Innovation Policy Report
May 2014
Department of Industry
Page 15 Innovation Policy Report – May 2014
Table of Contents
Australian Developments 2
Australian Government Reviews of the SA and Victorian economies 2
Positioning for prosperity? Catching the next wave 3
Commercialisation Australia’s Value Proposition 3
High Performance Workplaces 3
Design-led Innovation 4
Developments in the Public Sector Innovation Network 4
Innovation and the productivity challenge in the public sector 5
Australian soil carbon map 6
CSIRO NASA partnership: 50 years 6
A Digitally-enabled Health System 7
Compressed air engine on the horizon for Australia 7
NSW: Industry-Research Collaboration Roundtable 8
NSW Creative Laureate and NSW Emerging Creative Talent Awards 8
Innovate NSW eHealth Pitching Event 8
International Developments 10
Africa 10
Asia 10
Europe 10
North America 14
Global 16
Australian Developments
Australian Government Reviews of the South Australian and Victorian economies
Reviews of the South Australian and Victorian economies were announced on 18 December 2013 in response to Holden’s decision to close its manufacturing operations by 2017.
The reviews are looking at ways to boost the competitiveness of the South Australian and Victorian economies, including:
· encouraging investment and innovation in high growth sectors in the affected regions;
· further investing in infrastructure to boost productive capacity;
· supporting the diversification of automotive supply chain companies; and
· supporting the training and redeployment of workers displaced by closures.
The scope of the reviews was broadened as a result of Toyota’s announcement that it would cease manufacturing by 2017.
The reviews will help inform the design of a growth fund and a broader Industry Investment and Competitiveness Agenda.
The growth fund will provide:
· support for existing automotive component manufacturers in Victoria and South Australia to adjust their business output or business model to non-automotive and overseas customers, or who can commence or expand export activity; and
· grants to existing and new businesses that establish or expand manufacturing operations in South Australia or Victoria, with preference for those businesses that employ former automotive workers.
The Industry Investment and Competitiveness Agenda is being developed by a taskforce chaired by the Prime Minister and also includes the Treasurer, the Minister for Trade and Investment and the Minister for Industry. The taskforce is due to report by mid-year.
The Agenda will focus on potential measures to promote national competitiveness and productivity including:
· economy-wide measures to boost the competitiveness of Australian manufacturing and lower the costs of doing business, such as options to reduce the costs of energy and regulation on businesses;
· options to encourage innovation, including employee share schemes, support for research and development and commercialising good ideas;
· options to accelerate the development of productivity enhancing infrastructure;
· options to encourage the growth of small to medium businesses; and
· economy-wide incentive mechanisms to boost investment in Australia.
Positioning for prosperity? Catching the next wave
New research released in March 2014 has identified 25 sectoral hotspots with the biggest potential to lift Australia’s growth over the next 20years. Positioning for Prosperity? Catching the next wave, the third in Deloitte’s Building the Lucky Country series, analyses growth prospects across all major parts of Australia’s economy and highlights Australia’s current and future growth waves. The report recognises mining as the current wave, while agribusiness, gas, tourism, international education and wealth management represent the next wave and collectively have the potential to overtake mining and keep Australia at the top of the world’s national prosperity charts. The report includes an analysis of the intersections between global opportunity and Australian advantage and identifies 19 further potential growth pockets with major implications for Australia. The information is also available as a downloadable infographic.
Commercialisation Australia’s Value Proposition
The fifth issue of Commercialisation Australia’s Value Proposition is now available. The name of the magazine encapsulates Commercialisation Australia's mission - to see more of Australia’s ingenious inventions and world class R&D achieve commercial expression. The magazine is released quarterly and includes informative, entertaining and inspiring material.
This issue has a domain focus on the Defence, Safety and Security sector and features a number of case studies from Participants highlighting the challenges facing start-ups seeking to gain traction in this marketplace.
High Performance Workplaces
In June 2013, the Australian Government Department of Industry commissioned the Centre for Workplace Leadership to conduct research to better understand:
· The complex issues impacting small-to-medium sized manufacturing enterprises’ capacity and capabilities to grow into high performing firms; and
· The industry and firm leadership necessary or desirable for such a transition.
The underlying aim of the project is to produce more manufacturing companies that are able to compete domestically and globally and so grow and increase national wealth and employment.
The project is due for completion by January 2015.
Design-led Innovation
In June 2013 the Australian Government Department of Industry commissioned the University of Technology Sydney to investigate actions that encourage greater adoption of design-led innovation by Australian SmalltoMedium sized Enterprises (SMEs). The underlying aim of the project was to grow more Australian manufacturing SMEs into globally competitive mid-sized firms.
