Innovation Policy Report
May 2015
The Innovation Policy Report is produced by the Department of Industry and Science, and
aims to highlight developments in the innovation policy area. It also includes reference to
relevant innovation documents and events.
If you would like to subscribe to the Innovation Policy Report, please contact us.
Table of Contents
INNOVATION POLICY REPORT ........................................................................................... 1
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................................... 2
Strategic policy initiatives and new developments .............................................................................. 5
Australia - Government
5
Industry Growth Centres Initiative 5
Launch of innovationXchange
6
Tax White Paper: Review of R&D Tax Incentive
6
Commonwealth Science Council – 2nd Meeting
6
Commonwealth Scienc Council – Science and Research Priorities
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
Ningaloo Reef research
7
8
9
Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) – Research and Development Programme Round 2:
Industry – Researcher Collaboration 9
NSW: Launch of Knowledge Hubs for FinTech and MedTech
9
SA: Opening of Tech Hub boosts innovation 10
SA: Establishment of Nanoscale BioPhotonics Centre 11
SA: Adelaide named Australia’s first ‘Lighthouse City’ for innovation
11
SA: Tonsley an international benchmark for innovation and collaboration
11
SA: Successful PACE discovery drilling proposals announced 13
SA: South Australian Micro Finance Fund (SAMFF)
SA: Ministerial visits
13
14
QLD: Advance Queensland 15
QLD: Innovation Hub
15
QLD: Business Development Fund
16
QLD: The Queensland Government Customer Identity Management (QGCIDM) 16
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Australia - Industry
18
Cisco Internet of Everything Innovation Centre
18
Communications Alliance ‘Internet of Things’ Think Tank
Institute for Digital Government
18
18
International 18
China: Major reform of China’s research funding
19
Jordan: Public service innovative ideas incubator
20
New Zealand: Business-Government accelerator
20
Singapore: Strategic Policy Unit
20
US: Department of Homeland Security Crowd-Sourced Prize Competition
US: Accelerator Growth Fund Competition
20
US: National Science Foundation Plan
21
20
Assessment of Innovation Performance ................................................................................................ 22
Innovate and Prosper 22
Events and Conferences ................................................................................................................................ 23
The Australia-India Joint Science and Technology Committee and Joint Biotechnology Committee
meeting – Sydney, 12 February 2015 23
Third Australia-Korea Joint Committee on Science and Technology meeting
Bilateral Science and Technology Meetings Planned for 2015
Defence Trade Controls
24
Great Ideas and Guts Tour
24
International symposium on Big Data Visual Analytics
23
23
24
Commissioning of antenna dish in NASA’s Deep Space Network 25
Conference Report: International Seminar on Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Open Talent Policy
25
SA: Science Excellence Awards 25
SA: 2015 Community Excellence Awards in Mining and Energy
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SA: 2014 Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition
SA: SIMTecT 2015
26
26
Publications and Articles ............................................................................................................................. 27
The Importance of Advanced Physical and Mathematical Sciences to the Australian Economy
Australian Intellectual Property Report 2015
27
UK Design Council: Innovation by Design
28
The Mortality of Companies
27
28
Making big companies more entrepreneurial
28
The Atlantic: Welfare Makes America More Entrepreneurial
28
Procurement and Innovation 28
A new operating model for government
OECD Review – Dominican Republic
Department of Industry and Science
29
29
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Strategic policy initiatives and new developments
Australia - Government
Industry Growth Centres Initiative
The $188.5 million Industry Growth Centres Initiative (the Initative) is a key element
of the government’s new industry policy direction. Announced as part of the Industry
Innovation and Competitiveness Agenda, the Initiative is a sector based approach
which will drive growth, productivity and competitiveness by concentrating our
investment on key growth sectors.
On 17 February 2015, Minister for Industry and Science the Hon Ian Macfarlane MP
announced Chairs for four of the Industry Growth Centres: Andrew Stevens
(Advanced Manufacturing), Peter Schutz (Food and Agribusiness), Dr Bronwyn
Evans (Medical Technologies and Pharmaceuticals), and Elizabeth Lewis-Gray
(METS).
Minister Macfarlane also announced members of the Growth Centres Advisory
Committee. This advisory group will provide strategic advice to him on the Industry
Growth Centres Initiative. Mr John Grill AO will lead the Growth Centres Advisory
Committee and will be joined by the Growth Centre Chairs and three other
independent members: Ms Catherine Livingstone AO, Dr Andrew Liveris AO and Ms
Carolyn Hewson AO.
Through a facilitated process, Industry Growth Centre Chairs are currently engaging
with their sector to develop a Growth Centre proposal for the government’s
consideration. Growth Centre proposals will include an outline of suggested activities
for the Growth Centre including key activities that the Centres will undertake during
their first year of operation. The proposals will also outline the governance
arrangements, a sector engagement strategy and suggested key performance
indicators. Each Chair will be conducting sector engagement activities, such as
meetings and workshops, in various locations across Australia to inform the
proposal’s development. Interested parties are strongly encouraged to get involved in
these activities.
The Growth Centres Initiative provides an opportunity to coordinate activities in the
growth sectors at a national scale. The involvement of state and territory
governments will be fundamental to the success of the Growth Centres Initiative.
Interested parties are strongly encouraged to get involved in these activities,
including the proposals currently being developed for the Growth Centres. Details are
available on the Initiative’s website at www.business.gov.au/industrygrowthcentres
as they are confirmed.
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It is expected that the Advanced Manufacturing; Food and Agribusiness; and Mining
Equipment, Technology and Services Growth Centres will start operating from the
middle of the year.
Launch of innovationXchange
innovationXchange has been formally launched as the innovation hub of the
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The hub will test and drive new
technologies, ideas and partnerships that can be embedded across the Department.
Supported with $140 million over four years, particular attention will be given to
leveraging new sources of financing to catalyse new approaches to development and
enhance Australia’s impact on the economies of the Indo-Pacific region.
Tax White Paper: Review of R&D Tax Incentive
The Tax White Paper discussion paper, Re:think – Better tax, better Australia, was
released for public consultation on 30 March 2015. The review of the R&D Tax
Incentive will form part of the Tax White Paper, and the R&D Tax Incentive is
consequently a feature of the discussion paper. Interested stakeholders are
encouraged to provide submissions on the R&D Tax Incentive as it will be several
more years before the next scheduled review. The discussion paper also invites
feedback on the effectiveness of existing tax incentives for innovation, industryfunded research and collaboration with public research institutions more broadly.
Submissions and suggestions on the discussion paper can be made through the
bettertax.gov.au website, by selecting the ‘Make a Submission’ icon at the top of the
page. The due date for submissions is 1 June 2015.
Commonwealth Science Council – 2nd Meeting
The Government announced the new Commonwealth Science Council, as part of its
Industry Innovation and Competitiveness Agenda in October 2014. The Council is the
pre-eminent source of advice to Government on science and technology issues
facing Australia.
The Council is chaired by the Prime Minister, and includes the Ministers for Industry
and Science, Education and Training, and Health, Australia’s Chief Scientist, five
eminent scientists and five eminent business representatives.
The Council held its second meeting on 13 April 2015. Discussion items included:

