Because good ideas grow best in good company.
Innovation doesn’t start with technology. It starts with humans.
Practical support and real conversations with people who know your name and care about your business.
If you’re wondering what an “incubator” actually is, you’re not alone - we’ve been asked more than once! At the UNE SMART Region Incubator, it simply means a place where early-stage businesses can grow with support around them, with mentors and coaching, events to learn from, programs to plug into and a community that makes entrepreneurship feel a little less isolating.
The UNE SMART Region Incubator is run by a small team of humans who know your name, listen to your story, and care about whether your idea becomes something real and useful.
And because we live and work in the New England North West, we see first-hand what regional founders are navigating: the opportunities, the constraints and the realities of building outside a capital city. We make time for real conversations over coffee, create connections that actually make sense, and design programs around what our community tells us they need.
Ready for the next step?
If you’ve got the first spark of an idea or you’re ready to scale your business, here at the SRI, we can help you with programs, events, mentoring, and a community that makes growth feel possible.
Whether you're just starting or looking for the support to grow, we're here to guide you every step of the way. Apply here to become a founder with the UNE SRI.
Our team
Alexandra Cook
Interim Director
Alex is our big-ideas, get it done leader who gets genuinely energised by the potential in regional and remote communities. She’s especially passionate about youth and First Nations projects, and she’s brilliant at spotting the right connections to move an idea from “nice thought” to “it’s happening.”
Rebekah Velez
Operations and Community Manager, NOVA
Bek is the calm, colour coded brain behind NOVA. She’s the one with the run sheet, the spreadsheet and the backup plan that keep our space, events and memberships running seamlessly. If it’s on time, organised and feels effortless, you know Bek’s had a hand in it.
Jess Bradbery
Regional Connector, Tamworth
Jess is our Regional Connector in Tamworth, the first call for founders who want to talk through an idea, find clarity, or spark new connections. She uses her marketing and storytelling background to shape events, conversations and connections that turn loose ideas into something founders can act on with confidence.
Entrepreneurs in Residence
Entrepreneurs in Residence provide tailored support for founders who are moving beyond the early idea stage and into growth. With expertise in strategy, scaling and funding, they offer focused, one-on-one guidance to help you navigate what comes next.
Sam Duncan
Founder & CEO GeXLab
Sam first stepped into the SRI as a founder and has stuck around as someone who naturally helps others do their best thinking. With roots in ag-tech and a mind that moves easily across industries, Sam helps people shape ideas that actually work in the real world.
Edwina Sharrock, OAM
ex Birth Beat founder and CEO, Non-Executive Director and Investor
Edwina is a founder-turned-mentor who built, scaled and sold her health startup from Tamworth. With a heart-led, whole-person approach to business, she supports founders to grow with confidence, drawing on her experience in health innovation and her ability to translate big ideas across industries.
Armidale
Tamworth
Moree
Narrabri
We work across Armidale, Tamworth, Moree and Narrabri to support founders throughout the New England North West. With dedicated staff in Armidale and Tamworth, and partnerships with local coworking spaces in Moree and Narrabri, we deliver events, programs and opportunities that bring regional innovators together.
What we offer
Leverage Program
LEVERAGE is a 12-month program for entrepreneurs to grow their business. It simplifies strategy, creates engaged teams, improves execution, and increases cash flow through experiential learning. Learn more.
HATCH
HATCH provides you with confidence and support to get your business up and running. Using Lean Canvas principles, you’ll test your ideas and identify your path-to-market, and articulate the must-do steps along the way. Learn more.
Experts in Residence
One-on-one monthly access to a team of experts who have deep domain knowledge in areas critical to startup growth. Tap into the best know-how around how to commercialise your product or service, build your tech, access global markets, lift your customer engagement, bust problems and seek investment. Learn More.
Research + innovation
MAKING AN IMPACT GLOBALLY
The University of New England operates at the intersection of learning, research and innovation with an international reputation for fostering partnerships that facilitates positive change. At UNE SRI, we link the world-class research and expertise at UNE with our founders across the New England North West. It’s what sets us apart. Excited about the possibilities? Get in touch.
Connected to UNE. Open to everyone.
The SRI is the University of New England’s start-up incubator, but our work extends far beyond campus. Our programs and community are open to anyone in the region with an idea or a growing business, while still offering founders access to UNE’s research expertise and networks when they need it.
For UNE students and researchers, we provide structured pathways to explore the commercial potential of their work. We also collaborate with UNE throughout the year on events and initiatives that showcase emerging research, regional innovation and alumni who return to share their expertise