The .AU policy and regulatory body and .IE registry have announced funding for a wide range of projects that are intended to assist the development of the internet in Australia and Ireland respectively.
In Australia, auDA announced their Foundation will fund a PhD thesis that enables Indigenous communities to access and use three dimensional (3D) models of Australian landscapes. Another project that won funding will explore the use of the internet by young people at risk of self-harm or suicide to seek help.
This year twelve projects were awarded a total of A$371,431, including the funding of two three-year PhD scholarships, taking the total number of projects funded to 84 over six annual funding rounds totalling $1,657,769.
Meanwhile in Ireland, IEDR's OPTIMISE Fund announced funding for a total of 15 companies to raise awareness of low levels of e-commerce activity by Irish SMEs and micro-enterprises. The funding also aims to provide practical assistance to a targeted number of companies to upgrade their online presence and grow their business using the internet as a sales channel.
Each of the 15 winners will be provided with practical assistance to begin the process of upgrading their existing online presence to fully featured websites which incorporate e-commerce functionality and other facilities designed to support business development. The intention is that recipients will be better placed to harness the potential of the internet as a 24 hour sales and marketing channel and gain a competitive advantage.
Recipients will also receive up to 11 days professional technical and marketing support to allow them to plan and execute a major e-commerce upgrade.
The winners of both funding rounds are below.