Government actions in response to the Chief Scientist’s Science, technology,
engineering and mathematics: Australia’s future report. The Minister for
Industry and Science, working with the Minister for Education and the Chief
Scientist will develop a discussion paper and consult on the implementation of
the Government’s STEM policy
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


Science and Research Priorities and associated practical challenges
developed through expert working groups were discussed, and capability
mapping for each of these will now be undertaken through the National
Science, Technology and Research Committee
Implementation of the Boosting the Commercial Returns from Research
strategy
Progress of the Research Infrastructure Review.
The Council agreed a forward work programme, with key items for further
consideration to include:
 the formal Government actions to respond to the Chief Scientist’s report:
Science, technology, engineering and mathematics: Australia’s future
 implementation of the Science and Research Priorities, considering capability
mapping for each of the practical challenges
 progress of the Boosting the Commercial Returns from Research strategy
 the final report of the Research Infrastructure Review.
The Council will next meet in the second half of 2015.
Commonwealth Scienc Council – Science and Research Priorities
Members of the Commonwealth Science Council have recommended that the
Government adopt the proposed science and research priorities and associated
practical research challenges to ensure publicly-funded research addresses the most
important questions facing Australia.
Following the first meeting of the Science Council, the Chief Scientist, assisted by the
National Science, Technology and Research Committee (NSTRC), led further
consultation on the priorities in order to develop a series of underpinning practical
research challenges within each priority area.
Informed by evidence, working groups of experts from industry, research
organisations and government identified practical challenges to direct research effort
within each priority area. The challenges reflect the problems that need to be faced
by the research and business communities as Australia shifts its capacity in each
area from where it is to where it needs to be. The NSTRC will now assess existing
research activity against the priorities and practical challenges. It will analyse current
capabilities, capacity, investment and activities in order to provide an evidence base
for each identified practical challenge. This process will help map the capacity of the
system to address gaps or capitalise on opportunities.
The Government is expected to finalise the Priorities and associated practical
research challenges shortly.
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Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
The Government is committed to taking a more coordinated approach to STEM, and
ensuring Australia has the skills it needs to be a prosperous, competitive country. In
October 2014, the Government announced $12 million for strategies and funding to
improve the focus on STEM subjects in primary and secondary schools across the
country. This includes:

$7.4 million to provide innovative mathematics resources for primary and
secondary school teachers and students

$3.5 million to provide greater exposure to computer coding across different
year levels in Australian schools to expand the pool of ICT-skilled workers

$500,000 for an innovation-focused ‘Pathways in Technology Early College
High School’ (P-TECH) pilot programme to help develop the next generation
of innovators and job-ready graduates

Increased student participation in the ‘Summer schools for STEM students’
programme, with a focus on girls, disadvantaged and Indigenous students and
those living in regional and remote areas. The Government will provide funds
to support travel and accommodation for participants.
Australia’s Chief Scientist, Professor Ian Chubb AC, also has a focus on improving
STEM skills in Australia. He has prepared two important reports:

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics: Australia’s Future, which
calls for a coordinated approach to investing in STEM, and makes
recommendations about programmes and activities in which to invest

