Deadline: 2-May-23
Applications are now open for the Geophysics and Drilling Collaborations (GDC) program, a competitive grants program funded by the Resourcing the Territory program.
The objective of the GDC program is to advance exploration activity, address geoscientific knowledge gaps and support the discovery and development of resources in the Territory. The NT Government will allocate up to $3 million in round 16 to share between eligible, selected programs.
Funding Information
- The GDC program provides co-funding assistance for the following project types. Co-funding is available for fifty percent of the eligible direct program costs capped at:
- Project Type: Greenfields drilling
- Aim: Increase density of geoscientific data to improve geological knowledge and de-risk underexplored areas of the NT.
- $200,000 for a single, deep diamond drill hole
- $150,000 for multi hole diamond drilling
- $100,000 for non-diamond drilling (RC, aircore, RAB, sonic)
- Aim: Increase density of geoscientific data to improve geological knowledge and de-risk underexplored areas of the NT.
- Project Type: Brownfields diamond drilling
- Aim: Support resource development in areas of known resource endowment.
- $150,000 for single and/or multiple diamond drilling testing new concepts below or adjacent to an Identified Resource.
- Aim: Support resource development in areas of known resource endowment.
- Project Type: Regional scale geophysics
- Aim: Improve the quality and resolution of large regional geophysical datasets.
- $100,000 for regional-scale geophysical acquisition resulting in a significant improvement in the resolution and quality of existing data.
- $150,000 for reflection seismic surveys greater than 25km length in underexplored areas.
- Aim: Improve the quality and resolution of large regional geophysical datasets.
- Project Type: Innovative targeting
- Aim: Promote innovation in exploration targeting and encourage use of existing sample sets to assess multi-commodity potential (e.g. critical minerals).
- $100,000 for camp- or prospect-scale acquisition of geophysics or geochemistry where techniques are innovative or have not been previously tested in the area; and / or reanalysis of existing sample sets and mine waste for new commodities such as critical minerals (multi element analyses).
- Aim: Promote innovation in exploration targeting and encourage use of existing sample sets to assess multi-commodity potential (e.g. critical minerals).
- Project Type: Greenfields drilling
- The Territory Supplier Incentive (TSI) offers an additional $10,000 of co-funding per project to engage NT enterprises to complete works in the NT.
- All amounts specified throughout are inclusive of GST.
What Can be Funded?
- Greenfields drilling
- Greenfields diamond drilling projects are eligible when:
- programs are located away from known deposits, and
- it is demonstrated by the applicant there is no previous diamond drilling in the area or the proposed drilling is to a significantly greater depth than existing drilling, and
- non-diamond pre-collars account for less than half of the proposed drill metreage.
- Greenfields reverse-circulation (RC) drilling projects are eligible when:
- it is demonstrated by the applicant that no previous drilling of any method has been conducted in the project area, or
- any previous drilling in the area was shallow RAB or aircore drilling that did not effectively test bedrock.
- Greenfields non-diamond drilling (aircore, RAB, sonic) are eligible when:
- it is demonstrated by the applicant that no previous drilling of any method has been conducted in the project area (e.g. first pass drilling of an area)
- Greenfields diamond drilling projects are eligible when:
- Brownfields diamond drilling
- Brownfields diamond drilling projects are eligible for co-funding when:
- it is demonstrated by the applicant that the proposed program is drilling an untested conceptual target significantly deeper than existing drilling and/or target has not been adequately tested by drilling; and
- target must be outside of an existing Identified Resource; and
- non-diamond pre-collars account for less than half of the proposed drill metreage.
- Brownfields drilling projects will not be eligible when:
- drilling shallow holes into known mineralisation; undertaking resource definition or development drilling; or utilising RC, RAB, aircore or sonic drilling (except pre-collars).
- Brownfields diamond drilling projects are eligible for co-funding when:
- Regional-scale geophysics
- Regional-scale geophysics projects are eligible for co-funding when:
- acquiring regional-scale geophysics that results in a significant improvement in the resolution and quality of existing data; where
- airborne surveys (eg magnetics, radiometrics, electromagnetics, gravity gradiometry) and ground gravity surveys cover a contiguous area greater than 350km; or
- passive seismic, reflection seismic or MT traverses are greater than 25km/square length.
- Regional-scale geophysics projects are eligible for co-funding when:
- Innovative targeting
- Innovative targeting projects include geophysical and / or geochemical acquisition for camp- or prospect-scale target generation. Innovative targeting projects are eligible for co-funding when:
- it is demonstrated by the applicant that the technique and / or approach is innovative or has not previously been tested in the area of interest, and / or
- additional data (eg multi-element analysis, petrophysics) through re-analysis of existing sample sets or mine waste to include previously untested commodities and / or improve targeting (eg targeting for critical minerals)
- Multiple complementary datasets (geophysical/geochemical) to improve targeting will be viewed favourably.
- Innovative targeting projects include geophysical and / or geochemical acquisition for camp- or prospect-scale target generation. Innovative targeting projects are eligible for co-funding when:
Essential Requirements
The following essential requirements must be met to be considered for assessment:
- application form and proposal must be submitted online through the GrantsNT portal. Applications received by email will not be considered for funding.
- applicant is a legal entity that can enter a legally binding Funding Agreement with the NT government, has an Australian Business Number and is registered for GST.
- applicant has proven financial and technical capacity to complete project.
- applicant has public liability insurance and workers compensation in place.
- project types (e.g. greenfields drilling, brownfields diamond drilling, regionalscale geophysics and innovative targeting) cannot be combined under a single application. Applicants must fill in separate online applications for each project type.
- there is no limit to the number of applications submitted by any one applicant. However, only one application of each project type per tenement or project area will be funded per round.
- projects cannot be retrospective and can only commence when the successful applicants have been publicly announced and the Funding Agreement is fully executed.
- any project involving significant ground disturbance must be on granted tenement/s held by the applicant or a demonstrably related party.
For more information, visit Northern Territory (NT) Government.
