WA Co-funded Exploration Drilling Program

Purpose and Program Overview

The Co-funded Exploration Drilling Program is a Western Australian Government initiative under the Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS) that shares exploration risk with mineral and energy explorers by refunding up to 50% of direct drilling costs. It is designed to encourage innovative drilling in greenfields and under-explored areas, unlocking discoveries, generating high-quality geoscience data, and supporting long-term resource development across Western Australia. Successful projects contribute drilling data and geological information that is later released publicly, helping to build a stronger regional knowledge base and support future exploration investment.

The program runs twice a year and is structured around three funding categories (Deep Drill, Universal and Prospector) with different caps depending on project scale and drilling strategy. Recent rounds have committed several million dollars in total co-funding, with, for example, $6.6 million allocated to 39 projects in a recent EIS Co‑funded Drilling round, demonstrating the program’s role as a key stimulus for exploration activity in Western Australia.

Beyond Western Australia, similar co-funded initiatives operate in other jurisdictions, including New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory, supporting exploration for critical minerals and other commodities nationwide. Collectively, these schemes help de-risk early-stage exploration, support critical minerals supply chains, and align resource development with Australia’s broader energy transition and economic priorities.

Key Grant Details

• Grant amount: Refund of up to 50% of eligible direct drilling costs.
• Funding caps (Round 33 WA):
  • Deep Drill Program: Up to $220,000 (ex GST) for one or two deep holes (≥600 m).
  • Universal Program: Up to $180,000 (ex GST) for multi-hole applications that do not meet Deep Drill criteria.
  • Prospector Program: Up to $40,000 (ex GST) for small-scale projects.
• Application dates (Round 33 WA): Applications open 2 February 2026 and close 27 February 2026.
• Application cycle: Opens twice per year, generally on the first Monday of February and August, for 26 days each round.
• Eligible industries/business types: Mineral, energy, petroleum and geothermal exploration title holders and prospectors undertaking exploratory drilling (not resource definition or development drilling).
• Co-contribution: Yes – co-funding model of up to 50% of direct drilling costs; applicants fund the balance.
• Location: Projects must be located in Western Australia under a valid WA mineral or petroleum tenure.

Other Australian exploration co-funding programs include:

• Northern Territory – Geophysics and Drilling Collaborations (GDC): Co-funding (including up to about $200,000 for deep diamond holes) for exploration in the NT.​
• New South Wales – Critical Minerals and High-Tech Metals Exploration Program: Grants generally from $50,000 up to $250,000 per project across geochemistry, geophysics and drilling streams.
• Queensland – Collaborative Exploration Initiative (CEI): Co-funded exploration for critical and strategic minerals, with $17.5 million committed until June 2027.
• South Australia – Accelerated Discovery Initiative (ADI): Co-funding for innovative exploration, with typical caps up to $300,000 per proposal, depending on activity type.

Priority Sectors

• The Western Australian Co-funded Exploration Drilling Program prioritises early-stage exploration projects targeting minerals, energy resources, petroleum and geothermal opportunities in greenfields or under-explored areas.
• Projects focused on uranium mine development, resource definition, appraisal or development drilling are explicitly excluded.
• Across other states, many co-funding initiatives place a particular emphasis on critical and high‑tech minerals (for example, NSW’s Critical Minerals and High-Tech Metals Exploration Program and Queensland’s CEI focus on critical minerals for technology and renewable energy supply chains).

Funding Scope

• Minimum and maximum amounts (WA, Round 33):
  • Prospector Program: Up to $40,000 (ex GST) per project.
  • Universal Program: Up to $180,000 (ex GST) per project.
  • Deep Drill Program: Up to $220,000 (ex GST) per project.
• Funding categories/streams (WA):
  • Deep Drill Program – one or two deep diamond drill holes (or equivalent for petroleum/geothermal) with planned depth of 600 m or more.
  • Universal Drill Program – multi-hole projects of any depth and drilling method that do not meet Deep Drill criteria.
  • Prospector Program – small-scale drilling programs for prospectors, with tailored rules for analytical co-funding.
• Funding duration and project timelines:
  • Drilling programs funded under recent EIS rounds generally must be completed within a defined timeframe (for example, recent rounds required completion within approximately 12–18 months).​
  • Applicants must deliver final drilling reports and data within the specified reporting period following completion, after which data is released following a confidentiality period (commonly 6 months).​

