AusIndustry is the Commonwealth Government’s business unit – designed to help Australian businesses become more innovative and internationally competitive. AusIndustry does this by providing a range of commercial incentives and information services.
Its products and services are grouped under the five broad streams of Innovation, Venture Capital, General Industry Incentives, Industry-Specific Incentives and Information Services, in the form of grants, loans, tax concessions, duty concessions, and support for investments by venture capital firms.
BizLink, the Commonwealth Government’s business information service, provides access to information on more than 800 assistance programs offered by all three levels of Government.
BizLink is administered by AusIndustry, which also provides the AusIndustry Business HotLine on 13 28 46.
Established in 1995, AusIndustry has a dedicated team of more than 300 people committed to providing excellent, cost effective and user friendly services.
Through its regional offices across Australia, AusIndustry delivers about 29 products and services, worth around $1.8 billion, to some 18,300 customers annually.
The Commonwealth Government’s action plan for innovation in Australia over the next five years, Backing Australia’s Ability, was launched by the Prime Minister on 29 January.
The plan includes an additional $2.9 billion of Commonwealth funding for innovation.
As the Government’s business unit, AusIndustry and the Department of Industry, Science and Resources, were directly involved in contributing to many elements of the package.
The good news for AusIndustry is that three of its Innovation Programs, R&D Start, the Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) and the R&D Tax Concession figured prominently in the statement.
As well as being boosted by additional funding, the life of the R&D Start Program has been extended to 2006.
Changes to the R&D Tax Concession will benefit companies, and the new CRCs, together with existing Centres, will continue to maximise the economic and social benefits of publicly funded research and development for the wider Australian community through their long term collaborative arrangements.
Details of Backing Australia’s Ability and its initiatives can be found on the web at www.innovation.gov.au
For further information on AusIndustry’s products and services, visit the website at www.ausindustry.gov.au or call the AusIndustry Business HotLine on 13 28 46.
