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Launched on 21 May 2008, Enterprise Connect is a $50 million a year Australian Government program that provides support to eligible Australian small and medium sized businesses. Core services include Business Reviews for eligible businesses at no charge to firms and grant assistance to implement recommendations flowing from the business reviews.
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A national network of 12 Enterprise Connect centres with a team of around 100 highly skilled Business Advisers and Facilitators has been established to deliver these services. The objective is to help Australian firms develop the skills, tools and knowledge needed to improve their competitiveness and productivity and to maximise their growth potential.
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The Centres work with industries as diverse as manufacturing, clean energy, defence, resources and the creative sector, and the services are available to businesses whether they are located in metropolitan areas, country centres or remote Australia.
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Enterprise Connect also delivers a number of targeted support elements to address specific business and regional development needs. These include:
- the Researchers in Business (RiB) element which helps place researchers from universities or public research agencies with businesses to develop and implement new commercial ideas. The program provides a dollar for dollar grant up to $50,000
- the Workshops, Industry Intelligence and Networking (WIIN) element provides firms with access to events and networking opportunities relevant to their sector
- the Technology and Knowledge Connect element provides a referral service linking firms to experts in relevant technological fields
- the Technology Partnerships element has been established to link firms owning leading edge but under-utilised technology or equipment with other businesses that may be able to use it, thereby increasing productivity and revenue in a mutually beneficial arrangement
- the Enterprise Learning and Mentoring (ELM) element which assists firms in maintaining the improvement path set out in the Business Review. This is delivered through a mixture of informal peer group learning sessions and one-on-one mentoring.