Cut the cost
Government funding for your AI project
Federal and Queensland programs can cut the cost of an AI project.
- Tax incentives
- Matched grants
- Subsidised advice
How it works
Three shapes government support takes
Programs come and go, and their rules change. The shapes stay the same.
Tax incentives
Claimed through your tax return
Offsets and deductions that reduce what you pay when a project involves research and development, or when you buy equipment and software to run it. Your accountant claims these, and they usually need the project costed and documented as it happens.
Matched grants
You put money in, the program matches it
Federal, state and university programs that match the money you put into a defined project, often one that involves research partners or new technology. These open in rounds, carry eligibility rules on turnover and industry, and favour a clearly defined project with numbers behind it.
Subsidised advice and programs
Free or low-cost expertise
Advisory sessions, research access and accelerator-style programs funded by government or run through universities and research agencies. A good fit when you want expert input before you commit to building anything.
Where to look
The official sources for what is open now
These are the pages the programs themselves are published on.
business.gov.au
Federal grants and programs finder
The Australian Government's single list of grants, programs and tax incentives, filterable by state, industry and business size.
Business Queensland
Queensland Government grants and support
State programs for Queensland businesses, including the small-business grants that open in rounds through the year.
Australian Taxation Office
Tax incentives and deductions
The current rules for research and development incentives and for deducting equipment and software. Your accountant works from here.
CSIRO
Research partnerships for small and medium businesses
Matched-funding and research-access programs for businesses building something new with a research partner.
University of the Sunshine Coast
Regional industry partnerships
Industry partnership and research collaboration programs for businesses on the Sunshine Coast and across regional Queensland.
Austrade
Support for businesses selling overseas
Export-related grants and market programs, relevant if the AI project supports work you sell outside Australia.
Where we fit
Arrive with a costed project
Programs fund defined projects with numbers behind them. That is what the AI Scan produces.
1. Define it
The AI Scan finds the one job worth handing to AI first and sizes it in hours and dollars, with what will be built described in plain terms.
2. Check it
You and your accountant or grant adviser take that plan to the official sources above and confirm which programs fit and what they need.
3. Build it
Funded or not, the work runs the same way: a live pilot on your own work, with the numbers tracked from day one so the result is documented for any claim.
Start with the project
Want a project that is ready to fund?
Built by
- 🎓 Queensland Government AI mentor
- 🏆 Winner, 2025 Sunshine Coast Business Awards
- 🌟 Finalist, 2026 Sunshine Coast Business Awards
- 🏅 Top 10 finalist, Australian AI Awards 2025 & 2026
Funding questions we get asked
Not answered here? Call (07) 5300 2344 or book a free 20‑minute chat.
Can government funding cover an AI project?
Often, yes. Federal and Queensland programs support small and medium businesses adopting new technology, in three shapes: tax incentives, matched grants and subsidised advice. The official sources on this page show what is open now.
Which programs apply to my business?
It depends on your turnover, your industry and what the project involves. The official finders at business.gov.au and Business Queensland let you filter on those, and your accountant or a grant adviser confirms eligibility before you apply.
What is available for a Sunshine Coast or Brisbane business?
State and federal programs both apply across South East Queensland, and regional universities including the University of the Sunshine Coast run industry partnership programs for local businesses. Check Business Queensland for state programs and business.gov.au for federal ones.
Does Blue Seas AI help with the application?
We define the project and put numbers on it. The AI Scan gives you the job, the hours and the dollars an application needs. The application itself sits with you and your adviser.
two hours, one plan
Find out what AI can take off your team.
The AI Scan gives you a dollar figure on your admin, a 90-day plan and the one thing to do first.
Not ready to spend on a Scan? The chat is free, and you get to know Bart first.