About WIIN

The Workshops, Industry Intelligence & Networking (WIIN) element of the Enterprise Connect initiative offers  government grants of up to $50,000 for eligible organisations to deliver workshops, seminars and a range of other activities to Australian small and medium businesses.

The WIIN program is a competitive government grants program that helps organisations to deliver seminars, workshops and other activities to small and medium sized businesses in the Enterprise Connect target markets.  The aim of WIIN is to provide relevant information on good business practices to help businesses reach their full potential.

WIIN helps firms improve their business by providing detailed, relevant new information and knowledge about a particular aspect of good business practice. A successful WIIN activity will improve a participating firm’s awareness of and ability to implement positive changes in their business.

How are the WIIN objectives to be achieved?

A WIIN activity can be delivered in a range of ways, including (but not limited to):

• seminars or workshops,
• best practice industry visits or demonstration projects,
• case studies,
• networking events,
• online or video conference delivery of seminars to regional centres, and
• bringing overseas industry experts to Australia for any or all of the above.

Enterprise Connect Target Markets

A business is in the Enterprise Connect target market if it is eligible for any Enterprise Connect service. WIIN activities should target small and medium-sized firms that operate in any of the following sectors:

• manufacturing,
• defence,
• resources,
• clean technology, and
• creative industries.

In addition, businesses operating in remote areas or in areas identified by the Enterprise Connect initiative as Innovative regions of Australia may also fall into the Enterprise Connect target market.

WIIN Round Five Themes

• Overcoming the Challenges facing Remote Australian Businesses
• Increasing the Competitiveness of Food and Beverage Processors in Local and Overseas Markets

Overcoming the Challenges facing Remote Australian Businesses

WIIN Round 5 is seeking applications for the delivery of activities to assist Australian remote businesses to
overcome the challenges created by their geographic location and increase their productivity, innovation and
market competitiveness.
These challenges include but are not limited to:

• smaller local markets,
• the “tyranny of distance” and its impact on accessing opportunities and business costs,
• attraction, recruitment and retention of staff,
• access to infrastructure,
• access to reliable IT and IT support,
• access to industry peer networks/associations, and
• access to business support, professional development opportunities and business advice.

Examples of remote locations include, Moree NSW, Katherine NT, Longreach Qld, Coober Pedy SA and
Broome WA.

Within the theme of overcoming the challenges facing remote businesses, the three topics are:

Business preparedness for  corporate supply chains

Areas addressed under this topic could include:

• opportunity identification understanding your key competencies,
• successful tender writing,
• quality assurance – what does it mean and what do large corporates expect,
• Australian Standards and ISO accreditation – why, when and how, and
• Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems – how they work and understanding the benefits implementing an ERP system.

Attracting, recruiting and  retaining staff

Areas addressed under this topic could include:

• attracting staff to remote areas advertising, identifying target markets, skilled migration, employment/salary packages, housing and child care,
• recruiting staff – face to face or remotely, periods of employment and job descriptions, and
• retaining staff – understanding employee needs, training and development opportunities, engaging staff in the business and career progression.

IT in remote Australia

Areas addressed under this topic could include:

• IT and its role in successful remote businesses,
• effective communication, and
• maximising the effectiveness of your website as a marketing and sales tool.

Increasing the Competitiveness of Food and Beverage Processors in Local and  Overseas Markets

WIIN Round 5 is seeking applications for the delivery of activities to assist Australian food and beverage  processors to increase their productivity, innovation and market competitiveness.
The food and beverage processing sector faces numerous challenges including:

• increasing demands for greater efficiency in processing and distribution to reduce cost and minimise waste,
• consumer demand for new product offerings with enhanced functionality, freshness and health benefits,
• the need to lift innovation in product, process, management and delivery to drive market growth and cost reduction,
• increasing input costs for raw materials, energy and water, and
• higher demands for product security and nutritional information.

New processing and formulation methodology to improve yield, taste, shelf life, functionality, health benefits and market growth.

Areas addressed under this topic  could include:

• new processing technology for margin improvement, product improvement and environmental sustainability, new packaging systems to improve shelf life, ease of usage, consumer acceptance and environmental sustainability,
• organic foods – fad or emerging market opportunity?, and
• probiotic, fibre and supplement additions and consumer acceptance.

Global opportunities for food and  beverage processors

Areas addressed under this topic  could include:

• trends in consumer food requirements/preferences and associated opportunities in overseas markets,
• case studies of successful overseas market launches and lessons learned,
• case studies of successful distribution and partnership arrangements in overseas markets,
• navigating the various overseas government agencies and associated requirements to gain market entry, and
• distribution models and market entry strategies in international markets.

Supply Chain Optimisation

Areas addressed under this topic  could include:

• engagement of suppliers and customers in the end to end supply chain,
• innovative delivery systems to reduce cost and improve spee of delivery,
• building sustainable supply chains,
• supply chain challenges and options in remote areas,
• cold chain compliance challenges and solutions, and
• business location – close to markets or suppliers, options and drivers.

More Information

• The WIIN Theme Information Document provides detailed information on the above themes and the topics under each theme.
• The WIIN Guidelines provide information on eligibility, grant arrangements, how to apply, WIIN merit criteria, the grant assessment process as well as WIIN frequently asked questions.
• Events for WIIN Round 5 will be delivered between 1 September 2011 and 30 November 2011.
• The application period for Workshops, Industry, Intelligence and Networking Round 5 opened on 14 April 2011.  The round will close at 5.00pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) on 19 May 2011.

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