Benchmarking Australian STEM, which shows that Australia’s performance in
STEM is better than countries in the Asia-Pacific region but below comparator
countries in Western Europe and North America.
The National Science, Technology and Research Committee considered the
recommendations of these reports at their inaugural meeting on 20 February 2015,
and considered their feasibility for further development. Policies and proposed
actions stemming from the report were considered by the Commonwealth Science
Council at its meeting on 13 April 2015.
The Minister for Industry and Science, working with the Minister for Education and
the Chief Scientist will develop a discussion paper and consult on the implementation
of the Government’s STEM policy.
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The Government’s formal response to the Chief Scientist’s report will be released in
2015.
Ningaloo Reef research
On February 19th, Minister for Industry and Science Ian Macfarlane joined CSIRO
Executive Director Environment Andrew Johnson and BHP Billiton Petroleum
General Manager Doug Handyside to announce a new marine research partnership
for the World Heritage Listed Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia.
The five-year, jointly-funded $5 million research program will include both deep and
shallow reef research, turtle and shark tagging, a PhD scholarship scheme and
opportunities to engage the local community, including BHP Billiton Petroleum
employees, in Exmouth, WA.
Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) – Research and
Development Programme Round 2: Industry – Researcher
Collaboration
On 13 April 2015, ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht announced the opening of a new
$20 million round to fund collaboration between industry and the research sector
focused on innovative renewable energy technologies that integrate renewable
energy into networks, buildings and industrial processes.
ARENA’s Research and Development Programme supports renewable energy
technologies that will increase the commercial deployment of renewable energy
technology in Australia.
Applications close on 19 June 2015.
Further details can be found at www.arena.gov.au.
NSW: Launch of Knowledge Hubs for FinTech and MedTech
The NSW Government announced, in March 2015 that it will support the
establishment of industry-led Knowledge Hubs in FinTech and MedTech.
The FinTech Knowledge Hub was announced on 3 March 2015 and will be
coordinated by the Committee For Sydney. NSW Government support for this
Knowledge Hub will ensure the successful establishment of a new FinTech
Accelerator, called Stone and Chalk, due to open in May 2015, which will provide
financial technology start—ups with office space, mentoring, networking, export
support and opportunities to access capital. Current contributors and sponsors
include Westpac, Macquarie Bank, American Express, Woolworths Financial
Services, KPMG and ACIL Allen Consulting. Former AMP chief executive Craig
Dunn has been appointed chairman of the new hub.
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Stone and Chalk will provide 150 seats for entrepreneurs, expanding to 250 seats
within 3 years. The total establishment costs for the project are estimated to be
around $2.26 million. The Hub is expected to become self-funded in its second or
third year of operation through charges for memberships, tenancies, events and
conferences.
The Government announced on 9 March 2015,that it will support the establishment of
an industry led MedTech Knowledge Hub, to be coordinated by the Medical
Technology Association of Australia. This Knowledge Hub will pursue three main
projects:

Design of a national strategy to build an optimal environment for
manufacturers and distributors of medical technologies

Undertaking a comprehensive skills study of the medtech industry

Design of programs for mentoring and information sharing.
These are the third and fourth of five industry-led Knowledge Hubs to be launched in
NSW, following earlier launches of Knowledge Hubs for Digital Creative and Energy
Innovation. A further Transport and Logistics Knowledge Hub is to be launched
shortly. Total funding of $1.7 million over two years will support projects across the
five Hubs.
SA: Opening of Tech Hub boosts innovation
In October 2014 BioSA’s second business incubation facility was launched in
Thebarton. Tech Hub is the newest component of South Australia’s world-class
biotechnology industry and the work here will complement the development of the
largest biomedical precinct of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, located in
Adelaide west end.
BioSA has already helped numerous entrepreneurs and start-ups to establish companies and
start developing research and products that have gained national and international attention. It
is this growing demand for work space for small to medium-sized technology companies has
led to the opening of Tech Hub today.
More than 1700 people now work in the bioscience sector in South Australia - more than
double the number who did in 2001. In that time Bio SA has helped in the creation of more
than 75 companies.
The BioSA Business Incubator has five tenants and Tech Hub currently has four, including
CPR Pharma, which has migrated to the larger Tech Hub facility in order to continue its rapid
expansion in Adelaide and Asia. BioSA reports that for every job created through high
technology, between three and five other jobs are created in the wider economy.
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SA: Establishment of Nanoscale BioPhotonics Centre
The Australian Research Council’s Centre of Excellence for Nanoscale BioPhotonics
research centre was launched in November 2014 at the University of Adelaide. The
$38 million centre allows researchers to use light and optical fibres to see inside
human cells. The new centre will develop the tools for seeing inside the human body
at the cellular level, allowing the nation’s best researchers to tackle health issues in a
completely new way.
The Centre brings together physicists, biologists and chemists to use light as a tool inside
biological systems in a process called biophotonics. Led by the University of Adelaide, the
Centre brings together leading researchers from University of Adelaide, Macquarie University
and RMIT University with a number of key international and industry partners.
Along with the health and research precinct emerging on North Terrace around the new RAH,
this Centre of Excellence provides a research hub for developing embryos, to understand the
basis of pain and explore cardiovascular disease and blood vessel failure.
SA: Adelaide named Australia’s first ‘Lighthouse City’ for
innovation
In January 2015 Cisco declared Adelaide as the first smart and connected
‘Lighthouse City’ in Australia. The Lighthouse City status is a boon allows access to
Cisco’s huge global network, and South Australia will be primed to benefit from the
economic and social transformation set to occur as the next phase of the internet
rapidly takes shape.
Late last year Adelaide launched Australia’s first ‘Internet of Things (IoT) Innovation Hub’ in
partnership with Adelaide City Council and Cisco. Adelaide now joins other major cities
including Barcelona, Chicago, Hamburg and Dubai as leading places to showcase IoT
‘Internet of Things’ innovations. Cisco has predicted that the ‘Internet of Everything’ (IoE)
will generate an astounding $19 trillion globally over the next decade, including $4.6 trillion
from the public sector, which will open the door to new jobs and industries.
Adelaide City Council has set aside $250,000 this year for two smart city trials that will focus
on parking and lighting. Both projects will be about making the city safer, easier to get around
and more welcoming for our visitors and residents alike, with the ultimate aim of being able
to generate a return on investment for our ratepayers that can be put back into other services.
SA: Tonsley an international benchmark for innovation and
collaboration
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The former Mitsubishi plant at Tonsley in Adelaide’s south has become a worldleading centre for innovation and collaboration, just three years into a major 20-year
transformation project. The 61-hectare Tonsley site is located 10 kilometres from
Adelaide’s CBD is projected to provide 6,300 jobs during the life of the project and
annually accommodate 8,500 students.
The next phase of the project is underway, with the State Government working to
achieve land sales and leasing arrangements that could generate $1 billion of
investment during the 20-year life of the project.

