Home topics news Credit: Annie Spratt News News iAccelerate launches five new programs to power regional innovation Yajush Gupta March 7, 2024 The University of Wollongong’s (UOW) business incubator iAccelerate will continue its regional entrepreneur program with the delivery of five new regional education programs in 2024 to help improve the capability and competitiveness of regional businesses. The focus on key industries comes as the program aims to support regional entrepreneurs addressing sustainability and tackling big challenges. Leveraging UOW’s regional presence across the Bega Valley, Eurobodalla, Shoalhaven and Southern Highlands campuses, the iAccelerate RISE programs will bring together the expertise of pre-accelerator facilitators, UOW academics and industry experts to help regional entrepreneurs tackle big problems. iAccelerate are also partnering with the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation to support circularity in the fisheries and aquaculture industry. Ainslie Tweedie, iAccelerate’s Regional Entrepreneurship Manager, said this year the regional program will support entrepreneurs across NSW in five industries through targeted areas. “For the first time, the iAccelerate RISE program will focus on key sectors, including fisheries and aquaculture, advanced manufacturing, circularity, ecotourism, and high-quality food production, targeting entrepreneurs throughout NSW, with the aim to boost economic resilience and create jobs in regional areas,” Ms Tweedie said. “It is strongly linked to the NSW economic plan for regional business development. It is about helping people get really clear on where they want their business to go. Supporting them to work on the business, not in their business.” Through an eight-week program, RISE provides regional