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RMIT and Deloitte: an innovative combination
Budding entrepreneurs at RMIT University are having an impact even before they
graduate, developing innovative business proposals through a collaborative project
with Deloitte.
Bachelor of Business (Entrepreneurship) students have teamed with Computer
Science students on the industry placement program, which sees groups of
students embedded in the Accelerated Innovation Group at Deloitte’s Melbourne
office.
Entrepreneurship Program Co-ordinator, Dr David Gilbert, said the 29 students
were mentored by RMIT graduates who had been hired by Deloitte after taking part
in the inaugural program last year.
“These projects give our students practical experience in developing novel
business solutions in a real corporate environment,” Dr Gilbert said.
“This year, our multi-discipline teams have been able to move beyond reporting on
the viability of innovations to the actual development of prototypes and business
models for their commercialisation.”
“One of the teams did some ground-breaking work on a standardised business-
reporting software, which is now the subject of a joint RMIT-Deloitte funding
application to the Australian Research Council.”
Wes Sonnenreich, Director of Innovation at Deloitte, said: “This is the second year
we have run this innovative collaborative program with RMIT and it truly is paying
dividends, with the RMIT graduates who have since joined our team bringing great
energy to their work in the Accelerated Innovation Group.”
“This year’s student teams have also done interesting work and have brought to
the program fresh and different ways of looking at problems, which is one of the
ways we define innovation at Deloitte.”
Team leader of the group that won the 2008 RMIT-Deloitte Innovation Project,
Helen Barclay, of Hawthorn, said their proposal identified business opportunities
for Deloitte in the rapidly growing eco-industry.
“Working with Deloitte was fantastic – we were acting like consultants, delivering
innovations and prototypes that they could leverage in their business and it was
great to put the skills we’d learned in our degree into practice,” Ms Barclay said.
For interviews: Program Co-ordinator, Dr David Gilbert, 0428 367 821,
Deloitte Director Media and Communications Innovation, Louise Denver,
ldenver@deloitte.com.au or 0414 889 857, Helen Barclay, 0410 123 405,
For general media enquiries: RMIT University Media and Communications,
Gosia Kaszubska, (03) 9925 3176 or 0417 510 735.
26 November, 2008
NEWS 
