The ANZ Small Business Workshop Series involves free sessions in all state capitals and Canberra, from July to November. Workshops cover business planning, cash flow management and marketing and sales skills from industry experts including Google, Marketing Angels, CAD Partners and BusinessPlans.com.au. The two-hour workshops run from July to November and bookings are essential.

The University of Queensland Business School's Enterprize $100,000 competition is a national competition open to anyone who has a great business idea. The major prize of $100,000 is put towards the commercialisation of the start-up venture. Entries close on Friday 17 July 2009.

Enterprise Connect is partnering with a number of organisations to provide manufacturers and other firms access to a series of free workshops designed to assist firms manage through the global downturn. About 100 workshops remain on offer nationally. Workshops will cover a range of topics such as cash flow management, sales and marketing strategies and inventory management.

Your Business Success is giving away Volume 2 of its Your Business Success Program, Money, Money, Money. The volume is worth $770 and outlines financial strategies for starting, managing and funding a business. The program, developed by the makers of the Channel 9 TV show Your Business Success, is in a self-paced format with DVDs and workbooks. Click here to enter the competition open only to AusIndustry e-bulletin readers.

The first of the closing dates for the Australian Export Awards loom in July. Western Australia, Victoria, Queensland and ACT applications close in July with other states and the Northern Territory closing in August. The awards recognise and honour exporters who have achieved sustainable export growth through innovation and commitment.

Australians have stockpiled 123 million days of accrued annual leave, with one in three full-time employees having accumulated 20 days or more of annual leave. Tourism Australia is helping you win the work/life battle with the no leave no life program, providing employees and employers with the tools to take and enjoy leave.

The Research in Bionic Vision Science and Technology Initiative will fund one or more proposals, from a minimum of $1 million per year over four years, to support the development of a functional bionic eye. The Australian Government has committed funding of $50 million over four years. Applications close on Wednesday 29 July 2009.

The 2009 Project Management Conference (PMOZ) is Australia's leading portfolio, program and project management conference. This year the conference will co-locate with the inaugural Improving Systems and Software Engineering Conference (ISSEC 2009). PMOZ registrations will also include access to the ISSEC 2009 Program at no additional cost. PMOZ is in Canberra in August.

AusIndustry project highlights

West Australian company Scanalyse is using $1.8 million in Climate Ready funding for research and development on its laser technology which will reduce power consumption in the mining sector. The company had previously used $120,000 in Commercialising Emerging Technologies funding to develop its early work.

Aided by a $227,000 Climate Ready grant, South Australian water brokering company Waterfind is developing specialised software to enhance management and trading functionality for medium and large water licence holders and brokers. Previously, waterfind had used two Commercialising Emerging Technologies grants totalling $94,000 to kick-start its plan.