Frequently Asked Questions

We work with businesses across a range of industries, including agrifood, advanced manufacturing and services industries, covering everything from engineering and energy to health and aged care. All of the business opportunities we support share a common objective – identifying and developing new market opportunities and inspiring new business-to-business partnerships that will drive trade and investment between Australia and Indonesia.

Businesses, business groups, or other organisations can submit business opportunity ideas for support to overcome barriers, identify commercial opportunities, upskill their business, or align business, trade and investment ecosystems to take advantage of the wealth of opportunities under IA-CEPA.

Katalis supports commercial opportunities that meet our investment criteria, by working with the business on supporting activities to help achieve their Indonesia-Australia business vision. Examples of potential supporting activities can look like:

• Policy and regulatory analysis and advocacy
• Market research
• Value chain analysis
• Feasibility studies
• Scoping studies and business opportunity assessments
• Networking and partnership brokering
• Technical assistance on standards and conformity assessment procedures
• Prototyping (pilot testing products and services)
• Product innovation (including expanding product range to attract new customers)
• Market entry strategies
• Industry training and capacity building
• Skills exchange and industry skills development
• Education and vocational training linkages
• Bespoke industry course development

Katalis is unable to support business opportunities that:

• Support political agendas or outcomes
• Solely support development outcomes, with no commercial benefit
• Solely support commercial outcomes, with no development benefit
• Contravene the laws of Indonesia or Australia
• Only benefit or involve one country – the activity must benefit both Indonesia and Australia
• Require equipment, supplies, or services that are already supported through other sources
• Directly subsidise staff salary costs of the beneficiary organisation (the business, business group or other organisation that will collaborate with Katalis)
• Are related to capital expenditure in real property, equipment, or computer software of the beneficiary
• Retrospective costs

Katalis supports business opportunities that:

• Maximise commercial outcomes
• Include financial or in-kind co-contributions from the beneficiary or beneficiaries
• Are mutually beneficial and aligned with bilateral and/or regional interests
• Deliver catalytic outcomes
• Deliver gender equality and social inclusion outcomes
• Are politically feasible and practical
• Reflect Indonesia and Australia’s comparative advantages

For more information, check the guidelines here.

If an idea is accepted for further development, Katalis will work with the potential beneficiary to refine their business opportunity, including reaching agreement on which aspects Katalis will support directly, and which aspects the beneficiary will fund/support (as part of the co-contribution requirement).

Since Katalis is not a grant program and does not transfer funds to the beneficiary, Katalis may undertake a procurement process to select an appropriate third-party ‘implementing partner’ (e.g., consulting firm, consultant individual, researcher, other Australian Government-funded program, other relevant organisation or individual) , and then contract that implementing provider to undertake the agreed work on behalf of the beneficiary. Katalis collaborates closely with the beneficiary in oversight of the implementing partner delivering the supporting activity.

Any business, business organisation or other organisation can submit an idea for a business opportunity that satisfies Katalis’s investment criteria. Proponents need to be registered in either Australia, Indonesia, or both countries.

Ideas for business opportunities can be submitted all year – there is no deadline. Any opportunity agreed with Katalis management will usually be included in Katalis’s annual work plans (finalised every December, for Government of Indonesia and the Government of Australia approval and implementation in the following calendar year). Katalis can also submit ideas in need of immediate attention “out of session” to both governments for approval.

If your business or business organisation has an innovative, commercial idea to increase bilateral trade and investment, submit your idea:

Via the Business Portal using the online form, or by downloading the form here, filling in and then emailing it to  business@iacepa-katalis.org

or mailing it to the Katalis office at:
Tower 2, Level 25, International Financial Centre (IFC)
Jl. Jend. Sudirman No. Kav 22-23 Jakarta 12920, Indonesia

If you clicked “Save and Exit” before exiting your window, check your email for a link that gets you back to the form directly. If not, you will need to restart your submission, and remember to click “Save and Exit” before leaving the screen in future.

All ideas are assessed against the Katalis investment criteria, as well as considering competing ideas, budget constraints, and guidance from both the Government of Indonesia and the Government of Australia.

Katalis will only consult with proponents of ideas (potential beneficiaries) that show the most potential, to develop the business opportunity with agreed supporting activities. Following this, any business opportunity agreed with Katalis management then needs to be approved by Katalis’s Board, the Economic Cooperation Committee (ECC), which comprises representatives from the Government of Indonesia and the Government of Australia. Any opportunity agreed with Katalis management will either be included in Katalis’s annual work plans (finalised every December, for ECC approval and implementation in the following calendar year) or be submitted “out of session” to the ECC for approval. Please note that Katalis is unable to provide detailed feedback on all aspects of submissions from proponents who submit ideas that are unsuccessful.