The Western Australian government has announced the successful applicants for Round 32 of the highly regarded Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS) Co-funded Drilling Program, awarding $6.6 million to support drilling projects over the next 12 months.
Mines and Petroleum Minister David Michael confirmed that 39 projects will receive grants to undertake drilling activities before November 2026.
A significant focus of this round is on gold exploration, with 64 per cent of the approved applications targeting gold either alone or alongside other minerals, reflecting sustained sector interest driven by record-high gold prices.
The EIS has continued to yield promising results across the region, advancing new exploration opportunities in Western Australia’s resource sectors.
Notably, Lord Resources reported success from the previous round at its Ilgarari Project, where co-funded drilling intersected primary copper mineralisation.
Copper exploration is also progressing well, exemplified by Redstone Resources’ recovery of a 10-metre zone of continuous copper mineralisation at its Chatsworth prospect within the West Musgrave Project.
Emerging success is also evident from the inaugural round of the EIS Co-funded Geophysics Program, with Sipa Resources enhancing prospectivity at its Barbwire Terrace lead-zinc-silver project through co-funded ground gravity surveys.
Minister David Michael highlighted the scheme’s importance in fostering early-stage exploration by mitigating financial risk.
“The Cook government is committed to positioning WA as a global supplier of critical and strategic minerals, with the strong interest in the EIS reflecting growing momentum across the sector to support the world’s clean energy future,” he said.
“The EIS continues to drive early-stage discoveries, opening the door to new mines, regional jobs and long-term economic growth,” Minister Michael added.
He further emphasised: “By reducing the financial risks of exploration, the EIS is helping to unlock the next generation of mineral projects that will power the world and deliver benefits for generations of Western Australians.”
Looking ahead, applications for Round 33 of the Co-funded Drilling Program, as well as the Co-funded Geophysics Venture 3 and Co-funded Energy Analysis Series 9 programs, will open on Monday, 2 February 2026.
