THE Fiji Enterprise Engine (FEE) is gearing up to off er international level business development services through a partnership with the University of New South Wales (UNSW).
UNSW is a globally ranked university (QS ranking 19th in the world) and is recognised for its strong student programs, entrepreneurial ecosystem and industry partnerships. Through initiatives like UNSW Founders and Global Innovation Foundry, it will provide business development services, startup support and professional education to drive innovation and global engagement.
“FEE has been operating as a business accelerator programme under the Fiji Commerce & Employers Federation (FCEF) since 2019,” FCEF chief executive officer Edward Bernard said.
“In 2024 we entered into a partnership with the Tertiary Scholarships and Loans Service (TSLS) to introduce a business incubator programme. Mr Bernard added that in 2025, the UNSW Founders – the university’s platform for entrepreneurship and innovation – will provide world-class programs, mentorship, global networks, and access to investment.
Classified as Australia’s number one university startup accelerator and part of Australia’s most entrepreneurial university, the UNSW Founders roll out initiatives such as accelerators, global landing pads and innovation partnerships.
UNSW Founders empowers entrepreneurs to solve global challenges, create jobs and drive economic growth across Australia and the Asia-Pacific. FEE was established by the Market Development Facility (MDF) and supported by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in 2019.
Since then, more than 130 high impact micro and small business owners have graduated under the programme. Mr Bernard said that FEE’s value proposition is that it uses the business intelligence and expertise of the private sector to deliver relevant demand – driven business development services, to high impact entrepreneurs.
The FEE achievements were recognised in its Monitoring Review Report where a combined sales revenue exceeding $2.1 million was recorded over a five year period from 2019 to 2023.
Early this year the MDF, in partnership with the Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) undertook a landscape assessment on business development services in Fiji. The report noted that “FEE stands out as a model for sustainability through its partnership approach.
As a private sector-led initiative, FEE takes responsibility for program implementation while securing support from government agencies and other international partners, to provide scholarships
or subsidies to reduce program fees and make participation more accessible for entrepreneurs”.
FEE will also be pivoting its business accelerator initiative into a “Investment Ready Programme (IRP)”. Through the Access to Business Funding Act (2025), which introduces Small Offers, Peer to Peer Lending and Equity Crowd Funding through the government.
“This will change the way MSMEs access finance. “We want to ensure that FEE continues to remain relevant and market driven,” Mr Bernard said. “For instance, through the Small Offers, MSMEs will be able to raise $2m in equity annually.”
Under the MoU signed between FCEF, TSLS and UNSW, the specific support the university intends to provide are:
(a) market research via 1:1 coaching with UNSW Founders Global Program Manager
(b) product development via access to UNSW Founders Makerspace coordinator, AI experts, workshops and equipment
(c) Student mobility programs
(d) Establish joint seed funding programs to support bilateral research projects
(e) Develop executive education and professional training programs
(f) Global Landing Pads Expressions of Interest for the Graduate Business Start-Up Grant Scheme and Investment Ready Programme will
be advertised soon.
FCEF
