Page 2801 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 17 September 2014
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
The government has been very pleased to participate in this project since its inception and has provided a range of financial and in-kind support, including membership of the steering committee and hosting several seminars and business networking events. There is also strong regional support with the New South Wales government seeking to build local community and business support for renewable energy in the south-east region of New South Wales.
In August of this year the Australian Renewable Energy Agency committed to provide $305,000 for a three-year work program of the South East Region of Renewable Energy Excellence industry cluster through a funding agreement with Regional Development Australia. This agreement will help the capital region generate industry development benefits from the territory government’s renewable energy target by building a renewable business network and disseminating information about opportunities for investment and jobs in renewable energy in the region. SERREE has also committed to building a renewable energy visitor trail in the Australian capital region with a focus on school tours and enhancing the understanding of renewable energy in the community.
The annual Canberra BusinessPoint awards showcase the innovation and diversity of small businesses operating in our region. There is a category within the awards, “clean and green”, that recognises emerging environmental or clean technology businesses that are providing new, innovative products and services to the market. Previous winners include sustainable energy-efficient builders Jigsaw Housing and waste management solutions company Envirolove.
The territory government’s strategic opportunity funding program has awarded two grants totalling $120,000 to support the development of a Canberra science and innovation precinct, a collaboration between the CSIRO and the ANU. The precinct project team is looking to identify areas that will focus cross-disciplinary and cross-sector collaboration in Canberra. Of these areas two are relevant to the ACT’s renewable activities—namely, the crop and plant science area which will look at how new developments are transforming agricultural production and environmental management, and are creating new biologically-based manufacturing industries; and the Centre for Environmental Informatics, which will take advantage of the territory’s high concentration of researchers in this field to address the challenges facing researchers in making use of the exponential growth in environmental data from multiple sources.
In addition the territory government’s $1.1 million investment in the Canberra High Resolution Plant Phenomics Centre is helping researchers to develop new and improved crops, healthier foods and more sustainable agricultural practices. The ACT government’s contribution has supported outreach activities such as post-doctoral fellowships and international promotion. As a result the centre has attracted international scientists and recognition as a world leader in plant phenomics science. The centre has also secured a $20 million funding contribution from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video