Taronga Conservation Society Australia is committed to securing a shared future for wildlife and people. If you have an idea, product or service that could support Australian wildlife or the environment, Taronga wants to help you bring it to life!The HATCH: Taronga Accelerator Program will help you develop your idea into a not-for-profit or social enterprise venture that has a positive impact on the environment. The program offers $25,000 value in development support, $2,000 equity-free seed funding, access to top mentors, plus the opportunity to pitch for the $50,000 HATCH Grant.Applications are now open – visit https://taronga.org.au/hatch

To accelerate ideas, it is vital to build a dynamic R&D ecosystem for driving innovation, future economic growth and sustainable jobs.The NSW Government is responding to these challenges.The Action Plan for Accelerating R&D has been established for NSW to become a national leader and global contributor in the translation and commercialisation of research.The Advisory Council recommended five Priority Actions:1) Launch a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program2) Boost open data3) Turbocharge precincts4) Target strategic support for NSW universities5) Establish a funded online R&D matchmaking platformIdeaSpies is an open innovation platform for clever ideas, new discoveries and original thinkers.  A place where people, industries and governments can inspire action.We are excited to bring new opportunities, collaborate and connect with education & universities and business and industry working together on R&D.

Governments around the world are transforming economies to remain competitive. At a recent Centre for Institutional Investors Chairs and CEOs Forum in Melbourne, Pierre Gramegna, Minister for Finance in the Government of Luxembourg spoke about the approach taken by the Government of Luxembourg and Warrick Cramer shared his experience in establishing the Vodafone Innovation Centre in Luxembourg as a PPP with the Government of Luxembourg. ...The Minister discusses the approach taken to transform their economy > https://youtu.be/aKUNC3kWORQ...FULL INTERVIEW > https://youtu.be/FeF2DQWvI2k ...READ >  

We know single use plastics contribute to pollution. 8 million tonnes of plastic waste leaking into the ocean each year, with only 9% of the world’s plastic being recycled. Other than the shame of too many takeaways instead of healthy homemade meals, is the shame of too many plastic takeaway containers you are left with. An avalanche of plastic containers threatening to fall out every time you open the cabinet door…RePlated has the solution. RePlated wants to make single-use history with their thoughtfully designed reusable takeaway food container systems, made locally in Sydney with PET glass. https://www.replated.co/

If you’ve ever landed on a website, you’re probably familiar with that icon in the bottom corner of your screen. Sometimes it flashes, sometimes it dings.However, if you were to return to the website, you can always rely on it to greet you with a “how can I help you today?”This greeting is the catalyst of many customer-brand relationships, thanks to the website chatbot.Chatbots are one of the most powerful tools a business can use. When used well, it creates connections and it helps customers out.We hope you enjoy this guide to chatbots!Read more here: https://www.engati.com/blog/what-are-chatbots

Ian Gardiner and the team at Innovation Bay have created a community for entrepreneurs, investors, ecosystems and enthusiasts. There is a brilliant series of events and a #goto Podcast that provides a weekly deep dive into the Australian and New Zealand tech ecosystem. MORE > https://innovationbay.com/podcast/