Call for proposals to develop solar power installation on the roof of the old Mitsubishi
plant at Tonsley took place in December 2014. The 25,000 square metres of available
roof space at the Main Assembly Building has the capacity to generate the equivalent
of electricity required to power up to 770 homes a year and save annually about 2430
tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. The rooftop solar project at Tonsley aligns with
the Government’s announcement to increase South Australia’s renewable energy
target to 50% of power generation by 2025, further adding to examples of
sustainability and innovation in urban renewal.

Tonsley has already attracted significant investment from TAFE SA, Flinders
University, Siemens, Hills Innovation Centres - which will develop new health and
medical devices - medical device company Signostics, innovative data service
provider Tier5, and smart energy company ZEN Energy Systems. This is n addition to
the construction of the new $32.2 million Drill Core Reference Library located at
Tonsley.

An onshore Petroleum Centre of Excellence training facility was opened at Tonsley in
February 2015 to train hundreds of industry workers in simulated oil and gas
production environment. Collaboration with industry partners such as Santos, Beach
Energy and Senex Energy who have committed funds, valuable equipment and
expertise to new training centre.

Tonsley’s potential as an innovation hub was further ignited in March 2015
with the opening of Flinders at Tonsley – bringing vital research, development
and academic expertise to the precinct. The impressive $120 million sixstorey, 16,000 square metre structure – set to teach 2000 students per year –
is a prominent feature on the rapidly developing site.

The Flinders at Tonsley building will house the University’s School of
Computer Science, Engineering and Mathematics, the Medical Device
Research Institute, the Centre for NanoScale Science and Technology,
Flinders Partners and the New Venture Institute.

In February 2015, Tonsley’s clean technology and urban innovation
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credentials received a boost, with a new partnership with a leading US
cleantech organisation. A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed
between the State Government, Flinders University, and California-based
Prospect Silicon Valley. The agreement sets a framework that will help
entrepreneurs in both Adelaide and San Jose to commercialise their
innovations and bring them to global customers.

The University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Colin Stirling said the agreement
harnesses the University’s clean technology knowledge and research skills
with the commercialisation capabilities of Prospect Silicon Valley.

“Our strength in this area was underscored by the establishment in 2013 of a
$1 million Clean Technology Laboratory dedicated to developing products and
processes in a cleaner, greener way, and ongoing collaborations in China
exploring the sustainable development of new products and materials,”
Professor Stirling said.
SA: Successful PACE discovery drilling proposals announced
Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis announced that 27
resource exploration projects will share $2 million in grants as part of the Plan for
Accelerating Exploration (PACE) Discovery Drilling 2015 at the opening of the South
Australian Resources and Energy Conference at the Adelaide Convention Centre in
April 2015.
The PACE initiative will co-fund 27 drilling projects from exploration companies to stimulate
the next crop of greenfield discoveries and help share in the financial and technical risk of
exploration. The value of government investment is multiplied when considering the industry
contribution, so $2 million in co-funding grants will draw an estimated additional investment
of $4.9 million from these explorers.
While the complementary PACE Mineral Systems Drilling program is strongly focused on
unraveling the complexity of the Gawler Craton, the PACE Discovery Drilling 2015 supports
new exploration projects all over South Australia. This current round is planned to close in
May 2016 with all the drilling data, assays and reporting released shortly after.
SA: South Australian Micro Finance Fund (SAMFF)
In March 2015 the State Government created the South Australian Micro Finance
Fund (SAMFF), which is making $1.7 million available during the next three years to
help entrepreneurs develop their ideas into high-value businesses.
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Funding is available to encourage entrepreneurial activity in South Australia to help
achieve Growth through Innovation as one of the State Government’s key economic
priorities.
This funding is available for anyone local, around Australia, or throughout the world
who has a great idea. They can apply for a grant, so long as the intellectual property
is created, developed, and commercialised in South Australia. This provides an
opportunity for an individual or a company that wants to develop a prototype, test the
feasibility of their idea, conduct market research, or to develop an intellectual
property strategy to apply for State Government financial support.
The SAMFF is funded through the State Government’s $60 million Our Jobs Plan.
SA: Ministerial visits
Following a Ministerial visit to Singapore in July 2014, the linkage of education and
models of cooperative partnerships has been adopted between all three SA
Universities with educational entities in Singapore in both the public and private
sectors. Public and private investment coordination focused on the strategic
advantages of food quality (seafood, meat/proftein grains/malt, fruit and wine etc)
were promoted in terms of ‘clean-green’ and ‘health and nutrition’ benefits. Strategic
advantages linked tourism, education at all levels, manufacturing and food
processing and packaging, exports, applied research and industrial links (biomedical
health, agrifoods, nutritional food benefits and healthy ageing).
China is South Australia’s largest and most significant two way trading partner,
making up nearly a third of the state’s total exports ($3.35 billion in the 12 months to
July 2014). South Australia has a wealth of mineral reserves, agricultural produce,
seafood, wine, cleantech, advanced manufacturing and service sector skills; and is in
an advantageous geographical position to support China’s industrial growth and
urbanisation.
Minister Gail Gago visited China for a week in October 2014 to promote higher
education and technological exchanges with Shandong province. The government is
keen to establish South Australia as a leading higher education destination for
Chinese students. The state is already a popular destination for Chinese students –
40 per cent of international students in 2013 came from China.
The government has been involved in several visits during the last year to India to
build on relationships with the new government and raise South Australia’s profile as
an investment and trade destination. The South Australia-India Engagement Strategy
seeks to leverage the following commonalities - defense and aerospace, resources
and energy, clean technologies and education have been analysed to identify further
opportunities.
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An international education mission visited Vietnam in April 2015. They are meeting
with a number of senior officials in education in Hanoi, Danang and Hue.
International education is South Australia’s largest service sector export, the second
biggest overall export earner and accounts for more than 6500 local jobs. Overseas
students spent $925 million (in tuition fees and living expenses) in South Australia in
2010-11, according to ABS, with student numbers and revenue increasing in recent
years.
QLD: Advance Queensland
The $50 million Advance Queensland initiative aims to harness the opportunities that
are available in science and innovation to build Queensland’s reputation and capacity
within the knowledge-based economy and to nurture the knowledge-based jobs of
the future.
This initiative will deliver a range of programs to enable individuals and industry to
pursue innovation that delivers new products and services, establish industries
around new innovations and the service economy, and attract and retain the brightest
minds within the knowledge-based sectors. The Advance Queensland initiative
includes:

