BALLARAT ICT E-BULLETIN - 19 MAY 2009
AIG / UBTP / BITS Breakfast - Wednesday 13 May 2009
Elizabeth Lewis-Gray from Gekko Systems was the guest speaker at this Australian Industry Group sponsored breakfast which featured as part of the 2009 Ballarat Innovation Festival.
Elizabeth gave a fascinating presentation on the growth of Gekko Systems from its commencement in January 1996 to the present day. Gekko is now a multi-national company, and remains based in Ballarat, with the majority of its products manufactured locally.
Malcolm Vallance, Director of Business Development and Technology Park, and Chair of Ballarat ICT Limited, also gave a brief presentation on the growth of the University of Ballarat Technology Park, and at the conclusion of the breakfast, attendees were taken on tour of the Park.
Photos from the breakfast can be accessed here.
Next UBTP & BITS Breakfast - Tuesday 16 June 2009
The guest speaker at next month's Breakfast will be Gordon Dunsford from Transact, who will make a presentation on cloud computing and related matters. More information, and the registration form, will be included with the next eBulletin. Register your interest with Marianne Drake via email m.drake@ballarat.edu.au or telephone 5327 9893.
Ballarat Innovation Festival - Twilight Forum
The theme for this year's Twilight Forum was "innovative regional solutions to cyber safety issues relating to children and young people".
The panel was facilitated by Dr John Yearwood, Director of the Centre for Informatics & Applied Optimization, University of Ballart, and featured:
- Frank Apostoli (Mt Clear Secondary College)
- Grant Henderson (Sebastopol College)
- Amber Stabek (Internet Commerce Security Laboratory)
- Cameron Woolf (IBM)
Panel members gave individual overviews of young people and the internet, scams, and perceptions of the internet before opening discussions with participants.
The Forum concluded with the future aim of assisting young people in the region to organise a forum to educate other young people, parents and schools on the consequences of cyber bullying, and the intranet in general.
PowerPoint presentations from the Forum can be accessed here.
Images from the Forum are available here.
Victorian eHealth Forum
The recent Victorian eHealth Forum held on Monday 11 May 2009 attracted over 80 participants, and speakers included Annette Hicks (Health Industry Lead, Software Group, IBM), David Ryan (Executive officer/CIO, Grampians Rural Health Alliance), Anthony Schreenan (Ballarat ICT eHealth and ICT Capability Project) and Mal Vallance (Director of Commercial Services and University of Ballarat Technology Park).
The new Ballarat eHealth Capability brochure was presented at the Forum, and is available here.
Due to popular demand, the presentations are also available. The IBM presentation is available here and the Grampians Rural Health Alliance presentation is available here.
Vic ICT for Women Annual Dinner - 28 May 2009
This is an exciting event for women and men working in ICT (partners welcome).
Last year Ballarat was the only regional area represented at this event with a table of participants. We are currently trying to gather an indication as to the level of interest for this year's event. Once this is established we will determine what can be worked out in terms of transportation and possibility of subsidised cost for Ballarat attendees.
The evening will be a great opportunity for networking with industry colleagues. There will be two dynamic speakers, plus the comedian Claire Hooper for some light entertainment. Awards will be presented to three ladies who have made a significant contribution in encouraging girls to take up ICT as a career and in supporting women working in ICT. All in all, an action packed evening accompanied by a 3 course dinner and fine wines.
Date: Thursday 28th May, 2009
Time: 6:30pm to 9:30pm
Venue: River Room, Level 1, Crown Entertainment Complex, 8 Whiteman St,
Southbank
Cost: includes 3 course dinner, wine and beer. Tables of 10 can be reserved.
$99.00 - Vic ICT for Women members
$132.00 - Non-members
Comedian: Claire Hooper
Speakers: Caroline Patton, Company Director/Owner - Accuteque: "Thrills and Spills of Building a SME Business in IT".
Jackie Korhonen, Managing Director and CEO - Infosys Australia: "Surviving and Thriving in Corporate Australia".
