The Geophysics and Drilling Collaborations (GDC) program allocates up to $3 million from the $9.5 million Resourcing the Territory program to share between eligible selected programs to co-fund projects that address geoscientific knowledge gaps, advance exploration activity, and support the discovery and development of resources in the Territory. The program helps drive further exploration by making all the geoscience information and data publicly available six months from its acquisition. The round 18 guidelines provide all the details on the eligibility criteria and how to apply for the exploration grants program.
A key change to round 18 includes the increase in the capped amount of co-funding for Regional-scale geophysics from $100 000 to $150 000. Co-funding is available for up to 50% of direct claimable project costs inclusive of GST capped at specific co-funding amounts for specific projects.
Greenfields drilling
- $200,000 for a single, deep diamond hole program
- $150,000 for multi-hole diamond drilling program
- $100,000 for non-diamond drilling program (RC, aircore, sonic, RAB).
Brownfields diamond drilling
- $150,000 for diamond drilling programs testing new concepts below or adjacent to a known deposit.
Regional-scale geophysics
- $150,000 for regional-scale geophysical acquisition resulting in a significant improvement in the resolution and quality of existing data (contiguous survey area greater than 350km2 or 25 km traverse length; or reflection seismic surveys of any length.
Innovative targeting
- $100,000 for camp- or prospect-scale acquisition of geophysics and/or geochemistry where technique and/or approach is Innovative in the area of interest. Multiple complementary datasets (geophysical/geochemical) to improve targeting will be viewed favourably.
- $100,000 for seismic re-processing to assist in visualizing sub-surface geology and undercover targeting.
Advancing critical minerals
- $50,000 for re-analysis of existing sample sets and/or mine waste to include previously untested critical minerals.
- $50,000 for early-stage metallurgical test work and/or ore characterisation to assess potential recoverability of critical minerals from mineralised material.
More details are available on the Exploration grants or apply now through Geophysics and Drilling Collaborations | Search | GrantsNT Administration