18 ICT products and solutions were recognised and rewarded for their innovation on Wednesday, 25 May at the ninth annual iAwards.

The iAwards, presented by AIIA, the Australian Financial Review and the CSIRO ICT Centre rewards the industry’s most innovative companies for excellence in the development and deployment of ICT.

Speaking at the gala awards dinner, AIIA’s Chief Executive Officer, Rob Durie said, “The iAwards recognises that pioneering ICT transforms and increases productivity across all sectors of the economy and creates high value businesses, growth, exports and skilled job opportunities. The importance of ICT as an enabler for many other industries cannot be underestimated.

“The iAwards acknowledges the commitment of leading-edge Australian ICT companies not just to our own industry, but to all sectors of the Australian economy.”

AIIA presents the iAwards during CeBIT Australia to provide ICT companies with maximum exposure to both domestic and international markets. “On behalf of AIIA I would like to congratulate all the winners. The iAwards can be a springboard to large-scale success, leading to increased company profile, greater customer confidence, and opening doors to valuable partnerships and external investment opportunities,” Mr Durie said.

The iAwards Patron for 2005, Senator the Hon. Helen Coonan, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, presented the Minister’s Award for Excellence, the Inspiration iAward, to Inchain and the Northern Territory Department of Health & Community Services for their innovative solution, MARVIN Consortium.

Mark Jones, editor of the Australian Financial Review, presents Inchain and the Northern Territory Department of Health & Community Services with their iAward for the category of eGovernment & Services.

Hearne Scientific Software Pty Ltd and CSIRO Entomology were presented with the Community iAward for the innovation deemed by the panel of judges to best demonstrate a commitment to corporate social responsibility (all finalists were considered). The Dymex-Climex risk assessment software is a unique model-building tool developed to carry out biological risk assessments and management of invasive species in agricultural and natural systems.

Imagination was awarded the Local Industry iAward for the most innovative ICT project undertaken by an Australian local industry company (small-to-medium enterprise). All finalists from local industry companies or SMEs were considered for this award. Imagination’s initiative, DVD games, has revolutionised the board game experience by adding the magic of television to traditional board games, giving them a home-theatre style makeover.

David Merson, founder of Mincom, was recognised with the inaugural CSIRO Tony Benson Award for Individual Achievement in ICT.

Information on all iAwards winners can be found by visiting AIIA’s website.

The 2005 iAwards recipients will be invited to submit their award-winning solutions for international recognition at the Asia Pacific ICT Awards (APICTA) to be held in Bali later in the year. APICTA provides a further opportunity for iAwards winners to present their outstanding ICT solutions to a global audience.

The iAwards are strongly supported by industry and government and are proudly sponsored by Telstra, National ICT Australia (NICTA), Welsh Development Agency, IBM, the Department of Communications IT and the Arts (DCITA), CeBIT Australia, I-Nex Corporation, Accenture, Australian Computer Society and ZDNet.

Imagination took out the Local Industry iAward for the most innovative ICT project undertaken by an Australian local industry company.

On 12 May, an AIIA delegation met with the NSW Department of Commerce (DoC) to further negotiate the ProcureIT contractual framework for ICT contracting.

Austrade has recently launched a new online training module on the free trade agreements (FTAs) with the USA, Singapore and Thailand.
The module, which can be accessed at www.myexportcoach.gov.au, gives an overview of each FTA, explains what each FTA means for ICT companies, and outlines ways in which ICT companies can leverage opportunities arising from the FTAs.

By David Fisk