Industry Growth Centres Initiative
Long term prosperity will depend on the ability of Australian industry to be more innovative,
productive and competitive in order to capture the opportunities from a growing global economy.
Australians are famous for having great ideas and new inventions, and turning these into profitable
commercial realities. The Industry Growth Centres Initiative builds on this strength by focusing on
areas of competitive strength and strategic priority to drive innovation, productivity and
competitiveness. The Initiative will drive excellence, not dependence and create an economy that
ensures Australia’s ongoing prosperity through fostering growth in smart, high value and export
focused industries.
The Initiative will identify opportunities to reduce regulatory burden, increase collaboration and
commercialisation, improve capabilities to engage with international markets and global supply
chains, and enhance management and workforce skills in key sectors.
The Initiative is ongoing with $248 million in government funding over four years from 2015-16.
Significant industry investment is also anticipated. Growth Centres are being established to deliver
the Initiative in six areas of competitive strength and strategic priority. These are:
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Advanced Manufacturing
Cyber Security
Food and Agribusiness
Medical Technologies and Pharmaceuticals
Mining Equipment, Technology and Services
Oil, Gas and Energy Resources
Growth Centres are not-for-profit companies, led by a strategic Board of industry experts who will
oversee the operation of the Growth Centre.
Whilst the Growth Centres each have physical locations they are not constrained by physical
boundaries. Growth Centres are tasked with actively creating networks across Australia to support
the productivity and competitiveness of the sectors.
Growth Centres will lift the levels of collaboration between businesses, industry, research
organisations and government in order to better capitalise on the excellent research and
development undertaken and scientific knowledge generated in Australia.
Each Growth Centre will set a long-term strategy for its sector. This will be outlined in its Sector
Competitiveness Plan, which will highlight opportunities and drive activities to boost productivity by
increasing collaboration and commercialisation, improving management and workforce skills,
reducing red tape and assisting the sector to engage in international markets.
The Growth Centres will work closely with state and territory programmes and industry associations
to ensure activities delivered by each Growth Centre complements existing activities and services,
and to leverage their networks, expertise and experience.
Collaboration
Growth Centres will work with existing programmes and organisations to help industry, business and
research leverage opportunities from the Growth Centres to achieve the Initiative’s objectives.
Industry Growth Centre Strategic Objectives
Each Growth Centre will undertake its own activities and leverage external programmes to grow the
productivity, competitiveness and innovative capacity of their sector. A key activity of each Growth
Centre is to set a long-term strategy for their sector, outlined in its Sector Competitiveness Plan.
Their plans and activities will focus on:
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identifying regulations that are unnecessary or over-burdensome and impede the sector’s
ability to grow, and suggesting possible reforms
improving engagement between research and industry, and within industry, to achieve
stronger coordination and collaboration of research, and stronger commercialisation
outcomes
improving capability to engage with international markets and access global supply chains
improving management and workforce skills.
Sector Competitiveness Plans will also include advice to government on reducing the regulatory
burden within the sectors through Regulation Reform Agendas. Each Growth Centre will work with
industry, governments, and other stakeholders to identify specific, practical and beneficial regulation
reform opportunities leading to improved competitiveness and productivity in its sector. The
agendas will reveal pathways for reform that will reduce regulatory burden at the firm level,
providing businesses with the flexibility they need to adapt to the rapidly changing economic
environment.
Through Sector Competitiveness Plans, Growth Centres will also develop annual Industry Knowledge
Priorities to inform the research sector of industry needs. These will inform areas of work for
institutions such as CSIRO, universities and other publicly funded research organisations.
Alignment with Other Policies and Programmes
Growth Centres are central to placing innovation and science at the centre of industry policy, helping
to leverage the government’s $9.7 billion annual investment in science and innovation, and lifting
the levels of collaboration between businesses, industry, research organisations and government.
Growth Centres will help align industry and innovation policy and programmes, including CSIRO and
Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs), to contribute to improving the productivity, competitiveness
and innovative capacity of their sectors. Growth Centres will receive considerable support from CRCs
which will undertake industry-focused research that contributes to the aims of the Growth Centres.
The Growth Centres will also be supported by the Entrepreneurs’ Programme, which will facilitate
business capability improvements and the commercialisation of ideas in response to opportunities
and challenges identified by the Growth Centre’s strategic plan at the firm level.
The combination of these programmes will create an environment to build the capability of firms
and drive innovation by improving the levels of collaboration between industry, researchers and
governments.
Consultation
Extensive consultation has been undertaken as part of the implementation of the Industry Growth
Centres Initiative. The graphic below provides an overview of consultation during 2014-2015.
Industry Growth Centre Activities and Impact
Growth Centres will work across each sector, linking businesses and research organisations, to
deliver activities and collaborations that boost industry innovation, productivity and
competitiveness. The Initiative is flexible in its delivery to ensure each sector implements solutions
to maximise opportunities.
In their first year, each Growth Centre will develop a 10 year strategic plan for the sector through its
Sector Competitiveness Plan. In addition, first year activities for each Growth Centre are outlined
below.
The Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre will:
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Work with the Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre so it can be an
innovative research engine for the Growth Centre.
Establish hubs to support skills sharing and development for manufacturers (and other
members) in the Growth Centre.
Foster research and industry engagement by working closely with researchers, universities
and businesses to align knowledge priorities and address barriers to commercialisation.
