25 businesses share in $17 M to invest in capital infrastructure.
About
The Illawarra Region Innovation and Investment Fund (IRIIF) supports the Illawarra region by stimulating investment and diversifying the economic and employment base.
The Illawarra Region Innovation and Investment Fund is a competitive merit-based grants program jointly announced by the Australian and NSW Governments in response to the restructure of BlueScope Steel Limited at Port Kembla in the Illawarra Region.
For the purposes of Illawarra Region Innovation and Investment Fund, the ‘Illawarra Region’ is defined as the Wollongong, Shellharbour and Kiama Local Government Areas.
The Illawarra Region Innovation and Investment Fund’s purpose is to support innovative job creation projects that strengthen the Illawarra’s regional economy and employment base. The $30 million Illawarra Region Innovation and Investment Fund is jointly funded by the Australian Government ($20 million), the NSW Government ($5 million) and BlueScope Steel ($5 million) over three years to 30 June 2014.
The minimum grant under Illawarra Region Innovation and Investment Fund will be $50,000. There is no maximum grant limit within the funding available under IRIIF. Grants will be up to 50 per cent of eligible expenditure as described in the IRIIF Guide for Applicants.
Eligible Projects
An eligible IRIIF application must propose a project that:
- involves eligible expenditure, including plant and equipment directly applied to the production of the outputs of the investment proposal;
- has at least $100,000 in eligible project costs;
- generates new, sustainable jobs in the Illawarra Region and does not involve the movement of business activity from other areas of Australia to the Illawarra Region;
- should not compromise competitive neutrality (e.g. by taxpayers subsidising one participant in a market, thereby reducing the competitiveness of other participants) unless it can be demonstrated that the benefits of assistance outweigh the costs; and
- is consistent with Australia’s international obligations, including under the World Trade Organization
In addition:
- projects which involve no sustained net increase in economic activity in Australia will not be funded;
- infrastructure projects will not be considered;
- research or scoping activities will not be considered;
- projects which demonstrate the introduction of new innovations and/or technology (rather than research and scoping studies) will be favoured; and
- funding will not be provided for retrospective activities (i.e. project expenditure prior to the finalisation of the funding agreement will not be funded).
Government grants will not be provided for retrospective activities, for projects that involve the movement of business activity from other areas of Australia to the Illawarra Region or for activities undertaken after 30 June 2014.
Eligible Applicants
Applicants must be incorporated, have an Australian Business Number and be registered for the GST. Applicants must be able to demonstrate that they have committed funding, exclusive of in-kind contributions, to the proposed project that is free of other government funding and which at least matches the funding which is being sought from the IRIIF.
Joint applications are acceptable, provided they have a principal applicant who is both the primary project proponent and an eligible applicant.
The following are not eligible to apply:
- individuals;
- Commonwealth, State and Local Government agencies and bodies (including government business enterprises); or
- entities that do not comply with State or Commonwealth law, such as Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999.
Specialist Grant Expertise
Did you miss out on funding? We have assisted many companies obtain over $35 M for structural adjustment and regional infrastructure funding.
Typical areas where assist companies is demonstrating:
- the level of net economic benefit the proposed project will bring to the Illawarra Region, including the number of sustainable, new jobs generated through the project.
- the contribution of the project towards the diversification of the region’s economy
- demonstration of the skills, experience and resources to successfully undertake the project;
- projects which demonstrate the introduction of new innovations or technology will be favoured;
- the demonstrated capacity of the applicant to provide matching funding for the project;
- the sustainability of the outcomes of the project over the longer term without the need for ongoing need for government support; and
- the need for funding – would the project go ahead without Government support?
Our success rate is 100% for infrstructure funding. Call us now on 03 9005 6789 to see how we can make your application stand out.
