From Ideas to Action: grants, funding and investment to scale
Circular economy leaders offered insights, tips and support for textile businesses at the RAW TO A T workshop. Business support and funding programs
Planet Ark’s Australian Circular Economy Hub
Planet Ark's Australian Circular Economy Hub (ACE Hub) is an online circular economy network that supports collaboration and knowledge-sharing so that all those active in circularity in Australia can optimise their collective impact. The hub houses a variety of resources for learning more about the circular economy across a variety of industries and sectors. It also hosts a networking portal where you’ll find like-minded people and organisations, healthy debate, regular networking events and much more.
Members of the portal can:
- connect with people from government, industry, business, academia and the community
- access knowledge and learnings
- stay updated on the latest events, job opportunities and grants
- share circular economy projects
- join discussions and groups
- turn your circular ideas into actions.
- join the network of circular economy leaders fast-tracking our transition at portal.acehub.org.au.
Circular Economy Victoria
Circular Economy Victoria (CEV) is an incorporated not-for-profit with a mission to catalyse systemic transitions towards a more circular economy by empowering every Victorian to experience their life through a circular lens; activate their local circular ecosystems; and develop their own journey to circularity.
CEV offers a range of programs to help up-skill Victorians to overcome barriers to sustainable system transitions and take advantage of the opportunities that the circular economy provides to our economy, society, and environment.
CEV in partnership with Planet Ark, RMIT and Swinburne University of Technology run the Victorian Circular Activator (VCA), a circular innovation hub funded by the CEBIC under the Innovation Fund. The VCA aims to converge energy around the circular economy in Victoria and explore how best to convert good ideas into impactful action.
The VCA provides three pathways to organisations looking to progress their journeys to circularity: applied research, activation programs and a physical innovation hub located out of RMIT Activator in Melbourne’s CBD.
Birchal
Birchal have created a purpose-built platform and a team of experts to help your company raise funds and scale to the next level. They do so by offering Crowd-Sourced Funding (CSF) – a new way for companies to pursue alternative funding for their business.
With Birchal, anyone can invest in your company for as little as $50. Birchal allows businesses to advertise and raise capital for their enterprise through a licensed intermediary, and build a base of brand ambassadors to help them achieve their next phase of growth. CSF is well suited to strong brands that are close to their customers and are already regular communicators with their audience. A CSF raise doesn't simply generate funds for businesses, but continues to build existing brands and establish communities of long-term advocates.
Australian Government Entrepreneurs Program delivered by i4Connect
i4Connect is the official commercialisation delivery partner for the Australian Government Entrepreneurs Program. Accelerating Commercialisation (AC) provides small and medium businesses, entrepreneurs, and researchers with access to expert advice and funding to help get a novel product, process or service to market. Accelerating Commercialisation provide grants of up to $1 million, which must be matched on a dollar for dollar basis, through a competitive, merit-based process.
To find out more about the program you can attend an information session by registering here.
Circular Economy Business Innovation Centre
The Circular Economy Business Innovation Centre (CEBIC) is a facilitator and incubator for businesses transitioning to a circular economy. The CEBIC is a key action under the Victorian State Government’s Recycling Victoria: A new economy Policy, which is a $380 million policy and action plan that aims to support Victoria to transition toward a circular economy.
The CEBIC offers funding including grants through the Innovation Fund and the Business Support Fund. The CEBIC virtual centre offers support in a variety of ways including:
- events, networking and facilitated opportunities
- circular news, reports and case studies
- one-to-one chats with a CEBIC representative, which can be booked via the button below.
RAW to A T: responsible, regenerative, circular textiles sourcing conference
These insights are drawn from an interactive workshop held during the RAW Assembly responsible textile sourcing event, and circular fashion design exhibition titled ‘RAW TO A T’ on Wednesday 25 May hosted by the Circular Economy Business Innovation Centre (CEBIC), in partnership with Planet Ark’s Australian Circular Economy Hub (ACE Hub).
The session featured a panel of representatives from a range of funding and business support programs who shared with participants the help and support available for their innovative product or business ventures.
Participants heard practical tips from successful case studies relevant to the textiles fashion industry, AirRobe and Outland Denim, and sought answers to burning questions about bringing ideas to life and scaling up.