New regional jobs in the making
Fourteen regional business operators from the Loddon-Mallee, Hume and Grampians regions will be in Bendigo on Thursday 3 May to start work on developing business cases to commercialise their innovative opportunities.
The innovations being reviewed for commercial opportunities include:
- Silo ventilation systems to reduce the use of pesticides
- Wind turbines for household electricity generation
- Highly effective wood fired household heating systems
- A new form of health drink
- Machinery for effectively excavating under existing buildings
- A high-productivity trenching machine for cable and pipe laying
Pyksis Director of Learning Services, John Hemphill says, “There are plenty of really competitive regional businesses with world-class innovations. Our role is to help the innovators commercialise these without stalling through lack of experience, shortage of expert advice, or difficulties in financing”.
The Program mixes group and intensive 1:1 learning and culminates with the presentation of business cases to an Expert Panel that advises participants on their likelihood of subsequent success. According to independent research the 35 regional companies who participated in Pioneer Programs in 2006 have increased their total sales by a total of $4m.
A number of them have forecast new sales of an average $4m each in 2009. “At an absolute minimum of one new job for every $100,000 in new sales, $4m represents some 40 new jobs already from the Program’s first year.” John Hemphill says.
Entry to the Regional Technology Commercialisation Program is on a competitive basis by application to local Regional Development Victoria Offices. For further information see www.pyksis.com Home Page, Quicklinks, RTCP
BACKGROUND INFO
This is the fifth Pyksis delivered, Victorian State Government Funded, Pioneer Program in the VicStart Regional Technology Commercialisation Program and it will run in Bendigo (on a series of dates) between 3 May and 18 July.
Pyksis specialises in helping regional businesses commercialise their innovations and, in addition to its Technology Commercialisation Program, helps businesses obtain early funding through the parallel Mentoring for Commercialisation Funding Program funded by Regional Development Victoria.