Round 1 Recipients
Applicant | Project | Grant |
| Datacom | Establishment of a regional contact centre for Datacom for the provision of call centre services | $1,686,281 |
| Diversified Mining Services (DMS) | Establishment of facility for DMS COALTRAM® utility vehicle supply and service for the coal mining industry | $727,898 |
| Dunetone / Spiers Engineering | Upgrade to facility for the manufacture of precision machinery components primarily for the mining industry | $422,840 |
| Fibre Optics Design and Construct | Establish facilities for manufacture of innovative mining industry communication system | $440,000 |
| Hydromet | Expansion of facility for lead recovery from cathode ray tube (CRT) glass generated from e-waste and used lead acid batteries (ULABs) | $1,320,000 |
| AINS | Internetrix website manufacturing engine: a new digital platform for buying and configuring websites online | $217,203 |
| iTree | Expansion of RegulationWorks® software which provides safety, security and intelligence management functionality for regulatory, compliance and enforcement agencies | $839,931 |
| Jamberoo | Expansion of Jamberoo Recreation Park | $2,227,500 |
| Skydive the Beach | Skydive the Beach Business Expansion | $896,500 |
| Soilco | Upgrade to Organic Materials Processing and Recycling Facility | $685,960 |
| Sound Therapy International | Expansion of Sound Therapy International’s ear and brain health-improvement listening programs into new medical and educational markets | $281,820 |
| Superfine in Focus | Focus Illawarra – Creating a Centre of Print Manufacturing & Training Excellence | $6,050,000 |
| Magnattack | Expansion of facility for the manufacture of advanced magnetic products for use by the food processing industry | $415,015 |
| TOTAL | $16,210,948 |
Round 2 Recipients
Applicant | Project | Grant |
| Alminco | Alminco designs and manufactures equipment for the underground mining industry. Funding will enable the expansion of a facility for the manufacture of Alminco’s Scorpion and Thor Bolter Crawler Rigs. | $653,719 |
| Baker Street | Expansion of Baker Street’s food manufacturing and storage facilities to satisfy the growth in major customers and develop new product ranges. | $663,202 |
| C Rafin & Co | Enhancing existing, and development of new, remote and in-home care services and associated Tele-Services technologies to provide improved living for the aged and disability sectors. | $329,706 |
| Cammthane | Enhancement of specialist plastic products machining capability to improve Cammthane’s competitiveness. | $148,500 |
| Central Data Networks | Expansion of software products and sales support for the medical and radiology imaging industry. | $329,450 |
| Cram Fluid Power | Increase manufacturing and repair capacity for Viking Loaders and establish a sales and service outlet. | $110,000 |
| CSC Australia | Creating a Centre of Excellence within CSC’s Coniston Technology Park campus, including establishing world leading: – Cloud and emerging IT services for Australian and global customers – Security operations to monitor and respond to local, regional and global network threats and cyber attacks | $2,759,119 |
| GBST Wealth Management | Enhancement of the Composer Wealth Management Platform to provide a single platform capable of supporting multiple regions through the provision of multi-calendar, multi-currency and multi-tax support and compliance across full middle and back office for the financial services industry. | $820,927 |
| GM Mitrovski | Expansion of GM Fabrication’s capabilities through the establishment of a glass processing division for the manufacture of balustrades. | $281,362 |
| J.M.R. t/a Symbio Wildlife Gardens | Expansion of the Symbio Wildlife Park including the introduction of an interactive Koala Breeding Sanctuary, a dynamic indoor Reptile Experience, an African Savannah habitat displaying endangered African wildlife, and major amenities and facility upgrades. | $770,000 |
| JME Engineering | Installation of robotic machinery at JME Engineering’s Port Kembla facility to increase the production of power pole enhancements for use in the electricity distribution market Australia wide. | $385,000 |
| Joy Global (Aus) Underground | Enhancing an existing Centre of Excellence for the Australasian region with the aim of fostering innovation in the area of automated system, information technologies and smart services in the mining sector. | $811,388 |
| Lumina Administration | Establishment of a regional processing centre to meet the demands of Lumina’s expanding business. | $118,363 |
| MAK Engineering Project | Expansion of the Makrol® roll cleaner manufacturing facility. The units are used for cleaning rolls of continuous steel and aluminium strip processing lines. | $117,128 |
| Moduplay Group | Expansion of manufacturing facility including the purchase of unique equipment to enable drilling anywhere on any face of square hollow section (SHS) or circular hollow section (CHS) steel or aluminium, up to 5m long and creation of compound bends and rolling of steel tube used in the manufacture of playground equipment. | $177,428 |
| National Biodiesel | Construction of a Biodiesel fuel storage/terminal at Port Kembla, with an associated assurance laboratory and a sales and marketing office. | $2,860,000 |
| Nepean Conveyors | Accelerate the establishment of Nepean Conveyors’ heavy manufacturing facility in Wollongong. The site will be utilised for the fabrication, machining, surface finishing, assembly and factory acceptance testing of new capital equipment projects. | $825,345 |
| One Wealth Management | Establishment of the OneTrust Operations Centre in Wollongong which will provide administrative support services to Self Managed Superannuation Fund trustees, accountants, financial advisers, and dealer groups. | $345,387 |
