Multimedia Victoria - Applications Now Open for Internet Innovation Fund
Applications Now Open for Internet Innovation Fund |
| Media release - 22 December 2008 |
| Industry, government and community groups across Victoria are invited to apply for a share of $15 million from the Brumby Government to revolutionise the way they work and solve problems using next generation internet technologies. Acting Information and Communication Technology Minister Gavin Jennings said the first grants round of the Collaborative Internet Innovation Fund (cIIF) was now open for applications. "The Brumby Government is taking action to develop the Victorian ICT industry so we remain at the forefront of new technology," Mr Jennings said. "This funding also builds on our successful Broadband Innovation Fund (BIF), which provided $15 million towards new uses of broadband technology by Victorian Government agencies in health, education and environmental management. "Outcomes from these projects have directly benefited the community, including delivering virtual health services to regional areas, equipping deaf schools with video-conferencing and improving mobile breast screen services through the introduction of digital imaging." Mr Jennings said the enormous impact of the internet had fundamentally changed the way organisations worked and every day the internet is becoming even more innovative – making it a tool of immense power and potential. "We are entering a new era of networked ICT – often referred to as web 2.0 – where internet-based tools, such as wikis, blogs, social networking sites and virtual worlds, are becoming increasingly relevant to the way businesses, governments and communities interact," he said. Enabled by high-capacity broadband and a range of digital devices, web 2.0 also brings new collaborative capabilities, such as user-created content, reusable information, collective intelligence and open access sharing. Mr Jennings said grants of up to $500,000 were available for individual projects across Victoria. Projects must be collaborative and involve multiple partners or organisations working together. "This new funding will help Victorians use web 2.0 technologies to explore new ways of working, to reduce barriers to better business and to more effectively collaborate across a wide range of sectors in our economy," he said. "By providing greater access to these tools, community, government and industry groups will have the opportunity to try new technologies and develop collaborative new solutions to emerging challenges in areas such as health and sustainability." "We encourage industry bodies, local governments, community organisations, government agencies and business groups to apply for funding under this program." Applications are now open and will close on Thursday 5 March 2009. |
| Information about the cIIF program |
