Federal Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, has announced that applications are now open for Round Two of the Government’s Smart Cities and Suburbs Program, which commits $22 million to support local governments to solve local problems.
“Local governments are encouraged to make submissions that deliver innovative, technology-based approaches to improve the liveability and increase the productivity and sustainability of Australia’s cities, suburbs and towns,” Mr Fletcher said.
“Funding is open to all cities, not just our capitals, with 40 percent of successful projects from Round One located in regional areas.”
Some changes to the Program Guidelines for Round Two have been made based on stakeholder feedback and learnings from Round One. These changes include:
- requirement for local government bodies to be lead applicants
- an increase of the minimum grant amount to $250,000, with a co-contribution of at least 50 percent of the total project costs
- streamlining the guidelines related to innovation to ensure that projects go beyond business as usual and provide smart technology solutions to community challenges.
The full guidelines, as well as information on how to apply, are available at this link.
For more information on the Smart Cities and Suburbs Program please visit https://cities.infrastructure.gov.au/smart-cities-program.