CDU Innovator in Residence (Aboriginal Stem) Project

The challenge
The Northern Territory Government’s Business Innovation Strategy focusses on strengthening the Northern Territory's business innovation culture by creating a sustainable innovation ecosystem. The strategy is to ignite, inspire and intensify a sustainable innovation ecosystem across the Northern Territory (NT).
•To increase the survival rate of Aboriginal businesses, help commercialise research and development, create and retain jobs in the NT, improve the local economy, and increase opportunities for partnerships between the public and private sector.
•To expand and diversify the NT’s economic growth through more successful start-ups, commercialisation of new products, services and processes, and accelerated growth of high potential businesses, driving opportunities to grow private investment.
As part of this strategy, the Northern Institute (NI) in partnership with the NT Government, Department of Trade, Business and Innovation, have established the CDU Innovators in Residence (Aboriginal Stem) Program.
What we’re doing
In partnership with the NT Government, the Department of Trade, Business and Innovation, the Northern Institute is providing funding to Aboriginal business innovation projects identified through the Aboriginal Innovation Alliance process.
The Northern Institute have appointed Mr Murray Saylor and Ms Julie-ann Lambourne of Tagai Management Consultants (TMC) as CDU’s Innovators in Residence (Aboriginal STEM). In their role as CDU Innovators in Residence Julie-ann and Murray provide their expert advice to NT Aboriginal businesses, start-ups & entrepreneurs undertaking innovation. Their expertise in the area of commercialisation is highly valuable to the program. Outcomes of the program include:
•Identify opportunities for collaboration between the private and public sectors with a specific focus on Aboriginal business enhancement;
•Supporting Aboriginal businesses to be ready to apply for the NTG Business Innovation Program (BIP);
•Increase the survival rate and profitability of small and medium NT Aboriginal businesses; and
•Help commercialise research and development opportunities for Aboriginal businesses, to contribute to the economic growth of the NT to achieve several business engagements held and a breakdown of regional locations and industry sectors.

How it helps
The CDU Innovator in Residence program provides proactive professional mentoring and support to Aboriginal businesses in the Northern Territory (NT). The program provides Aboriginal businesses the opportunity to consult with an expert and receive advice and support to ensure their businesses is best placed and has the capacity and capability to work on their innovative projects through the NT Government’s Business Innovation Program (BIP). The Business Innovation Program then provides integrated coaching, funding, and ecosystem opportunities in a wraparound service to support businesses to develop and implement a business innovation commercialisation plan.
The CDU Innovator in Residence program has also led to the development of business tools developed by Tagai Management Consultants. The tools were designed to align with the NT Government’s Business Innovation Program to assist Aboriginal businesses with the business foundation, growth and commercialisation. One such program is the NT ‘In the Black’ Indigenous Business Resilience Program. The program runs for 12 weeks and focuses on business support for established NT Indigenous businesses from a culturally contextualized perspective. The program harnesses the innovation and local expertise of highly experienced NT Indigenous business leaders and business support hubs.
An integral element of the Program will be TMC working in conjunction with the Northern Territory Indigenous Business Network (NTIBN) and NTIBN identified SME’s to deliver a suite of relevant local business virtual sessions.
This unique Program will be delivered virtually and will draw on specific areas of business targeting Indigenous business sustainability, innovation and resilience.

The Program will aim to create the following benefits (at a minimum):

•Provide business information and advice for no cost to local NT Indigenous businesses;
•Utilise local Indigenous business knowledge and experience;
•Encourage collaborative sharing of knowledge and experience amongst Territorian Indigenous
businesses; and
•Contribute to the evolution of engagement between Territorian Indigenous businesses and communities with the NT Government, NTIBN, CDU and other key Program stakeholders.
Due to the COVID-19 restrictions the Program will be delivered through various platforms and services.
The Program goal is to provide a collaborative community platform for all NT Indigenous businesses to share, learn and network in order to strengthen business resilience and innovation to actively
contribute to NT economic recovery.

Further information can be found at:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/tagaimanagementconsultants/videos/?ref=page_internal