A Daley Labor Government will invest $5 million to establish a new iMake Maker Space as an addition to the existing Science Centre on the Innovation Campus.
The new prototype space (Maker Space) will provide small and medium businesses - both existing businesses and new ones - with access to the technology and expertise that they need to develop and test their ideas.
As an addition to the Wollongong Science Centre it would also provide space for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) education and training activities for school-aged children and their teachers.
The iMake Maker Space will provide technologies such as 3D printers, design software and laser cutters, ordinarily out of reach of individuals, small and medium-sized enterprises, available to those businesses on a pay-for-use basis.
This helps to reduce the barriers to access to technology that small and medium businesses face when they are trying to develop a new idea to support existing jobs or create new ones.
iMake will also provide an avenue where individuals, small and medium-sized businesses can gain access to the right researchers and research at UOW and provide new entrants into the iAccelerate start-up incubator.
The Illawarra has also been identified as a Regional Innovation District under NSW Labor’s Innovation plans released yesterday and will establish a regional Innovation Council to oversee funding programs.
Prior to his election to Parliament, Paul Scully was the Chief Financial Officer of the Australian Institute of Innovative Materials at the University of Wollongong’s Innovation Campus.
Comments attributable to Paul Scully MP:
“This is another commitment to create new jobs in the Illawarra and help local businesses bring their new ideas from concept stage to reality.
“Local small and medium sized businesses will be able to hook into the research expertise at the Innovation Campus and use equipment and collaborate with researchers to make the goods and services of the future.
“The Innovation Campus was established through a collaboration of the University of Wollongong and the former Iemma Labor Government.
“This $5 million commitment is a boost to the innovative capacity of Wollongong.”
13 March 2019
