The funding is required to be used towards:

• Administrative expenses associated with  identifying and enrolling the worker in a suitable training course
• Supporting the business to allow the worker to complete the course while still in employment
• Skills assessments to allow the worker to gain Recognition of Prior Learning
• Applying for relevant tickets or licences (E.G. forklift tickets)
• Extra training activity that is not at the Certificate III level or above, however would benefit the worker for example (literacy or numeracy training, Certificate I or II level training, statements of attainment etc)

Eligible organisations include, but are not limited to:

Businesses operating and registered in QLD, Universities and other research institutes, Industry organisations and incorporated not-for-profit organisations.

Eligible project costs include:
International travel costs for return economy class airfare up to $5,000 and a contribution towards the cost of living while undertaking the international visit (up to $1000 per week for up to 30 weeks) maximum. A travel grant for a follow up visit to QLD  for a senior representative of the ihost company based internationally up to $10,000.

The Government initiative offers a massive boost to collaborative projects that use cutting edge applications of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to contribute to a competitive, productive and growing economy in the state of Victoria.

The projects need to be a collaboration of at least two Victorian based small-to-medium enterprises, each with fewer than 200 employees, and the collaborating businesses must have an interest in solving a shared problem or challenge.

The funding is open to any project that demonstrates innovative application of ICT and meets the eligibility criteria, however it is designed to fast-track research and development in the key themes identified as being strategic to the state of Victoria: data mining and analytics, cloud computing and cyber security.

The program follows a two-stage competitive process:
Stage 1: Applicants are required to submit an Expression of Interest providing the outline of their project idea. If shortlisted and invited to Stage 2, they may be granted up to $20,000 towards producing a Business Plan for their project.
Stage 2: Shortlisted applicants will be asked to present their Business Plan, and if successful, they will be offered between $50,000 to $500,000 (ex GST) towards putting their project into action.

The submission deadline for Stage 1 EoI applications is 12 April 2012, while Stage 2 Business Plans will have to be presented by 21 June 2012.
The successful projects will have up to 2 years to be implemented and must commence by the end of October 2012.

Digital Futures Fund, which is the key initiative of “Victoria’s Technology Plan for the Future – Information and Communication Technology” – an $85 million plan to promote ICT enabled innovation and support Victoria’s ICT sector, was launched in early March at the Australian Information Industry Association Forum 2012. When addressing the Forum, Minister for Technology Gordon Rich-Phillips said: “The Digital Futures Fund will encourage Victorian companies, researchers and end users to work together to develop ICT solutions to address major business challenges. It gives Victorian businesses a unique opportunity to work with other businesses and organisations to create new, innovative technologies for their day-to-day operations.”

The Victorian Government’s deep commitment towards creating the right conditions and incentives in the ICT sector comes from a strong conviction that ICT is indispensable to Victoria’s future. In the last 15 years, Information and Communication Technology solutions have had a transformative and revolutionary impact on many diverse areas such as communications, medicine, agriculture, education and manufacturing. The ICT sector continues to grow as Australia faces new challenges such as ageing population, declining productivity and increasing urbanisation and globalisation. As we can no longer rely on a population-fuelled economic growth, the Government believes that we must look for new ways to re-invigorate productivity growth and support innovation. This is where ICT solutions come into play. Today, ICT is used in one form or another by most businesses and often serves as a critical link – bringing together people and technologies to create a new quality of products, services or processes.

This is the second biggest grant to come from the $45 million Local Government Grants and Subsidies Program which aims at providing financial support for local governments which have a limited capacity to self-fund an identified priority project.

The funding came as a welcome boost in the saleyards budget and will combine with $12 million that had already been allocated for the facility’s overhaul by the Western Downs Regional Council last year.

Dalby Saleyards, which with 200,000 head of cattle per year has the second largest throughput of cattle of any saleyard in Australia, is in need of major renovations such as lighting improvements, improved receival and weighing facilities, automated drafting, new sale pens, softer floorings and livestock identification system upgrades. The facility, which at the moment is open air and easily affected by weather, will also be provided with roofing.

In the interview for “The Land”, Queensland Minister for Local Government, Mr Paul Lucas said:

“The Western Downs is an important agricultural hub and it’s important the facilities match the importance of the industry.”

According to Mr Lucas, with the right funding in place, Dalby Saleyards may soon become one of the top saleyards in Queensland and one of the country leaders in livestock selling.

They already play a big role in the State’s economy:

“We know that the cattle industry, both beef and dairy, is important to the Queensland economy – worth an estimated $4 billion.”

“Not only is this project important for the local economy of Darling Downs and across South West Queensland, the flow on effects will also be felt in South East Queensland where cattle are processed for market.”

It is estimated that the redevelopment project may be completed in 2 years.

When asked by ABC News, Mr Ray Brown, Western Downs Regional Council Mayor, described the funding boost as a unique opportunity to move fast forward with the project. He also said that the upgraded facility will bring a big improvement in the animal welfare:

“Well we do hear a lot about animal welfare these days, looking towards the future where we must understand we must look after the animals also in protection not only from the sun but better wellbeing for the animal, less stress, which means a better quality of meat for the end user.”

The Local Government Grants and Subsidies Program, through which the Dalby Saleyards received the $5 million injection, prioritises the funding to projects that align with the Queensland Government’s Towards Q2: Tomorrow’s Queensland ambitions of:

• Strong – creating a diverse economy powered by bright ideas
• Green – protecting our lifestyle and environment
• Smart – delivering world-class education and training
• Healthy – making Queenslanders Australia’s healthiest people
• Fair – supporting safe and caring communities.

Due to the State Government’s commitment to rebuilding Queensland after the number of recent natural disasters, the Program also prioritises projects in affected areas.