Research Fellowships (innovation, women, regional and Indigenous)

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships Program which will enable Small Medium
Enterprises to access grants to improve their business by working with a
university and a newly qualified graduate, facilitating collaboration between
university researchers and industry representatives.
QLD: Innovation Hub
The Innovation Hub pilot project provides a new way to solve complex public sector
issues through innovative approaches while using government procurement spend to
fuel demand for innovation and build the innovative capability of business.
The Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation is running the
pilot in conjunction with the Open Innovation Team from Pricewaterhouse Coopers.
The Innovation Hub brings together people from diverse backgrounds – scientists,
research organisations, startups and teams from large multinational organisations –
all trying to find new ways to look at and solve old problems.
The pilot project comprises two rounds of problem solving, round one is complete
and acceleration of round two challenges is nearing completion.
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From round one, the solution developed for the Department of Transport and Main
Roads’ Graffiti challenge has been purchased from the Queensland based business,
GIS People, with negotiations for the other solutions ongoing.
Round two - two of the challenges have progressed to the solution acceleration
stage, namely:

the Queensland’s Emergency Management Data team working with Cloud
Sherpas

the Road Safety team working with the Queensland University of Technology
Smart Transport Research Centre.
Acceleration was expected to complete in late April 2015.
For more information visit: http://www.openinnovation.com.au/events/queenslandgovernment-innovation-hub-pilot-project-round-2-4331abfc-0cf5-4874-ad00d2166e2ddb7c
QLD: Business Development Fund
Through the Government’s election commitments outlined in the Working
Queensland plan, the establishment of the $40million Business Development Fund,
will complement the Government’s Advance Queensland strategy, to turn brilliant
ideas into commercial realities.
This will ensure that Queensland businesses have access to the start-up capital they
need in order to create new opportunities and productivity capacity, including
manufacturing capacity, in new emerging niche markets.
QLD: The Queensland Government Customer Identity Management
(QGCIDM)
In December 2014 the Queensland Government launched the first stage of an
identity management project to enable customers to transact with the Queensland
Government through online personal accounts. QGCIDM is a best practice identity
verification and authentication application that offers customers a uniform experience
across government services. The customer only needs to register once to access
multiple Queensland Government online services. The customer gets a single log-in,
but may be asked to provide additional identity information as necessary to access
more secure services. It provides Queensland Government departments with a
secure authentication mechanism.
Customers control their own account and consent to sharing private information with
departments. QGCIDM will enable customers to use existing credentials to create a
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Queensland Government identity. Currently Google, Microsoft, Australian Business
Account and AusKey are approved third party credential providers. QGCIDM
integrates with the Document Verification System (DVS) developed by the
Commonwealth Government to provide online identity verification. Work is underway
to enable customers to also use the Australian Government's MyGov account as a
credential.
The product currently offers level 1 authentication for services where evidence of
identity (EOI) is not required. The introduction of online EOI and DVS is currently
scheduled for June 2015, and planning is underway to enable an ‘at-counter’
application to facilitate identity proofing . For further information, please email the
One-Stop Shop Strategy and Implementation Office at
onestopshop@dsitia.qld.gov.au.
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Australia - Industry
Cisco Internet of Everything Innovation Centre
Cisco has announced investment in a Cisco Internet of Everything (IoE) Innovation
Centre in Australia. The new Centre in Australia will be one of eight globally including
Rio de Janeiro, Toronto, Songdo, Berlin, Barcelona, Tokyo and London. The official
opening of the Centre is planned for 2015 and will include locations in Sydney at
Sirca, and in Perth at Curtin University. Cisco intends to invest US $15 million over
five years into the Centre.
Communications Alliance ‘Internet of Things’ Think Tank
The Communications Alliance has announced a Think Tank through which industry
heavyweights and other expert parties will work with the Communications Alliance to
focus on:

Identifying and addressing regulatory and other enablers and inhibitors, to
help create an environment that allows the full potential of Internet of Things
services and their cross-sectoral benefits to be realised in Australia

the opportunity for Australian companies to be early beneficiaries of new
business models through IoT and for Australia to become a significant
exporter of business solutions enabled by the Internet of Things.
Institute for Digital Government
SAP has announced that it is investing $150 million to establish an Institute for Digital
Government (SIDG) in Canberra. The SIDG will support digital innovation in the
Australian public sector. It will also be partnering with universities to develop and
commercialise new citizen services for Australia and public services organisations
around the world.
International
Developing data standards for sharing spatial and sensor data
CSIRO’s Dr Kerry Taylor is jointly leading an international working group to develop
linked data standards for sharing spatial and sensor data on the Web. The group will
validate, update and formally standardise two ontologies that are already widely used
as de facto standards, including the Semantic Sensor Networks Ontology.
The working group will also examine and recommend best practice for publishing and
linking spatial data, dealing with the complex issues of place, space, geometry and
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identity in a way that transcends individual web sites. Finally, the group will explore
and recommend ways to publish earth observation data as linked data, so that it too
can be seamlessly shared and reused.
Australia-China research collaboration for environmentally friendly
metal production
CSIRO has signed a major agreement to demonstrate dry slag granulation (DSG)
technology at an industrial scale with Beijing MCC Equipment Research and Design
Corporation Ltd.
The agreement for DSG industrial-scale demonstration is a landmark for AustraliaChina research collaboration and for environmentally friendly metal production.The
technology, fitted onto a blast furnace, is comprised of a spinning disc and
granulation chamber that separates molten slag into droplets under centrifugal
forces, using air to quench and solidify the droplets, and extract a granulated slag
product, as well as heated air.
The ‘glassy’ slag product is ideal for cement manufacture, and has significantly lower
associated greenhouse gas emissions than cement produced by conventional
methods. The recovered heat can then be used for drying, pre-heating or steam
generation. The process saves water and eliminates underground water pollution that
can be associated with alternative wet granulation processes.
China: Major reform of China’s research funding
Chinese expenditure on research and development rose to 2.08 per cent of GDP in
2013, higher than the European Union both in Purchasing Power Parity terms and as
a percentage of GDP, and is on track to meet the government’s target of 2.5 per cent
of GDP by 2020. But the country’s research funding system is experiencing growing
pains, with poor coordination amongst the some 30 central government agencies that
disbursed RMB 273 billion (AUD 56 billion) in research funding in 2013 and recent
corruption cases exposing the inadequacy of financial controls.
China’s central government has announced plans for major reform to national
funding systems, to be phased in over three years to 2017. While much of the detail
is still to be announced, early indications suggest a major consolidation of existing
funding mechanisms, including large and longstanding efforts such as the 863
(strategic R&D) and 973 (basic research) programmes, and that government
ministries will step back from the day-to-day management of research funding in
favour of specialist agencies like the Natural Science Foundation of China.
This review may have an impact on timing of the next Joint Research Centre funding
round under the Australia-China Science and Research Fund.
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Jordan: Public service innovative ideas incubator
The Jordanian Public Sector Development Ministry has officially launched an
“innovative ideas incubator”, which will receive, assess and implement creative ideas
that seek to improve public sector performance. The ministry has asked public
institutions to invite their employees to provide their ideas via www.mopsd.gov.jo
before the end of June.
New Zealand: Business-Government accelerator
New Zealand’s first accelerator process for government projects has been launched
by Better for Business and Wellington business incubator Creative HQ. The process
will partner private sector entrepreneurs, developers and mentors with public sector
staff on projects that could solve major pain points for New Zealand businesses. The
12 week process aims to present government and private sector decision makers
with fundable projects that will significantly improve business-to-government
interactions in New Zealand. Further information is available from Built in Wellington.
Singapore: Strategic Policy Unit
“The Singapore Government has announced a new Strategic Policy Unit to consider
cross-government problems and bring agencies together to tackle them. The unit will
be manned by elite civil servants, the Deputy Prime Minister announced, and will
consider solutions on a timescale of three, five and ten years.” Further information is
available from FutureGov Asia Pacific.
US: Department of Homeland Security Crowd-Sourced Prize
Competition
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science & Technology Directorate
(S&T) has run its first crowd-sourced prize competition for supporting First
Responders. The Indoor Tracking of the Next Generation First Responder
competition sough innovative ideas to solve the challenges of real-time, accurate
indoor tracking of First Responders during an incident. The competition has a first
prize of $20,000 and a second prize of $5,000. Winning submissions may be chosen
for development and operational use.
US: Accelerator Growth Fund Competition
The Small Business Administration (SBA) has announced that in 2015 it will again
run its Growth Accelerator Fund Competition, aimed at engaging with and supporting
organizations whose sole purpose is to help start-ups grow, become commercially
viable and have a real and sustained economic impact. The Growth Accelerator Fund
Competition was launched in 2014 with US$2.5 million awarded to 50 winners drawn
from over 800 applications. In 2015, SBA is awarding $4 million to accelerators in
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order to continue building the support structure needed to help start ups become
commercially viable and create jobs more quickly.
US: National Science Foundation Plan
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released a plan for increasing public
access to the results of research NSF funds. More information is provided in Today’s
Data, Tomorrow’s Discoveries: Increasing Access to the Results of Research Funded
by the National Science Foundation.
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Assessment of Innovation Performance
Innovate and Prosper
Commissioned by the Australian Industry Group and the Australian Technology
Network, the Innovate and Prosper: Ensuring Australia’s Competitiveness through
University-Industry Collaboration report from PriceWaterhouseCoopers finds that
Australia ranks 29th out of 30 in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) in terms of the proportion of large businesses and small to
medium enterprises (SMEs) collaborating with higher education and public research
institutions on innovation.
The report’s puts five recommendations forward for discussion to establish stronger
connections between the business and research sectors:
1. Rebalance the national research agenda to underpin Australia's economy and
future prosperity
2. Create incentives for university-industry collaboration
3. Train researchers for diverse careers
4. Enhance career mobility between industry, academia and government
5. Provide incentives for co-investment in research infrastructure between
universities, industry and state and federal government.
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Events and Conferences
The Australia-India Joint Science and Technology Committee and
Joint Biotechnology Committee meeting – Sydney, 12 February
2015
The Australia-India Joint Science and Technology Committee and Joint
Biotechnology Committee meeting was held in Sydney on 12 February 2015. The
Indian delegation was led by Dr Renu Swarup, Senior Advisor, Department of
Biotechnology and included delegates from government, industry and academia.
The meeting is the major bilateral forum for discussions on Australia’s science and
technology relationship with India, and this meeting focused on strengthening
research-industry linkages.
The meeting provided an opportunity to formally agree on the 10 collaborative
research projects (Australian grants worth $1.86 million) that will be supported by the
Australia-India Strategic Research Fund (AISRF) under the eighth competitive
funding round. The Hon Karen Andrews MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister
for Industry and Science, announced the outcomes of this round on
18 February 2015. The Parliamentary Secretary’s media release is at
http://www.minister.industry.gov.au/ministers/andrews/media-releases/australiaindia-research-helps-tackle-major-challenges.
Third Australia-Korea Joint Committee on Science and Technology
meeting
The third meeting of the Australia-Korea Joint Committee on Science and
Technology (JCST) is scheduled to be held in South Korea on 28 May 2015. The
focus of the meeting will be on industry research linkages. The JCST is the primary
mechanism for dialogue on key bilateral science and technology issues between the
two countries.
Bilateral Science and Technology Meetings Planned for 2015
Planning is underway for further bilateral science and technology cooperation
meetings and strategic dialogues with several partners in 2015. Timings remain to be
confirmed, with a current schedule of:
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