For reference, other jurisdictions use similar multi-stream structures, such as NSW’s geochemistry, geophysics and drilling streams with per‑stream caps from $50,000 to $250,000.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicant must hold a valid mineral, petroleum or geothermal exploration title/tenement over the proposed project area in Western Australia (or be a registered prospector for the Prospector Program).
• The project must involve exploratory drilling in greenfields or under‑explored areas; resource definition, appraisal, stimulation or mine development drilling are ineligible.
• Uranium mine development and related drilling activities are excluded.
• Applicants must demonstrate financial and technical capability to complete the proposed drilling program.
• Past compliance with tenure reporting and other regulatory obligations is taken into account; non‑compliance may disadvantage an application.
• Projects must adhere to applicable safety, environmental and land-access regulations, including codes of practice for mineral exploration drilling.
• An Australian Business Number (ABN) and relevant insurances are generally expected for corporate applicants (consistent with broader government grant practice and similar exploration programs).

Eligible Activities and Expenses

• Eligible activities focus on direct costs of exploratory drilling, for example: rig hire and drilling contractor costs, consumables directly related to drilling and downhole position surveys.
• For Prospector grants, a limited proportion of analytical costs (such as sampling and assay analysis) may be co‑funded under specific cost‑sharing rules, unless a full core is provided to the Department.​
• Ineligible costs include: administration and overheads, general program management, legal and land access negotiation costs, most geological, geochemical and geophysical costs (outside specified Prospector provisions), laboratory analysis (except as allowed for Prospectors) and broader geoscientific analyses.

Other Australian programs may support a broader range of eligible activities (e.g. geophysics and geochemistry in NSW’s program and research collaboration under South Australia’s ADI). However, the WA Co‑funded Exploration Drilling Program is tightly focused on direct drilling activities.

Assessment Process

• The Co-funded Exploration Drilling Program is a competitive, merit‑based grant program rather than an automatic entitlement.
• Key assessment criteria typically include:
  • Geological merit and quality of the exploration target, including the robustness of geological models and supporting data.
  • Innovation in exploration approach, methodology or target concept, particularly in greenfields or under‑explored regions.
  • Contribution to regional geoscience knowledge and the potential to open new areas or concepts for further exploration.
  • Value for money and appropriateness of the proposed budget relative to outcomes and co‑contribution.
  • Proponent capability, including experience, technical capacity, financial standing and compliance history.
• The Department may also consider land access, native title, environmental constraints and scheduling feasibility when assessing whether a proposed program can be delivered as planned.

Recent Program Updates

• Round 33 of the WA Co-funded Exploration Drilling Program opened on 2 February 2026 and closes on 27 February 2026, continuing the twice‑yearly application pattern.
• Recent EIS funding rounds have increased overall exploration support, with one recent round allocating approximately $6.6 million to 39 projects across Western Australia.​
• Other jurisdictions have also updated or extended co‑funding schemes; for example, South Australia has extended its Accelerated Discovery Initiative with additional funding to 2025, and Queensland’s CEI has committed $17.5 million to exploration incentives through to June 2027.
• In New South Wales, rounds of the Critical Minerals and High-Tech Metals Exploration Program have offered a total pool of $2.5 million with individual grants up to $250,000, reflecting a broader national focus on critical minerals exploration.

Application Tips

• Review the official program guidelines and application forms carefully to confirm eligibility, category selection (Deep, Universal or Prospector) and all technical requirements before starting an application.
• Ensure that tenement details, land access status and compliance history are up to date and clearly documented, as these factors are explicitly considered in the assessment.
• Prepare a clear geological rationale, including maps, sections or 3D diagrams that show targets, supporting geophysical/geochemical data and planned drill traces to demonstrate merit and innovation.
• Develop a realistic drilling schedule and budget that reflects market rates and demonstrates strong value for money while meeting the program’s completion and reporting timeframes.
• Highlight how the proposed work will contribute to broader geoscience knowledge and potentially unlock new exploration opportunities, not just benefit the applicant’s project.
• Where relevant, consider how the project aligns with broader government priorities such as critical minerals development, regional economic growth and the energy transition, particularly if seeking complementary support in other jurisdictions.

Where to Get Help

Consider consulting a grant specialist, such as Pattens Group, for a personalised eligibility assessment and expert assistance in preparing a strong, compliant, and competitive application. Contact Pattens Group to discuss project details, documentation requirements and how to position the proposal effectively against the program’s selection criteria. For official guidelines, application details, templates and further information, visit the Western Australian Government’s Co-funded Exploration Drilling Program webpage, the Geological Survey of Western Australia, and other associated Australian government websites.