Western Australian agrifood ag-tech companies interested in taking their business to the next level are invited to apply for a grant to attend a highly anticipated conference in Melbourne early next year.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development has five support packages worth $1500 each to assist recipients to attend the inaugural evokeAG conference in Melbourne from 19-20 February 2019.
The department is a Strategic Partner for the evokeAG conference, a think-tank drawing together leading international investors and businesses to discuss the future of food and how it will be produced, hosted by the Federal Government’s AgriFutures Australia.
Department agribusiness and food investment lead, Susan Hall, said the conference would be a great opportunity for people from investor-ready start-up companies to connect with other ag-tech businesses and potential investors.
“There is a broad program of national and international speakers across food, farm and future categories, including testimonies from those who are making headway in agrifood ag-tech, the commercial, academic and technical sectors,” she said.
“The event will also host the evokeAG Startup Alley, where startups can showcase their businesses to investors, corporates, government, producers, researchers and other entrepreneurs.
“More than 800 delegates are expected to attend the conference from around Australia and abroad, creating a brilliant opportunity to network.”
Ms Hall said the evokeAG conference support was just one of a number of department and State Government initiatives to encourage the development of the State’s agrifood ag-tech industry.
“The department has been very active in this area this year, hosting the inaugural AgTech Hackathon, providing opportunities to participate in two HARVEST AgTech Accelerator programs and the Combine Agtech Hub and the Digital Farm Grants program,” she said.
“Ag-tech has become an integral part of today’s modern rural businesses and the department is working to ensure WA’s primary industries are well equipped to stay up-to-date with advances in sector to remain internationally competitive, as well as supporting our burgeoning ag-tech sector to become internationally competitive.”
For more information about the evokeAG conference and to submit an Expression of Interest for a support package visit agric.wa.gov.au/evokeag [1]
Applications close Friday, 11 January 2019 at 5pm.
Media contacts: Megan Broad, media liaison +61 (0)8 9368 3937