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South Korea (28 May)
Japan (September/October)
New Zealand (in conjunction with CSTACI meetings)
USA (November)
Vietnam (December)
Singapore (TBC).
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Defence Trade Controls
The Defence Trade Controls Amendment Bill 2015 (the Bill) was passed by the
Parliament on 18 March 2015. This Bill addresses a number of concerns with the
original Defence Trade Controls Act which will regulate the intangible supply (e.g. by
email), publication and brokering of sensitive military and dual-use technologies. The
university and research sectors raised a number of concerns with the potential
impacts of the original legislation on research and international collaboration. To
address these concerns, implementation of the Act is being overseen by the
Strengthened Export Controls Steering Group, which is chaired by Australia’s
Chief Scientist, Professor Ian Chubb AC.
In addition to rectifying some of the issues with the original legislation, the Bill also
provides a further delay to the introduction of offence provisions until 2 April 2016.
This will provide universities, research organisations and industry sufficient time to
implement compliance arrangements for the new regulations. The Department of
Industry and Science will support the Department of Defence throughout the
implementation phase.
The Department of Defence has undertaken to work closely with stakeholders to
ensure they are aware of their responsibilities under the legislation, and will roll out a
series of tools and outreach activities to assist stakeholders establish compliance
arrangements before offence provisions take effect.
More information on the work of the steering group is available through its website,
https://exportcontrols.govspace.gov.au/.
Great Ideas and Guts Tour
CSIRO’s SME Engagement Centre has kicked off its 2015 ‘Great Ideas and Guts
Tour’. The tour aims to stimulate, inform and provoke local small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs) about what is over the horizon.
The SME Engagement Centre re-launched the Great Ideas and Guts Tour with 280
people attending an event at the Australian Synchrotron in Victoria on 24th February.
Attendees heard internationally respected finance expert Satyajit Das address the
issue of how slower than usual economic growth will affect industry and SMEs, as
well as how businesses should respond to this likely downward shift in income and
demand from their customers.
International symposium on Big Data Visual Analytics
The first international symposium on Big Data Visual Analytics (BDVA) will be held at
CSIRO’s Hobart harbour site on 22nd – 25th September 2015. Visual analytics is the
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enabling science for effective exploration of big data through meaningful
visualisations and interactive user interfaces.
The symposium will host an exciting program with internationally renowned keynote
speakers, special sessions, and a day of complimentary hands-on workshops. The
symposium is now calling for authors to submit original and unpublished papers of up
to eight pages.
Commissioning of antenna dish in NASA’s Deep Space Network
Five years to the day from its original ground-breaking ceremony in 2010, Deep
Space Station 35 was officially commissioned on 25 February 2015, at the Canberra
Deep Space Communication Complex (CDSCC).
Deep Space Station 35 incorporates the latest in Beam Waveguide technology
increasing the sensitivity and capacity for tracking, commanding and receiving data
from spacecraft located across the Solar System.
NASA has invested $55 million in the first of the new antennas and is currently
investing an equal amount in a second dish – Deep Space Station 36 – due to come
online in late 2016.
Conference Report: International Seminar on Innovation,
Entrepreneurship, and Open Talent Policy
This report summarizes the findings of the International Seminar on Innovation,
Entrepreneurship and Open Talent Policies, which was organized by the Chinese
Academy of Personnel Science, Southwest Jiaotong University, and the Asia Pacific
Foundation of Canada. Held in Chengdu, China in November 2014, the conference
provided the opportunity for Canadian, Chinese and other international participants to
discuss best practices and theories on the implementation of innovation-driven
development strategies and open talent policies, and the importance of innovative
talent. During the course of the discussions, experts had the opportunity to share
different national experiences with innovation strategies, the construction of national
innovation systems, and ways to foster talent.
SA: Science Excellence Awards
The event showcase the critical importance of science and research to the
development of industry and our society. This year’s conference is taking place on 13
August 2015. Nominations closed on 4 May and judging will take place with finalists
announced at the end of May.
SA: 2015 Community Excellence Awards in Mining and Energy
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This event recognises that the sector is not only a major employer and contributor to
the economy but a sector that contributes to wellbeing of communities, workplace
diversity and social inclusion. The awards produced winners in three categories:

Excellence in Social Inclusion – Heathgate Resources Pty Ltd
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Excellence in Supporting Communities – Kalari Transport Pty Ltd & Iluka
Resources
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Excellence in leadership – Women in Resources – Oz Minerals
SA: 2014 Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition
This event was held for three days in Adelaide in October. The conference is run by
the Society of Petroleum Engineers who have a global membership of over 124,000
members and it bought key engineers, technologists, managers, business leaders
and government officials to Adelaide to unlock full potential of South Australia’s
resources, energy and renewable assets.
SA: SIMTecT 2015
The simulation industry’s premier conference will be held in conjunction with
SimHealth 2015 at the Adelaide Convention Centre from 17 to 25 August 2015. The
conference attracts a cross disciplinary gathering of industries, users, developers,
decision makers and researchers.
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Publications and Articles
The Importance of Advanced Physical and Mathematical Sciences
to the Australian Economy
On 25 March 2015, the report The Importance of Advanced Physical and
Mathematical Sciences to the Australian Economy was released. The report was
commissioned by the Office of the Chief Scientist and the Australian Academy of
Science and produced by the Centre for International Economics (CIE).
The report combines the expertise of Australia’s scientific community with that of business
and industry. The aim has been to produce an economic framework that can use the available
statistics and economic modelling techniques to provide a timely reminder of how much of
our national economic activity depends on the advanced physical and mathematical sciences
(the APM sciences). The APM sciences comprise physics, chemistry, the earth sciences and
the mathematical sciences, where ‘advanced’ means science undertaken and applied in the
past 20 years. Biology and the life sciences were not covered in the report.
The direct contribution of the APM sciences is estimated to be 11% (or about $145 billion per
year of the Australian economy). The contribution in additional and flow-on benefits equals
another 11%, bringing the total benefits to 22% or around $292 billion per year.
Australian Intellectual Property Report 2015
On Friday 17 April 2015, the Hon. Karen Andrews launched the Australian IP Report
2015. The IP Report is an annual publication that promotes awareness of IP rights
and developments.
The report showed that demand for filings varied across all registered intellectual
property (IP) rights. Applications for plant breeder’s rights and trade marks increased
from 2013, while applications for patents and designs decreased.
An interesting story also emerged regarding wholesale traders, who have been
identified as the third largest industry filing patents in Australia. Patenting activity by
wholesale traders suggest that, in addition to purchasing and selling on goods,
wholesalers undertake research and development, and invest in IP.
To coincide with the release of the Australian Intellectual Property Report 2015, the
IP Government Open Data has also been updated to include all data from 2014. The
data is matched to individual firms along with information about their size, technology
and geographic location.
The report and a range of interactive tools are now available via
www.ipaustralia.gov.au/economics.
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UK Design Council: Innovation by Design
Research from the UK’s Design Council found that design support accelerates
research commercialisation and increases value.
Innovation by Design found that design commercialisation projects provide:

A greater ability to secure further development funding
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Clearer communication of new technology to potential investors

Improved prototyping, fundraising pitches and market entry strategies.
The report also includes evidence that design support can provide multiple benefits
to technology transfer organisations.
The Mortality of Companies
New research from the Santa Fe Institute reviews a comprehensive database of
more than 25 000 publicly traded North American companies, from 1950 to 2009.
The findings include that publicly traded companies die off at the same rate,
regardless of the firm's age or what sector it's in. The researchers also found that
most (US) firms live about 10 years and the most common reason a company
disappears is due to a merger or acquisition.
Making big companies more entrepreneurial
Eric Ries, author of The Lean Startup, suggests that large firms can be more
entrepreneurial through mechanisms such as:

Including productive failure on performance reviews

Ensuring that entrepreneurship is a function, like sales, marketing and finance

Ensuring that workers are not expected to multitask between business-asusual and entrepreneurial projects

Encourage engineers to be managers.
The Atlantic: Welfare Makes America More Entrepreneurial
Walter Frick reviews recent academic studies looking at the relationship between
welfare and entrepreneurialism and suggests that “When governments provide
citizens with economic security, they embolden them to take more risks. Properly
deployed, a robust social safety net encourages more Americans to attempt the highwire act of entrepreneurship.”
Procurement and Innovation
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Tom Symons from Nesta has written about six theories of why procurement by
government has struggled to drive innovation. The theories relate to:

Separtation of design and implementation stages
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Gulf between theory and reality
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Lack of join up between policy-makers and procurers
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A lack of incentives for innovation
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Overly restrictive and complicated regulations
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Lack of procurement skills across government.
Nesta is to conduct a project on innovation and procurement to investigate these and
other issues further.
A new operating model for government
Paul Maltby from the UK Cabinet Office writes about trends in how government
works, including government as a platform and the next generation regulation.
Looking forward, he asks “Why do we expect government to be immune from the
more radical impacts, just because we don’t have the luxury of going out of
business? It is not just a case of feeding modern digital tools into our existing policy
processes (though that too), it is about recognising that these technologies have the
potential to allow or even require a different operating model for government.”
OECD Review – Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic: Human Resource Management for Innovation in
Government report provides a detailed diagnosis of public employment management
and pragmatic solutions for improving it. The recommendations are based on
assessments in the following priority areas: the use of strategic workforce planning
and management, the state's ability to acquire and retain workforce competencies
and enhancing government's core values, performance management and leadership,
HRM reforms and the capacity to implement innovative approaches for a more
efficient and effective public administration leading to better service delivery.
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