your personnel: * has a professional, commercial or personal relationship with a party who is able to influence the application selection process, such as one of the assessment committee * has a relationship with or interest in, an organisation, which is likely to interfere with or restrict the CSIRO from carrying out proposed R&D project activities fairly and independently. As part of your application, you will be required to declare any perceived or existing conflicts of interests or confirm that, to the best of your knowledge, there is no conflict of interest. If you later identify an actual, apparent, or perceived conflict of interest, you must inform us in writing immediately. CSIRO is committed to conducting the affairs of the organisation with integrity and in the national interest consistent with the functions of CSIRO as set out in the Science and Industry Research Act 1949 (SIR Act), and the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (PGPA Act) and other relevant legislation. We publish our conflict of interest process via the CSIRO Code of Conduct on the CSIRO website. All program employees, Assessors or officials including the Program Delegate must also declare any conflicts of interest and manage such conflicts of interest in accordance with CSIRO's policies and procedures. 17 Privacy We are bound to protect personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles. Personal Information is collected for the purposes of application to and delivering of the grant opportunity. This personal information may include your name, business address, email address and phone number. By submitting an application the applicant agrees that we will collect, use and disclose the personal information collected in accordance with the CSIRO Privacy Policy and the TCC Privacy Statement for the purposes of delivery the grant opportunity. 18 Confidential Information You must not disclose sensitive Confidential Information to in your application. You should take all reasonable steps to ensure you do not disclose material which would undermine your ability to secure patent or other protection for Confidential Information, or which would jeopardise or hinder your commercial activities. You must ensure information contained in your application will not compromise your requirements for confidentiality (such as protection of Intellectual Property). 19 Freedom of information All documents in the possession of the Australian Government, including those about this grant opportunity, are subject to the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act). The purpose of the FOI Act is to give members of the public rights of access to information held by the Australian Government and its entities. Under the FOI Act, members of the public can seek access to documents held by the Australian Government. This right of access is limited only by the exceptions and exemptions necessary to protect essential public interests and private and business affairs of persons in respect of whom the information relates. All Freedom of Information requests must be referred to the Freedom of Information Officer in writing. This can be: * by email: FOI@csiro.au * by post: FOI Officer, CSIRO PO Box 225 Dickson ACT 2602 Australia 20 National security It is your responsibility to consider any national security implications of your proposed Pilot Phase activities and to identify and manage any risks, particularly relating to export controls, potential for foreign interference and technology transfer. You should also ensure there are appropriate controls around any sensitive research data including securing intellectual property. Collaboration with foreign entities must be transparent, undertaken with full knowledge and consent, and in a manner, that avoids harm to Australia's national interests. It is your responsibility to consider the national security implications of your activities. 20.1 Know Your Partner You should ensure that you know who you are collaborating with by undertaking appropriate due diligence, proportionate to the risk and subject to available information, on all partners and personnel participating in the project. This should take into account any potential security, ethical, legal and reputational risks, and, where necessary, you should be prepared to demonstrate how you will manage and mitigate any identified risks 21 Glossary Term Definition assessment criteria are the specified principles or standards, against which applications will be judged. These criteria are also used to assess the merits of proposals and, in the case of a competitive grant opportunity, to determine application rankings. challenge activities the activities undertaken by a grantee in relation to participation in the Challenge that are eligible for funding support as set out in section 3.1 Challenge Statement/s a description of a specific problem/s that invites innovative solutions commencement date the expected start date for the grant activity Commonwealth Grants Rules and Principles 2024 (CGRPs) establish the overarching Commonwealth grants policy framework and articulate the expectations for all non-corporate Commonwealth entities in relation to grants administration. Under this overarching framework, non-corporate Commonwealth entities undertake grants administration based on the mandatory requirements and key principles of grants administration. completion date the expected date that the grant activity must be completed and the grant spent by contracted service provider A contracted service provider is a person who is a party to a Commonwealth contract or is a party to a subcontract with a contracted service provider and is responsible for the provision of goods or services under contract, either directly or indirectly. date of effect can be the date on which a Participation Agreement is signed or a specified starting date. decision maker the person who makes a decision to award a grant eligibility criteria refer to the mandatory criteria which must be met to qualify for a grant. Assessment criteria may apply in addition to eligibility criteria. eligibility criteria refer to the mandatory criteria which must be met to qualify for a grant. Assessment criteria may apply in addition to eligibility criteria. Term Definition grant a 'grant' is an arrangement for the provision of financial assistance by the Commonwealth or on behalf of the Commonwealth: a. under which relevant money3 or other Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) money4 is to be paid to a grantee other than the Commonwealth; and b. which is intended to help address one or more of the Australian Government's policy outcomes while assisting the grantee achieve its objectives. grant activity/activities refers to the project/tasks/services that the grantee is required to undertake. grant opportunity refers to the specific grant round or process where a Commonwealth grant is made available to potential grantees. Grant opportunities may be open or targeted, and will reflect the relevant grant selection process. grantee the individual/organisation which has been selected to receive a grant. Minister The Commonwealth Minister for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) is an independent Commonwealth agency. It detects, investigates and reports on serious or systemic corruption in the Commonwealth public sector. The Commission operates under the National Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2022. Participation Agreement sets out the relationship between the parties to the agreement and specifies the details of the grant. Priority Areas the overarching focus area/s of the Challenge which is aligned with the grant opportunity objectives. Program Delegate A Manager within the Challenge with responsibility for administering the program. Program funding or program funds The funding made available by the Commonwealth for the program. Publicly funded research organisation (PFRO) All higher education providers listed at Table A and Table B of the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (Cth) and corporate Commonwealth entities, and state and territory business enterprises which undertake publicly funded research. 3 Relevant money is defined in the PGPA Act. See section 8, Dictionary. 4 Other CRF money is defined in the PGPA Act. See section 105, Rules in relation to other CRF money. Term Definition selection criteria comprise eligibility criteria and assessment criteria. selection process the method used to select potential grantees. This process may involve comparative assessment of applications or the assessment of applications against the eligibility criteria and/or the assessment criteria. value with money value with money in this document refers to 'value with relevant money' which is a judgement based on the grant proposal representing an efficient, effective, economical and ethical use of public resources and determined from a variety of considerations. When administering a grant opportunity, an official should consider the relevant financial and non-financial costs and benefits of each proposal including, but not limited to: * the quality of the project proposal and activities; * fitness for purpose of the proposal in contributing to government objectives; * that the absence of a grant is likely to prevent the grantee and government's outcomes being achieved; and * the potential grantee's relevant experience and performance history. As Australia's national science agency and innovation catalyst, CSIRO is solving the greatest challenges through innovative science and technology. CSIRO. Unlocking a better future for everyone. Contact us 1300 363 400 +61 3 9545 2176 csiro.au/contact csiro.au For further information www.csiro.au/en/work-with-us/International/The- Technology-Commercialisation-Challenge email: TCC@csiro.au