The Western Downs has been heavily affected by serious flooding events in recent years and the funding boost is also a means of commending the local community for their resilience:

“The Western Downs Regional Council is a hardworking council and despite the impact recent flooding has had, they continue to get on with the job of planning for the community and this project is just one example of that,” Mr Lucas said.

You can read more about this program here:

Department of Local Government and Planning

http://www.dlgp.qld.gov.au/grants-and-funding/local-government-grants-and-subsidies-program.html

Funding Available from $1000 to $500,000!

Get an advantage over your competitors or give your business the Government Funding boost it needs to be more successful. Don’t miss your opportunity to take advantage of free government money, grants and business loans for your business. Government Funding has strict closing deadlines don’t miss out, call us now on 1800 785 972 to see if your business may be eligible for Government Funding.

Follow this link to learn more about Government Funding.

When setting up her business almost three years ago, Georgette Solyali was a stay-at-home mum of two boys who enjoyed baking and wanted to share with others her passion for cake decorations. Since that time her Magic Sugar Art store in Woodpark, NSW has become a successful local business offering an extensive product range as well as decorating classes both for first-time bakers and advanced clientele looking for specialised baking equipment. Winning the 2010 Holroyd Business Awards and being recognised as one of the city’s most innovative companies took Mrs Solyali’s business to a whole new level, but, as she told the Parramatta Sun, at the same time made her realise that there is more to running the sugar-art business than just the sugar art.
Overwhelmed with the demands of running a successful business on a day-to-day basis, the baking addict turned to Women in Business Mentoring Program 2011 looking for ways to improve her growing enterprise as well as to learn strategies and skills to ensure its continuous success. As part of the Program, which is the NSW government initiative, she was linked with her new mentor, Susan Wahab of Fatana’s Hair and Beauty in Merrylands, who provided sound guidance, encouragement and numerous winning tips for achieving her business goals.
“Every bit of her advice was worthwhile,” Ms Solyali said. “She showed me it’s one thing to work in a business, it’s another to work on it.”
The Program gave the Magic Sugar Art store owner the right support to take her business up to the next level:
“I would recommend the Women in Business Mentoring Program to anyone who is serious about growing their business. Having access to the specific training, the camaraderie between the other mentees and the wonderful support from your mentor cannot help but build your business awareness and inspire you to greater heights within the business community.”

Mrs Solyali is just one of many successful stories. Launched in 1995, Women in Business Mentoring Program has already provided an invaluable support for more than 7,000 participants. With approximately a third of New South Wales’ small businesses run by women, there is a definite demand for courses and workshops tailored to the needs of a woman business owner. At the Program, women take part in a number of interactive workshops covering an array of topics, such as Business Planning, Marketing, Finance, and two optional business topics (all offered over 15 or more hours of sessions). They are also teamed up with experienced business people (mentors) who must have a minimum of five years recent experience as small business owners or operators. Networking is also an essential component of the Program.
According to the NSW Department of State and Regional Development, the Program has achieved a great success rate in the recent years:
By the end of the Program:
96 per cent of mentorees improved their business skills
76 per cent of mentorees had better business networks
58 per cent of mentorees increased their annual turnover
27 per cent of mentorees employed more staff.

If you would like to gain more information on the NSW Program as well as other mentoring programs in Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland and Northern Territory, please contact our office.

For the past 50 years, the Sunshine State’s food and agriculture sector has achieved exceptional productivity growth. However in the face of significant deceleration across the entire economy during the past decade, the Queensland Government has recognised the role of business innovation in supporting productivity growth, boosting the profitability and driving progress in the food sector.

As of Feb 2012, the Queensland’s Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI) has introduced the Food Innovation and Productivity Incentives program – FIPI - a new $2 million funding program for Queensland food producers, processors and retailers who recognise the role of innovation in boosting their business.

Under the Program, organisations, cooperatives and associations are encouraged to apply for grants of between $25,000 and $100,000 (excluding GST) which will be available on a dollar-for-dollar basis. Funding of more than $100,000 may be offered for projects found of exceptional merit.

When opening the Program on 7th Feb 2012, Minister for Agriculture, Food and Regional Economies Tim Mulherin said “We’re seeking pioneering projects that engage new processes and technologies, increase opportunities for collaboration, and embed innovative practices in their business or industry sector.”

The first FIPI funding round opened on 6th Feb 2012 and will close on 2nd April 2012. The grants are offered to all Queensland-based food-related businesses that have been trading for at least the past 2 years, and applications from small- to medium-sized enterprises employing less than 200 employees are especially encouraged.

The projects undertaken under FIPI funding should demonstrate the potential to drive innovation – design and implement new solutions in the manufacturing and/or distribution processes, or incorporate innovative redesigns of existing technologies. Once approved, they must be implemented within 12 months.

In order to facilitate the process of creating and bringing a new product to market, businesses will be enabled to call on expertise from the state-of-the-art Health and Food Sciences Precinct at Coopers Plains -  the Queensland Government’s unique ‘food zone’ which hosts 190 researchers working in the areas of biosecurity, healthcare, food safety and food technology. The $100 million precinct combines a wide range of facilities, including a 1400 square metres of Safe Food Production Queensland (SFPQ) and Australian Quarantine Inspection Services (AQIS) accredited food research and processing area, a food pilot plant, a food technology laboratory and a sensory and consumer testing facility.

The FIPI program has been introduced under the Queensland’s first whole-of-chain food policy: the “Food for a growing economy: An economic development framework for the Queensland food industry”, whose objective is to maximise the economic growth of the food sector, with ambitious plan to double its value from $18.7 billion to $40 billion by 2020.

The state officials believe that this initiative will not only contribute to creating more jobs for locals and more local produce in the market, but will also encourage and inspire local businesses to develop a completely new, iconic Queensland food product.