If you are interested in this event please contact Helen Thompson via h.thompson@ballarat.edu.au
Ballarat Professional & Women in Business Luncheon - Thursday 4 June 2009
Sue Brandt from Life Financial Services will share '10 Top Wealth Creation Tips' to help women take control of their financial future.
The luncheon will be held at Barkly's Restaurant from 12.00noon to 2.00pm, and costs $15, which includes a glass of wine or soft drink.
Please RSVP by Monday 1 June to mcousins@vecci.org.au.
eSecurity Event - Wednesday 10 June 2009
To help the Federal Government promote awareness of eSecurity, an information session is being held to promote the Government's website www.staysmartonline.gov.au and its functionality.
The event will be held on Wednesday 10 June 2009, 4.30pm to 6.30pm (includes refreshments), Neighbourhood Cable Conference Room, Greenhill Enterprise Centre, University of Ballarat Technology Park.
More information will be available shortly, and will be sent via separate flyer.
SmartGreen - An Entrepreneurial Approach to Greening Small Business
In difficult times business operators are looking for clever and affordable ways to grow their enterprises. The locally developed SmartGreen program is helping small to medium enterprises in the region grow by gaining a ‘green' advantage over their competitors.
SmartGreen is delivered as a self-paced, online course accessible 24 hours a day, complemented by introductory workshops and e-mentoring. SmartGreen brings diverse businesses together online to interact, collaborate on green innovations and grow their business network.
Developed by the University of Ballarat's (UB) Centre for Regional Innovation and Competitiveness (CRIC) and the UB branch of the National Centre for Sustainability, SmartGreen offers great value for money as it is generously supported by AusIndustry, the City of Ballarat and the Committee for Ballarat.
Businesses completing the program become SmartGreen Associates and can take advantage of the increasing demand for services and supplies backed by sustainable practices.
SmartGreen encourages green entrepreneurship. It looks at ways to save costs and create new opportunities for clever business by accessing sustainable products, practices and green-savvy customers, so these businesses are well positioned for growth.
Leading local businesses are already implementing SmartGreen. Haymes Paint has recently implemented a sustainability strategy and sees opportunities for improvement and significant gains. King Print, has factored sustainability into the design of their new factory, along with everyday measures within the business to minimise business waste and reduce their carbon footprint.
Businesses can enrol online in SmartGreen and discover how to grow their business with sustainable practices and profits by visiting www.mysmartgreen.com.au or email cric@ballarat.edu.au.
Workshops on how to Write Tenders
The City Of Ballarat will be running a series of Tender Workshops over the next two months which aim to help local businesses to better understand, apply for and win tenders.
First session - Tuesday 26 May 2009
9.30am to 12.30pm
Trench Room
Ballarat Town Hall
The focus of this session, presented by PACCER, is based on Winning Government Tenders. This session is designed to demystify government purchasing procedures to help small to medium sized businesses access opportunities and successfully compete for government business. The aim of the session is to maximise the opportunities for local businesses that will come from the Federal Government Stimulus Package and other public and private tenders. The City of Ballarat hopes these sessions will provide a very practical level of assistance to businesses to ensure Ballarat's economy remains strong and resilient.
RSVP by 22 May 2009 to rsvp@commerceballarat.com.au
Second session - Tuesday 4 June 2009
Tendering for Success - an arm of Tenderlink - Australasia's most comprehensive tender notification service. The topic for this session will be Winning Tenders: Uncover the 12 Steps to success. Stay tuned for more information about this and other tender information sessions including sessions that will show you how to apply for tenders and the tendering opportunities that exist for City of Ballarat Businesses. To find out more about this first Tenderwrite Session or any subsequent sessions call our Tenderwrite Hotline and speak to Peter Forbes today on 5320 5672.
Smart SME Information Sessions
If you missed the local Smart SME information session on Monday 11 May 2009, the presentation is available here. Similar sessions are being held in Bendigo, Geelong and Melbourne, as follows:
Melbourne - Tuesday 26 May, 10.15am to 11.45am - Level 46, 55 Collins Street
Geelong - Wednesday 27 May, 10.15am to 11.45am - Kardinia Park, Latrobe Terrace
Bendigo - Thursday 28 May, 12noon to 2.00pm, Visual Arts Centre, 121 View Street
Melbourne - Friday 29 May, 10.15am to 11.45am - Level 46, 55 Collins Street
Melbourne - Tuesday 2 June, 10.15am to 11.45am - Level 46, 55 Collins Street
The Victorian Government's new Smart SMEs Market Validation Program will help SMEs develop innovative products, processes and services focused on meeting the future technology needs of Victorian public sector entities.
