University of Wollongong, Australia

Rising stronger from the ashes: UOWs RISE program building hope and long-lasting support for regional entrepreneurs

iAccelerate is the University of Wollongong’s (UOW) world-class business incubator and accelerator that is committed to helping build and scale sustainable businesses that have a positive impact.  An important part of iAccelerate is to support underrepresented groups in entrepreneurship, as exhibited through the iAccelerate RISE Program.

Building on a 5-year partnership supporting entrepreneurs in the Bega Valley, in 2021 the RISE program, was established.  RISE delivered education to support promising entrepreneurs and business owners in bushfire devastated regions of New South Wales (NSW). The program was jointly funded by the Commonwealth and NSW Government under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund (BLERF).

The RISE program introduced the UN SDGs during the first module which were embedded throughout the program. Since RISE’s delivery, new, sustainable, and socially responsible jobs and business models have prospered in the local regions. This has led to expansion of RISE, with the co-creation of RISE First Nations.

Top 3 Learnings

1. A sense of community creates a fertile environment for ideas and knowledge exchange.
2. The RISE program builds resilience in the community and gives hope for a brighter future.
3. Diverse perspectives with a shared purpose made a real difference.