Press release from Screen Australia
ENTERPRISE PROGRAM UPDATE
The Enterprise team received 137 Expressions of Interest (EOIs) requesting over $44 million for the first year of funding and a total of $129 million over three years. A committee chaired by Ruth Harley and including Chris Oliver, Megan McMurchy, Martha Coleman and Ross Matthews considered the EOI proposals. As outlined in the guidelines, the committee took into account compliance with eligibility requirements and how well each proposal fulfilled the aims of the Enterprise Program, as well as the extent to which the EOI demonstrated that the applicant had the capacity, experience and achievements to implement the proposal. In addition the committee considered whether the EOI proposal would contribute to the Enterprise Program’s support for a diverse range of companies, budget levels and production genres.
27 proposals have been shortlisted to progress to the next stage. Given available funds of $3 million for 2009/10, the committee has prioritised proposals from companies for which Enterprise funding would enable a significant step up towards achieving sustainability.
The Enterprise team is contacting all those who submitted an EOI this week to notify them of the outcome. Those who have been invited to submit a full application will have until Monday 17 August to provide a detailed business plan and other appropriate information. These applications will be assessed against the program’s criteria by a committee comprising senior Screen Australia staff (including the CEO), and two external assessors with business and screen industry expertise. The members of the committee will be announced in the first week of August.
The successful Enterprise Program applicants are expected to be announced in September.