This $28 million grants program will foster the establishment, growth and international competitiveness of technology SMEs by providing support in the critical R&D phase.
Learn how your company can become involved in this exciting new initiative at the above free information sessions. RSVP to mvp@diird.vic.gov.au. For more information about the Smart SME Market Validation Program visit www.business.vic.gov.au/mvp
National ICT Careers Week - 27 July to 1 August 2009
This is a great opportunity to showcase the very bright and brilliant future of ICT to today's students and tomorrow's employees. Many activities and events have been planned across Australia. A working group has been formed locally to plan events which will align with National ICT Careers Week. Further details will follow.
Your organisation is encouraged to get involved. If your organisation has not registered to participate, please register now at www.ictcareersweek.info/index.cfm?page=registration
If your organisation has registered to participate, please organise an event/activity during the week. There is no limit on how many events or activities you can run during the week and what types of activities. It could be as small as help promote the career week on your website, web banner and newsletter.
Visit www.ictcareersweek.info for ideas on activities being run during the week. Activities range from Academy Award winning animation directors, to an out of this world experience with virtual reality, to ‘real' life Robotics workshops, to various competitions.
Once you have registered, log on to www.ictcareersweek.info/index.cfm?page=registration and list your event.
Expressions of Interest Required
Due to the enormous growth of Commerce Ballarat in both membership and activity, they need to update and expand the usability of their website, and are seeking any Commerce Ballarat members interested in tendering for this project to forward expression of interest to Jodie@commerceballarat.com.au.
Governor of Victoria Export Awards 2009 - ENTRIES NOW OPEN
The Governor of Victoria Export Awards has been running for 30 years and showcases the truly remarkable achievements of Victoria's export sector.
Winners of these major awards add value to their business by giving them a competitive advantage and virtual passport to overseas markets, increasing respect within their industry, raising awareness of their company and their products, and promoting company pride.
Advanced Polymer Technology Australasia (APTA) is honoured to have received not only the 2008 Governor of Victoria Small to Medium Manufacturer Award but also the coveted 2008 Victorian Exporter of the Year Award. The winning of these awards validates the Company's appreciation of employees and gives recognition to their effort and commitment in making Advanced Polymer Technology Australasia a global leader in the design, manufacture and construction of world class synthetic sporting surfaces.
Extensive use of the Awards logo on both domestic and export documentation has contributed to raising APTA's export profile and has added to the Company's prestige in highly competitive export markets. The Awards have injected an extra sense of pride throughout the company, continuing the momentum to achieve further export milestones", Dr Martin Schlegel, Managing Director.
Winners of the 2009 Governor of Victoria Export Awards will be recognised at a ceremony to be held at Government House on Wednesday, 21 October 2009. These same winners automatically progress as national finalists to the 2009 Australian Export Awards which will be presented at a prestigious Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony in November.
Award categories include:
Education and Training Award: For outstanding innovation and export achievement in the field of education and training services, expertise and curriculum.
Emerging Exporter Award: For outstanding export achievement by an enterprise in any industry sector which has been exporting goods or services for three years or less.
Information and Communication Technology Award: For outstanding export achievement in the field of information and communication products, technology or services.
Regional Exporter Award: For outstanding export achievement by a business whose head office is based in a non-metropolitan location.
Small Business Award: For outstanding export achievement by any business with total annual sales not exceeding $3 million.
Victorian Export Award for Innovation Excellence: This is a special Victorian Award established to recognise the overall most innovative exporter. Entrants in all categories will be eligible for this special award. It will consider innovation in all aspects of the company's export operations.
To apply now go to the Export Awards website at: http://www.exportawards.gov.au/vic
Applications close Friday 17 July 2009.
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