An inter-connected community supporting Moree business and innovation
UNE SMART Region Incubator’s Moree programs and community were showcased in Regional Lifestyle Magazine’s Spring 2023 Moree feature…
‘The UNE SMART Region Incubator (UNE SRI) is a friendly, focused and connected community that supports aspiring regional businesses.
“The SRI is fortunate to be part of the progressive and dynamic Moree community, connected to a network of vibrant regional communities across the New England North West, and also to a broader business and innovation ecosystem.
We are an inter-connected community,” said Acting Director Ross Murray.
“The SRI is an encouraging and supportive space where ideas and businesses grow, and it now has a home in the beautiful, new physical space that is Social Co-House.”
Social Co-House evolved from discussions between Moree Plains Shire Council, the University of New England and local business owner Tyler Macey.
“We are excited that it will continue in that spirit - a physical and intellectual space for collaboration and opportunity. It is Moree’s own incubator, and integral to the UNE SMART Region Incubator!”
The co-working space includes offices and hot desks, event, media and meeting rooms.
From this new base, UNE SRI will continue to support Moree entrepreneurs and businesses by delivering programs and events, and facilitating connections – including to expert advisors, researchers, industry and investors.
Moree businesses have benefitted from UNE SRI programs, including the Entrepreneurs Leverage Program. Led by Expert in Residence Mandy Walker, Leverage is a 12-month program for founders and entrepreneurs focussed on growing their business.
“Alongside this flagship program, the SRI team has facilitated entrepreneurs’ breakfasts and other networking events, as well as a wide range of business development workshops,” Mr Murray said.
“Excitingly, we have also been fortunate to engage with many young entrepreneurs - children and young people who have participated in Illuminate Challenges.”
The Challenges have been delivered in schools through a valuable collaboration between UNE SRI, Moree Plains Shire Council, Illuminate Education Australia, and schools. Mentors from the schools, local businesses and others support the program, which invites students to identify problems or needs in their community, and then provides tools and time to come up with solutions.
“Students working in teams are tasked with building an idea that would help their community. Every time they have delivered,” said Mr Murray.
“These young innovators are impressive in their ability to recognise a challenge and collaborate to design a solution. The future looks bright!”
Regional innovation has an important role to play in the prosperity of communities. The UNE SRI is proud to work in partnership with Moree Plains Shire Council, sharing a vision for a vibrant innovation ecosystem supporting start-ups across industry and education.
According to Mr Murray, this ecosystem empowers key industries, like agriculture and health, to address challenges, and sparks innovation and jobs in new industries such as cleantech. This in turn contributes to regional economic development across sectors.
Through 2022, the UNE SRI supported 60 start-ups who collectively raised more than $4 million to bootstrap their ideas into reality, and created 225 regional jobs in the process.
The UNE SRI focusses on innovation and working with businesses that can scale - generating investment and jobs back into our region, and supporting regional economic growth opportunities, often in response to community issues. Founders span health, agtech, environment and creative industries, and include wonderful examples of ingenuity and enterprise.
Through collaboration, the UNE SRI helps deliver new products and services to market. Using business start-up methodologies, the UNE SRI helps aspiring business founders incubate their ideas, test concepts, find investors and pull together an enterprise.
“All businesses start with an idea. Those ideas become plans, and plans turn into enterprises. The SRI exists to nourish that process,” Mr Murray said.
“Towns like Moree don’t just happen, they grow and evolve thanks to people with ideas and the determination to nurture those ideas into reality. It takes many things to build a business, but even a great idea benefits from the right environment to flourish!”
To connect with the UNE SRI, Mr Murray suggests reaching out to the team, coming along to an event, or making use of its co-working spaces. Details are on the UNE SRI website: unesri.com.au
“Anyone, at any stage of their business journey can be involved and can benefit from being part of the UNE SRI connected community,” he said.
“The benefit of being part of a supportive community is invaluable!”’
Text and images provided by UNE SMART Region Incubator; Social Co House images courtesy of Tyler Macey. Original article published in Regional Lifestyle Magazine SPRING 2023. More here