Engage with businesses in metropolitan and regional areas to develop a deep understanding
of their operations, issues and visions for the future to develop and publish case studies.
The Cyber Security Growth Centre will:
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Bring together industry, researchers and governments to create a national cyber security
innovation network.
The Growth Centre will develop a national strategy for Australia’s cyber security industry to
become a global leader and attract investment.
Coordinate cyber security research and innovation to reduce overlap and maximise impact.
The Food and Agribusiness Growth Centre will:
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Gather market intelligence and develop directories of information and resources to assist
industry with their challenges.
Identify and develop programmes to address the gaps in skills and capabilities across the
industry.
Develop strategies to improve market access which allows firms to exploit trade
opportunities locally and overseas.
Promote and encourage collaborative initiatives that support a culture of working together
to improve the sector’s competitiveness and productivity.
The Medical Technologies and Pharmaceuticals Growth Centre will:
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Lay the foundations for improving sector collaboration and the regulatory environment by
mapping initiatives that are aimed at improving the sector’s competitiveness and
productivity.
Consolidate sector information and services into one website to identify industry assistance
programmes, grants and opportunities to help address industry challenges.
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Work with relevant Cooperative Research Centres so they can be the research engines for
the Growth Centre.
Establish a hub to support skills sharing and development.
The Mining Equipment, Technology and Services (METS) Growth Centre will:
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Develop a METS brand and vision to promote Australian METS companies.
Work with the Cooperative Research Centre for Optimising Resource Extraction to ensure
positive research outcomes for the METS sector.
Work with research organisations, miners and the METS industry to develop a framework for
stronger engagement and collaboration.
Identify the skills and management capabilities required to support future growth in the
METS sector.
Identify global opportunities and world leading companies in Australia and bringing them
together.
The Oil, Gas and Energy Resources Growth Centre will:
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Host a national collaboration and innovation summit to connect industry stakeholders.
Collaborate with industry associations and regulators to identify and pursue regulatory
reform to improve competitiveness and productivity in the sector.
Develop a strategy to establish a trusted custodian for onshore and offshore scientific data.
Promote sharing of lessons amongst specialist Vocational Education and Training institutions
to support future work skills development.
Establish links with Austrade and the Entrepreneurs’ Programme to facilitate growth in the
Australian energy resources supply chain, domestically and internationally.
Establish links with the CSIRO, Cooperative Research Centres, and the research sector to
encourage innovative industry-led research.
Industry Growth Centres Implementation
The Growth Centres are led by respected industry leaders with extensive industry expertise and
board experience. The announced Chairs are:
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Mr Andrew Stevens; Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre
Mr Peter Schutz; Food and Agribusiness Growth Centre
Dr Bronwyn Evans; Medical Technologies and Pharmaceuticals Growth Centre
Ms Elizabeth Lewis-Gray; Mining Equipment, Technology and Services Growth Centre
Mr Ken Fitzpatrick; Oil, Gas and Energy Resources Growth Centre
The Chair for the Cyber Security Growth Centre will be announced by the Minister for Industry,
Innovation and Science. The Chair will work with the cyber security industry to develop a Growth
Centre proposal for the government’s consideration. The Cyber Security Growth Centre will be
established when a proposal is approved by the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science.
The Growth Centres Advisory Committee has also been established. Mr John Grill AO is leading this
advisory group and is joined by the Growth Centre Chairs and three other independent members:
Ms Catherine Livingstone AO, Mr Andrew Liveris AO and Ms Carolyn Hewson AO.
The Committee provides advice to the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science on:
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Growth Centre proposals
the design, operation and performance of the Growth Centres
areas of competitive advantage, emerging industries and potential new Growth Centres.
This advisory group also draws on their direct experience from the Growth Centres to provide advice
on lifting business innovation, productivity and competitiveness and reducing regulation.
Each Growth Centre will develop an initial Business Plan, which will outline operations and activities
for its first financial year. This business plan will be updated annually. Each Growth Centre will also
develop a Sector Competitiveness Plan during its first 12 months that will set out a long-term
strategic vision for their sector.
Further information
For more information on the Initiative, go to business.gov.au/IndustryGrowthCentres.
Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre
If you are interested in engaging with the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre please email:
advmanGC@industry.gov.au.
Cyber Security Growth Centre
If you are interested in engaging with the Cyber Security Growth Centre please email:
industrygrowthcentres@industry.gov.au.
Food and Agribusiness Growth Centre
For more information on the Food and Agribusiness Growth Centre go to www.fial.com.au.
If you are interested in engaging with the Food and Agribusiness Growth Centre please email:
info@fial.com.au.
Medical Technologies and Pharmaceuticals Growth Centre
For more information on the Medical Technologies and Pharmaceuticals Growth Centre go to
www.mtpconnect.org.au.
If you are interested in engaging with the Medical Technologies and Pharmaceuticals Growth Centre
please email: medGC@industry.gov.au.
Mining Equipment, Technology and Services Growth Centre
For more information on the Mining Equipment, Technology and Services Growth Centre go to
www.metsignited.org.
If you are interested in engaging with the Mining Equipment, Technology and Services Growth
Centre please email: enquiries@metsignited.org.
Oil, Gas and Energy Resources Growth Centre
If you are interested in engaging with the Oil, Gas and Energy Resources Growth Centre please
email: AERGC@industry.gov.au.