Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall speaking at the launch of the University of New England business incubator. The Head of UNE’s Business School Alison Sheridan is looking on.
Monday, 6 March 2017
THE State Government is partnering with the University of New England (UNE) in Armidale to launch a new start-up hub to boost the number of companies doing business in country NSW, Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall said today.
According to Mr Marshall, the new business incubator will create a supportive environment for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in rural and regional NSW, to target local and international trade opportunities.
“This fantastic new incubator will be a launching pad for SMEs and start-ups with the potential to boost innovation and create jobs and growth across our region,” Mr Marshall said.
“It will provide access to research data to create commercial agribusiness and agricultural technology opportunities while offering a collaborative working environment for start-ups.”
The CEO of Sydney-based electronics design company LX Group, and former Delungra farmer Simon Blyth, launched the UNE SMART Region Incubator in Armidale last Thursday.
Mr Marshall said a regional university incubator like this will bridge the gap between research and commercialisation and supercharge innovation in country NSW.
“For UNE, with its long history in agricultural research, it is an exciting opportunity to turn knowledge into new business models and opportunities,” Mr Marshall said.
“The University of New England will provide data and an analytical platform for SMEs and entrepreneurs to access the latest research data generated by the UNE SMART Farm and Centre for Agribusiness to help accelerate and commercialise new business models.”
UNE Vice-Chancellor Annabelle Duncan said the UNE SMART Region Incubator will strengthen the resilience and prosperity of regional communities.
“This flow of information will be taken to the next level by the incubator’s plan for a ‘Smart Data Community’, which will enable research to inform business and business to inform research,” Professor Duncan said.
The NSW Government contributed $1 million to the establishment of the incubator at UNE. More information on the Boost Program at www.industry.nsw.gov.au/boosting-innovation