The .au Co-Marketing Innovation Fund helps grow the .au namespace by building the businesses who know .au consumers the best – accredited .au registrars.
The Fund’s objectives are to:
- Grow the total .au domains under management
- Maintain or improve renewals of existing domains
- Build the brand equity of .au by increasing trust, stability and security
- Increase the capacity, resilience and competition in the registrar landscape
- Improve digital inclusion for all Australians by making it easier for businesses, organisations and individuals to participate in the .au namespace
The fund will provide $8 million over four years to fund a range of registrar-led activities.
Who is eligible for funding?
The fund is available to accredited, active .au registrars of all sizes.
Total funding is capped at $250,000 per year per registrar, or where there is a group of registrars, $250,000 across the group.
Fund structure
There are three streams of funding available to ensure registrars of all sizes can benefit from the investment.
Voucher
Up to a maximum of $25,000
The most flexible funding stream offering a simple way to access facilities, goods, services, advice or expertise with a fast turnaround on funding decisions.
Grant
$25,000 to $250,00
This level is provided direct to registrars for funding larger, growth-focused projects. Grants have a co-funding requirement, increased reporting and require approval from the auDA board.
Rebates
From $50,000 - $250,000
Performance rebates will be agreed up front and paid against delivery of increased channel sales of .au. Performance agreements will be negotiated individually by auDA in conjunction with Afilias.
Application process
To apply for any level of funding, registrars will need to submit a business case for each project to be funded, the detail of which will vary according to the amount and type of funding requested.
Applications are assessed initially by the Co-Marketing and Innovation Fund Assessment Committee which is made up of auDA and Afilias staff.
Reporting
The Co-marketing and Innovation Fund submits activity reports to the auDA board, and an annual overview as part of auDA’s annual reporting.
More informaton
If you’re an accredited .au registrar and interested in finding out more or are ready to submit an application, please email registrars@auda.org.au to start the process.
