"Give Us 3 Minutes and We'll Show You How To Successfully Get The Collaborative Internet Innovation Fund"

Dear Technology Enthusiast,

Chances are you're probably excited about this fund. After all, obtaining $100-500k towards a Web 2.0 project would be a dream come true especially when there is:

• So much opportunity for Web 2.0 technology (facebook, digg, twitter, etc)
• So little funding to go around because of the financial crisis

What you probably may not be aware of is the long and upward journey between now and actually "getting the money". You see, the March Expression of Interest was only the "tip of the iceberg" - an easy milestone that hides all the "hard work" that is yet to come.

In fact, in our experience, most of the technology companies are simply unaware and are unprepared to do what it takes in order to get the money. They think that by showing some code, charts, optimistic projections, and YouTube videos, they will "magically" convince the selection panel... but they are wrong!

Well, the good news is that things don't have to turnout this way. Your company can be guided by experts who know the IT industry (and are themselves IT gurus) and also have proven experience in obtaining funding.

Interested? These are the Next Steps...

To find more about how we can help you get the money without the pain, please Contact Us for a free and confidential consultation  or download our Collaborative Internet Innovation Fund Grant Flyer.

To Your Web 2.0 Success,

Ross Turetsky MBA, BCom, BInfoSys
Managing Director, Grant Solutions

  Collaborative Internet Innovation Fund (cIIF)

cIIF is a new $15 million (provided in 2 rounds of $7m and $8m) competitive grants program to accelerate the innovative use of next generation ICT by Victorian government, business and community. The program provides funding to support early adopters of these new technologies to undertake collaborative projects that develop new ways of working and solving problems.

The program will build capability or ICT-enabled innovation and generate models to support more widespread adoption of new technologies and productive ways of working in key sectors. cIIF is one of several new initiatives under the productivity goal of the Victorian Government’s innovation statement Innovation: Victoria’s Future.

The Program

cIIF provides project-based funding. The program has a two-stage competitive selection process designed to develop projects from an initial idea into a detailed plan able to be funded for immediate implementation.

1. Applicants first submit a short-form Expression of Interest application (Stage 1) outlining their project idea.
2. If shortlisted to progress, applicants then develop a detailed Business Plan (Stage 2) for their project.
3. Successful applicants will enter into a grants contract to receive program funding, and will be responsible for providing regular reports on project progress.
4. In addition, successful applicants will become innovation champions, responsible for sharing project lessons and outcomes so that others can learn from their projects.

Available Funding

In round one $7 million dollars is available for approved projects. Funds will typically be made available to projects with 1 to 2 year funding profiles, with funding requests in the range $100,000 to 500,000 per project. Projects in the first funding round are expected to commence no later than December 2009.

Matched Funding

Applicants are required to provide matched funding to projects on a 1:1 basis, comprising cash and in-kind contributions.
Composition of co-contribution will be considered in project selection. As a guide, government and industry sector projects should aim for matched funding to comprise at least 50% cash. Community sector projects should aim for matched funding to comprise at least 25% cash.

In-kind contributions include items such as:

• Staff who work directly on the project or on project-related activities
• New asset investments
• IT services, including related staff and IT support
• Contract resources and services
• Administrative support, such as HR services, accounting services, procurement services and accommodation.

Funded Projects

cIIF is targeting projects at the forefront of innovative practice that demonstrate the productive capabilities of new technology.

Projects should:

• Use the next generation of ICT to implement process or practice change (introducing new ways of working or solving problems)
• Be collaborative, involving different groups or organisations working together.
• Support identified priority activities and/or address key challenges for all organisations involved.
• Require matching co-contributions from project partners or other funding sources
• Demonstrate a strong leadership and capability to deliver the project.
• Be capable of continued activity beyond the life of the program funding
• Provide models of innovative practice to be taken up by others.

Project Ideas

The following questions might help to see if your project idea is suited to the program:

• Is it seeking to solve a problem, delivering a solution or creating a new way of working using ICT?
• Does it involve combining, managing, analysing or sharing large amounts of rich information or data in a more user friendly way?
• Are innovative, Internet based technologies appropriate to tackling the problem or designing a solution?
• Is collaboration the answer? Are there drivers for organisations to work together to solve the problem, or a community of interest around a shared solution?
• Would your idea benefit from the involvement and contribution of others, such as your peers, clients, stakeholders or the public?

Funding Applications

The following entities can apply for funding under the program:

• Victorian Government departments and agencies
• Industry bodies
• local governments
• Community organisations
• Business groups

Projects must be collaborative and involve multiple partners or organisations working together.
The focus is on supporting innovative projects that develop productive new ways of working together.