KEY POINTS
- The Intelligent Island Program commenced in 2000 and is now in Phase II.
- Phase II involves the Tasmanian ICT Centre (TasICTC) operated by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and a competitive grants program for Tasmanian ICT companies.
FACTS AND FIGURES
The $40 million Intelligent Island Program was developed in 1999 as a special industry development program as part of the second sale of Telstra. It aims to create higher, long-term sustainable growth of Tasmania's information and communications technology (ICT) industry.
The program is funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research and is managed by the Tasmanian Government’s Department of Economic Development, Tourism and the Arts (DEDTA).
Ongoing administration of the Intelligent Island Program is carried out by DEDTA under the direction of a Project Executive comprising of the Secretary of the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (or his nominee) and the Secretary of the DEDTA (or his nominee).
In December 2005, the reallocation of Intelligent Island funds under Phase II was announced, with an in-principle allocation of $15 million to establish an ICT research centre for Tasmania, namely the TasICTC)and up to $18 million allocated to the Market Access and Partnership Program (MAPP), a competitive, merit-based grant program designed to enable Tasmanian ICT companies to develop or market an ICT product or service for export to interstate or overseas markets and to support activities of benefit to the broader ICT industry. Following completion of the fourth and final MAPP funding round in August 2008, the MAPP component of the Program is now in administrative mode with all grant disbursements expected to be completed by 30 June 2011.
In December 2006, a funding agreement was approved between the Tasmanian Government and the CSIRO) to enable CSIRO to establish and operate the TasICTC for a period of five years. Importantly, CSIRO has committed to match the investment in the TasICTC, resulting in a total investment of some $30 million for the centre over the term of the agreement.
The primary goal in establishing the TasICTC is to support the Intelligent Island objective of contributing to the development of an internationally competitive ICT sector in Tasmania.
The centre’s objective is to conduct innovative applied research, in the areas of sensor networks, data management and robotics, or such other areas identified as relevant and to commercialise outcomes from this research. In pursuit of this objective, the centre engages and collaborates with the Tasmanian ICT industry, key ICT users and research organisations.
For more information about the TasICTC, visit: http://www.csiro.au/science/TasICTCentre.html.
MAPP is being administered by DEDTA over four rounds. The first two rounds were conducted in 2006, one round in 2007, and the final round in 2008. 32 projects have been awarded funding over the four rounds of MAPP.
For more information on MAPP, visit:
http://www.development.tas.gov.au/industry/intelligent_island.