It’s hard to imagine a world without the internet. But, back in the mid 1990’s, dial-up internet connectivity was rolled out for the first time to many regional and rural Australian communities.
It revolutionised the way communities could connect and do business. Leading the way was the newly established Centre for eCommerce and Communications, which helped rural Australians navigate this burgeoning digital world for the first time by developing business websites, online portals, and building digital skills.
That Centre has come a long way since those humble beginnings 25 years ago.
It’s now the Centre for eResearch and Digital Innovation (CeRDI), based at Federation University, and is a global leader in information and communication technologies, data management and knowledge-sharing research.
But CeRDI Director Professor Helen Thompson says its core purpose hasn’t changed: “We support industries, communities, businesses and researchers to adopt and use new technologies in a way that has impact for them.”
That means building tech-driven …