Regional Precincts and Partnership Program (rPPP)

STATUS:  Tranche One Successful Projects Announced (16th May 2024)

Status:  Program Open and Accepting Submissions

The Australian Government’s $400 million regional Precincts and Partnerships Program (rPPP) is now open for applications.

The rPPP seeks to support transformative investment in regional, rural and remote Australia based on the principles of unifying regional places, growing economies and serving communities. Unlike traditional grant programs, the rPPP will focus on a partnership approach, bringing together governments and communities to deliver regional precincts that are tailored to local needs and have a shared vision for how that precinct connects to the region.

The rPPP is an always open grants process that will provide funding through two grant streams to support both precinct development proposals and the delivery of construction-ready precinct projects.

• Stream One: Precinct development and planning. Grants of between $500,000 to $5 million will be available for master planning, consultation, design, business cases and partnership establishment.
• Stream Two: Precinct delivery. Grants of between $5 million and $50 million will be available to help deliver one or more elements of a precinct. It could be enabling infrastructure (roads, pathways, underground infrastructure), public infrastructure, or open spaces between elements or a particular building that activates other investment.

Grant Assessment 

As an open grants program there are no closure dates for funding rounds, applications can be submitted at any time and will be batched for assessment twice during the financial year.

An Independent Expert Panel will undertake the merit assessment, assessing applications against assessment criteria. The Panel’s assessment, along with policy considerations, will inform the Department’s recommendations to the Minister who will then decide which grants to approve. 

Subject to the pace of application submission, we expect that the first tranche of successful grants will be announced in early 2024.

Example of Eligible Grant Activity

The program is focused on collaboration to re-develop regional towns and spaces, precinct examples include:

• the Upper Hunter Innovation Precinct in Muswellbrook will provide enhanced education and commercial activity for the community, and an innovation hub designed to facilitate flexible working spaces for start-up business and products.
• The University of Tasmania Inveresk campus redevelopment, which aims to create a university city, with easy pedestrian, bike and public transport access, high visibility and integration with community and industry. The redevelopment is part of a shared precinct which involves the three levels of government working in partnership with the University of Tasmania, and in collaboration with the city of Launceston, community and industry, helping build and support the region into the future.

RDA Tropical North Support

RDATN are keen to support a strategic approach, ensuring the precinct concepts meet the expectations of the grant round and heighte the awareness of the true collaborative nature of TNQ, to the Australian government assessment panel.   

To this end, information outlining the economic opportunities (eg. Jobs, outside investment, increased productivity, trade), strategic alignment to existing and emerging industries, how the project will ‘close the gap’, support transition to net zero and address social issues, would be greatly appreciated when contacting our office for support. 

RDATN is keen to support where we can, ensuring that those projects that are ‘game changers’ for our region, are identified and amplified.

For this and future rounds, to the best of our ability RDA Tropical North will provide support to potential applicants:

• to identify and develop a strong precint proposal that will contribute to long term economic growth in our region, and
• provide feedback and guidance to help you prepare a competitive application,
• provide access to supporting documents, statistical evidence and economic impact data and,
• can provide a Letter of Support.

Please contact us at engage@rdatropicalnorth.org.au  or (07) 4041 1729 to arrange a time to discuss your proposal or request a Letter of Support or an Economic Impact Report.

Note: there are rigorous eligibility and co-contribution requirements for projects. We encourage you to access the program eligibility MAPPING TOOL in the grant portal where it will assist applicants in determing project eligibility.