| Pixalux Design | Establishment of a manufacturing facility for Pixalux Design’s patented technology – frameless, structural light panels with many applications, including illuminated shelving, signage and architectural lighting systems. | $275,000 |
| Selera Services | Enhancing the functional scope and platform coverage of Selera’s DataIgnition Continuous Controls Monitoring product suite. | $395,657 |
| Shortlead.com.au | Business expansion of the Shortlead.com.au national online conference deals website, by building a robust online registration system, which will streamline current processes for administering event registrations, improve staff efficiency and increase the ability of Shortlead.com.au to administer a greater number of conferences and events annually. | $126,500 |
| The International Equine Group | The International Equine Group will establish facilities for the spelling, breeding, pre-training and veterinary care of thoroughbred and other equines within the Illawarra that are convenient and cost effective for the Illawarra Racing and Equestrian Industries. The facilities will link with and further develop vocational education and training provision to grow the economic, racing and equestrian industries within the Illawarra region and beyond. | $666,004 |
| Thomas & Coffey | Thomas & Coffey has the exclusive licence to manufacture and use the Hull Surface Treatment Technology that eliminates growth on ship’s hulls. Funding will enable Thomas & Coffey to utilise the technology so it can be reliably delivered to the maritime industry and to establish a facility to manufacture units that use the technology. | $220,000 |
| VanceInfo Technologies Australia | Establish a National Service Delivery Centre for software and systems development, software testing, systems support and maintenance, research and development, and professional services. | $1,603,009 |
| Wollongong Clinic Property | Accelerate the establishment of a premium Mental Health Facility in Wollongong, servicing patients from across Australia and internationally. This 5 star facility will be the only private mental health provider in the Illawarra. | $1,419,000 |
$17,211,194 |
More Information
- Illawarra Region Innovation and Investment Fund (IRIIF) – Application Form
- Illawarra Region Innovation and Investment Fund (IRIIF) – Applicant Guide
- Illawarra Region Innovation and Investment Fund (IRIIF) – Fact Sheet
- Illawarra Region Innovation and Investment Fund (IRIIF) – Round 1 recipients
- Illawarra Region Innovation and Investment Fund (IRIIF) – Round 2 recipients
Media Release
More than 500 new sustainable jobs will be created in the Illawarra and $48.8 million worth of investment generated by projects supported under the second round of the Illawarra Region Innovation and Investment Fund (IRIIF).
The Federal Minister for Industry and Innovation, Greg Combet, and the NSW Deputy Premier, Andrew Stoner, today announced 25 innovative businesses are being offered IRIIF grants worth a total of $17.2 million.
“These dollar for dollar co-investment grants will act as an enormous stimulus to investment in the region across manufacturing, information services, healthcare, tourism, professional services and education and training,” Mr Combet said.
“They will create sustainable employment, expected to directly create 512 new jobs, while indirect employment in the supply chain and other service providers will grow even more significantly.”
Mr Stoner acknowledged that the Illawarra Fund was successfully helping industries to diversify throughout the region.
“The Illawarra fund was established by the Federal and NSW Governments together with BlueScope Steel to strengthen the region by stimulating investment and diversifying the Illawarra economic and employment base,” Mr Stoner said.
“Manufacturing has played a significant role in the Illawarra and it’s important these businesses are supported through the structural changes underway in the local economy.”
BlueScope Steel General Manager of Steelmaking, John Nowlan welcomed the effective partnerships between government and business demonstrated by the co-investment grants.
“The scope of new projects submitted for assessment in the second round was outstanding. The Illawarra Fund has demonstrated how innovative this region is, as well as the importance of encouraging entrepreneurial ideas,” he said.
Port Kembla’s National Biodiesel Ltd is among the second round recipients. The company has been offered a $2.86 million IRIIF grant for an infrastructure project expected to total more than $14.3 million in investment and create 52 new jobs.
CSC Australia Pty Ltd, at Mount St Thomas, has been offered a $2.76 million IRIIF grant to create a Centre of Excellence within its Technology Park campus. The centre will include world leading IT services and security operations, and is expected to create 98 new jobs.
A grant of $653,719 has been offered to Alminco Pty Ltd to put towards a $1.3 million expansion of one of its Fairy Meadow facilities. The company designs and manufactures equipment for the underground mining industry and has plans to employ 10 additional trade and engineering staff.
Mr Combet also congratulated Lumina Administration, One Wealth and VanceInfo Technologies – which will all move into the Illawarra region for the first time.
“Businesses are increasingly looking to the Illawarra as a highly attractive place to invest and expand their capabilities,” Mr Combet said.
“The Federal Government is committed to working with business to help create more highly-skilled and sustainable job opportunities and improving the competitiveness of the Illawarra into the future.”
Including Round 1 projects, the IRIIF is expected to directly create 888 new fulltime equivalent jobs and generate at least $90 million in total investment in the Illawarra.
The fund was established by the Australian Government together with the New South Wales Government and BlueScope Steel to strengthen the region by stimulating investment and diversifying the Illawarra’s economic and employment base.
