Apply for a pilot project licence

You must get permission from us to engage in activities that have risk of harm to human health and the environment. These are called prescribed activities and are defined in Schedule 1 of the Environment Protection Regulations 2021.

Under section 77 of the Environment Protection Act 2017, you must get a pilot project licence to engage in a prescribed development, operating or permit activity, if the activity is:

• to research, develop or demonstrate a technology or technique
• of limited scale, dimension and duration
• of an acceptable level of risk to human health and the environment.

This does not include activities that:

• involve proven technologies, systems, or processes, or
• are operating at a commercial scale.

When to apply for a pilot project licence

Examples of activities that involve research, development, or demonstration include trials of:

• new approaches to organic waste reuse
• new waste treatment or disposal technologies
• new carbon geosequestration techniques.

A key role of these licences is to better understand the environmental and human health risks of an activity.

If your trial is successful, you may be able to use your environmental monitoring results to support commercial operations by applying for a licence or permit. This depends on the prescribed activity.

Conditions

Pilot project licences have general, standard and specific conditions that address the activity's risks.

These conditions outline your legal obligations as the permission holder. They set up a framework for risk management, record keeping and reporting. To learn more, visit Permission conditions.

We monitor activities to make sure permission holders comply with these conditions. We take a no-tolerance approach and can take action if you do not comply. To learn more, visit Fines and enforcement.

Information to include in your application

You must structure your application to follow the table of contents order in this guide.

You must also address any other requirements that apply to your application – for example, climate change and biodiversity requirements. For more information, visit How to apply for a permission.

Your application must include all the information and supporting evidence. The portal asks you to summarise details of your application. You can cross-reference to more detail in your attached documents.

Without this information, your application is incomplete, and by law we cannot assess it.

Application fee

For a list of current fees and how they're calculated, visit Fees. An extra fee may apply if we need more time than specified in the Regulations to assess your application.

If an application fee applies, we cannot assess your application until we've received and processed this fee.

How to apply

Submit your application and supporting documents through our portal(opens in a new window). For more information, see How to apply for a permission.

How we assess your application

Our Permissions scheme policy outlines our standard process for assessing permission applications.

For information about how we assess your application, visit How to apply for a permission.

How long it takes

We need time to assess your application and make a decision. These timelines can change if we need more information.

We recommend that you submit your application well in advance of your proposed start date. Allow for extra time in case we consider your application incomplete or we need additional information.

How long your licence is valid for

Extend your licence

You can extend the duration of a pilot project licence before it expires. Fees apply. Visit Amend a licence, permit or registration.

Appeal a licence decision

You can apply to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal to review the decision about your application. You need to appeal within 15 business days of receiving the decision.

Visit Appeal our decision.