For More Information

Susan Breon

814-898-6500

susan.breon@ebizitpa.org

eBizITPA Pilots New Program to Help Businesses Kickstart IT Projects

ERIE, PA (January 27, 2004) --- Today the Center for eBusiness and Advanced Information Technology (eBizITPA) together with the Northwest Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center (NWIRC) introduced a new pilot program called IT Kickstart. The program is designed to help small and medium size Northwest PA businesses use information technology to improve business processes through competitive grants to help fund their IT projects

Program eligibility requirements include businesses under 500 employees that are located in one of the thirteen counties covered by the NWIRC (Erie, Crawford, Mercer, Venango, Clarion, Jefferson, Clearfield, Cameron, Elk, Forest, Potter, McKean, Warren). Grants will be up to 30% or $15,000 of personnel related costs (software development, implementation, etc.). Grants cannot be used for hardware or packaged software. Complete details about the program and how to submit a grant request can be found at www.ebizitpa.org/itkickstart

The pilot phase will run through March 31, 2004 so interested businesses are encouraged to submit their requests early to be considered, according to Center officials. After the pilot phase, eBizITPA will evaluate the success of the program in terms of impact on regional businesses.

“The Kickstart program focuses on increasing the use of e-business and information technology in order to improve businesses’ competitiveness, Most small companies are short on both funding and expertise for IT investment and this program can help provide both.” said Technology Secretary Dennis Yablonsky of Community and Economic Development.

“Companies that make IT investments to support their strategic business objectives are more successful in general.” said Mark Squeglia, coordinator for IT Kickstart program. “Whether a company is assisted using information technology to accept orders online because of our program or is able to improve inventory and product tracking, we want our region’s businesses to be positively impacted by the upgrades that IT can offer” Squeglia also said, “software and IT providers also benefit from the program by attracting new customers.”

The Center for eBussiness and Advanced IT is a state-wide Ben Franklin Technology Authority initiative designed to help Pennsylvania businesses and organizations understand and use information technology and e-business tools. It is headquartered in Erie, PA and located on the Internet at www.ebizitPA.org

# # #

A Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority Initiative