If you've been meaning to properly investigate AI or advanced technology adoption in your business but haven't found the budget or the time, the NSW Government's Innovative Manufacturing Adoption Fund (IMAF) Stage 1 is worth five minutes of your attention.
Applications opened 20 August and close 6 October 2026. Grants run from $10,000 to $50,000, covering 50% of eligible project costs, with the rest as a cash co-contribution from your business.
What it actually funds
Stage 1 is discovery and feasibility, not implementation. That means feasibility studies, pilot projects, prototyping, process testing, and assessment of new equipment, software or systems. The outcome required is a proper evidence-based report, one that assesses technical feasibility and commercial viability, and sets out a recommended pathway for adoption.
Importantly, at least 75% of your project budget has to go to an external consultant or manufacturing service provider. This isn't a fund for figuring things out internally. It's built for businesses that want a properly resourced, external, evidence-based look at whether a technology is actually worth adopting, before they commit real capital to it.
Who's eligible
Broadly, you need to be NSW headquartered, hold an ABN, have $1 million or more turnover in each of the last two financial years, employ between 10 and 100 full-time equivalent staff, and operate a manufacturing facility in NSW within one of the target sectors, which includes defence and aerospace, advanced electronics, mining equipment and services, and several others. You'll also need to show current or potential capability in advanced manufacturing, and that your project investigates one of the fund's target technologies.
Where this fits with what we do
This is, almost exactly, the work we already do with industrial businesses. Fractional CAIO engagements and Strategic Advisory work both centre on the same question this grant is built to fund, is a specific technology or system actually worth adopting for your business, backed by a proper assessment rather than a hunch or a vendor pitch.
If you're considering a pilot, weighing up a new system, or trying to build a credible business case before you take a proposal to your board, this fund can cover half the cost of getting that done properly, with us doing the assessment.
What to do next
If this is relevant to your business, the practical first step is working out whether your intended project and technology fit the fund's criteria, and getting a scoped proposal from a consultant ready to attach to your application.
Find out more about the IMAF Stage 1 here.
The application closes 6 October 2026 at 5pm. If this is relevant to your business, the practical first step is working out whether your intended project and technology fit the fund's criteria.
Book a time to talk it through