Innovative Regions Centre
The Innovative Regions Centre (IRC) operates as a central provider of advice and services to firms in regional areas. With funding of $20 million over four years, the Centre will work in the Geelong region, and other regions around Australia, to increase the innovative capacity of local firms and the regional economies.
The Centre is headquartered at Deakin University in Geelong. It works closely with firms, business associations and authorities to develop region specific strategies to encourage growth and supports projects that focus on developing partnerships, networks and alliances among firms.
As part of the wider Enterprise Connect network, the Centre also provides businesses with access to specialist advice and services to help improve their business processes, test new products and find new markets.
A key project being undertaken by the Centre is the Mapping the Connections (MTC) project. The MTC is one example of the type of regional based projects that the Centre will support. The project is a consultancy that will focus on the defence, electronics and ICT industries in Northern Adelaide to help develop strategies to better connect companies to one another and improve supply chain opportunities. The methodology developed in the Northern Adelaide exercise will then be applied to other regions supported by the Centre.
To find out more information about the Centre, please click here.
Innovative Regions Centre (IRC) – Small Grants Round
This closed at 9am Monday 16 March 2009.
Under this funding arrangement, Enterprise Connect invited eligible organisations from across Australia to submit proposals to a competitive small grants round.
The small grants round invited proposals from individual organisations as well as consortia such as community based groups representing the private (including industry groups, clusters and co-operatives) or the public sector (including local government, higher education and research institutions).
Background
Proposals were required to address the Enterprise Connect discretionary grant criteria outlined in the application form. Organisations submitted that articulated:
- The extent to which the project involves and benefits a range of SMEs in the region;
- The extent to which the project encourages links and partnerships between SMEs and universities, training providers, research agencies and other businesses;
- How the project can provide useful learning that can be readily applied to other regions in Australia;
- How the project can build the region’s development capability.
Proposals had to be able to implemented in the immediate to short term. Projects with a duration of less than 12 months seeking funding between $50,000 and $75,000 were encouraged.
It was expected that projects were supported by matching cash or in-kind resources from the applicant.
For a summary of successful proponent organisations and a brief description of the projects funded under this small grants round, please click here.
For further information, call the Enterprise Connect Hotline between the hours of 9.00am and 5.00pm (AEST) on 131 791 (Australian callers only) or email
remoteenterprisecentre@innovation.gov.au.