Intelligent Island

The $40-million Intelligent Island Program aims to create higher, long-term sustainable growth of the state's information and communications technology (ICT) industry.

The program is funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research and is managed by the Tasmanian Government’s Department of Economic Development and Tourism.

In December 2005, the reallocation of Intelligent Island funds was announced, with an in-principle allocation of $15 million to establish an ICT research centre for Tasmania, namely the Tasmanian ICT Centre (TASICTC) and up to $18 million allocated to the Market Access and Partnership Program (MAPP), a competitive, merit-based grant program designed to enable Tasmanian small to medium sized ICT companies to develop and commercialise their products.

On 22 September 2006, a funding agreement was approved between the then Economic Development and Tourism and CSIRO, for CSIRO to establish and operate the TASICTC for a period of five years into 2011. Importantly, CSIRO has committed to match the investment in the TASICTC, resulting in a total investment of $30 million for the centre over the term of the agreement.

The primary goal of establishing the TASICTC is to support the Intelligent Island objective of contributing to the development of an internationally competitive ICT sector in Tasmania. 

The centre’s objective is to develop a world-class ICT research capacity and conduct innovative applied research, initially in the areas of sensor networks, data management and robotics and seek to commercialise outcomes from this research.  In pursuit of this objective, the centre will engage and collaborate with Tasmanian ICT industry, key ICT users and research organisations. 

For more information about the TASICTC, visit http://www.csiro.au/resources/TasICTupdateJuly07.html

MAPP is being administered by Economic Development and Tourism over four rounds. The first two rounds were conducted in 2006, one round in 2007 and the final round will be in early 2008.

For more information on MAPP, visit http://www.development.tas.gov.au/intelligent/MAPP.html

Click here for information on the new Intelligent Island strategy.

Contact

Polly McGee
Program Manager Intelligent Island
Innovation, Science and Technology
Department of Economic Development and Tourism

ph: +61 3 6233 5684
fax: +61 3 6233 5800

email: Polly.McGee@development.tas.gov.au