Round 19 applications are now open, apply before 5 April 2019.
| Date: | Thursday, 07 March 2019 |
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The Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety expects rising mining industry optimism to be reflected in applications for Round 19 of the Exploration Incentive Scheme’s (EIS) flagship Co-funded Exploration Drilling Program.
Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Johnston announced the opening of the funding round at the Geological Survey of Western Australia’s annual Open Day in Fremantle on 22 February.
Applications close on Friday, 5 April 2019 with $5 million dollars on offer to encourage innovative drilling in greenfields and under-explored areas of the State.
EIS Co-ordinator Dr Charlotte Hall said the co-funded drilling program provides up to a 50 per cent refund for innovative projects, with caps of $150,000 for a multi-hole project, $200,000 for a single deep hole, and $30,000 for a prospector’s project.
“Since its inception in 2009, the scheme has offered grants to more than 850 drilling projects and more than 745,526 metres have been drilled,” she said.
“The number of Round 18 applications in August last year jumped 16 per cent to 73, which followed a rise of 19 per cent when Round 17 received 63 applications.
“The State’s vibrant exploration scene can also be seen in the higher completion rate of EIS drilling projects in Round 16 which ended in December 2018, with 31 of 44 projects drilled to a total of 74,370 metres from 695 holes.”
The EIS also funds precompetitive geoscience data, which is available free-of-charge.
Submission details for Round 19 are available here.