The project will provide examples and case studies of design; detail practical actions to promote the adoption of design-led innovation by Australian manufacturing SMEs; and practical tools that assist manufacturing SMEs diagnose and resolve problems in implementing design-led innovation.
The project is due for completion by June 2014.
Developments in the Public Sector Innovation Network
The Public Sector Innovation Network (PSIN) recently published the contact names of its co-ordination group, and its Terms of Reference.
The PSIN co-ordination group meets on a monthly basis to discuss developments in public sector innovation (PSI), provide updates on their department or agency innovation initiatives, and to plan innovation events (particularly Innovation Month). The group consists of public servants with a direct role or strong interest in innovation. Group members receive updates on PSI planning, notes and invites to the Co-ordination group meetings, and discuss issues on the group email list and GovDex.
Those who agree to the group’s Terms of Reference are listed as a contact for their agency on the PSIN page. These members distribute information on the PSI and collect information on innovation initiatives for the PSI’s annual report to the Secretaries Board. The group is currently wholly Canberrabased. If you are outside Canberra in a federal, state, or local government role and you’re interested in public sector innovation, we are looking to develop other PSIN chapters.
Innovation Month
The PSIN is currently planning a program of events for Innovation Month and the rest of the year. Innovation Month will run from 7Julyto 1 August 2014 under the theme Empower, Collaborate, Transform. Numerous ideas are on the drawing board, many of the below events are yet to be confirmed and the PSIN is seeking contacts to help develop them.
Pattern Breaking: innovative transformation of the public sector and beyond
A one day event focussing on how the public sector can, and is, becoming more innovative.
Integrating Innovation into your Department
Based on the outcomes of the capability reviews innovation is an area needing development for many agencies. This event would be a discussion on how this can be done using the tools and resources of the PSIN.
So you have an ideas management systems – now what?
A panel discussion on the challenge of how to integrate an ideas management system into your agency’s decision making processes and how to select and pursue the best ideas that come forward.
Dangerous Ideas for the Public Service:
Borrowing shamelessly from The Festival of Dangerous Ideas, we’re looking to develop a ‘Dangerous Ideas’ series of lunchtime discussions including:
· Innovate or die – Can you be a good public servant if you’re not innovating?
· Innovation leadership or leadersunk – Are new models of leadership needed for innovation in the public service?
· Failure – is it the dirty word we can all learn from?
The PSIN currently consists of over 1200 members. You can join the network by subscribing to the newsletter at the Innovation website. If you wish to discuss any of the above items please contact us.
Innovation and the productivity challenge in the public sector
The Executive Director of the HC Coombs Policy Forum, Dr Mark Matthews, has suggested that the public service consider the concept of intelligencebased policymaking as a means of crafting quicker policy responses when information is partial or incomplete. Dr Matthews spoke about this concept at an address to senior public servants at the inaugural Policy Reflections Forum at the Australian Government Department of Communications in March 2014. Intelligence-based policymaking involves tests of competing hypotheses and is used widely by the intelligence community to inform decision-making when a shortage of time means that the accumulation of robust evidence is a challenge. Dr Matthews notes that an advantage of intelligence-based policymaking is that it is better positioned to handle the possible unhelpful reactions of those groups a piece of policy is aimed at.
Australian soil carbon map
In March 2014 CSIRO released a map providing the most detailed and accurate representation of soil organic carbon stocks, to a depth of 30cm, at a national scale. The 2010 soil organic carbon map for Australia, draws on soil sampling data and innovative prediction methods. The map includes an estimate of soil carbon stock and an estimate of the uncertainty for approximately two billion football-field-sized blocks (90m by 90m) across Australia.
Flinders and Gilbert Agricultural Resource Assessment
A team of over 100 people, led by CSIRO, have recently completed investigations into the climate, soils, water capture, storage options and potential productivity of agricultural development in two north Queensland catchments: Flinders and Gilbert. Findings from their research have now been released by the Australian and Queensland Governments.
Commissioned by the Australian Government under the North Queensland Irrigated Agriculture Strategy, the Flinders and Gilbert Agricultural Resource Assessment looked at the opportunities and challenges associated with new agricultural development in these catchments.
CSIRO NASA partnership: 50 years
On 19 March 2014, NASA's top officials were in Canberra to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their Deep Space Network (DSN). CSIRO’s Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex (CDSCC) at Tidbinbilla plays a crucial role in the DSN. Coincidentally, this year also marks the 50th year for the CDSCC.
The DSN is made of up three tracking stations from around the world— Tidbinbilla (Canberra), Goldstone (California) and Madrid (Spain). It controls spacecraft travelling through the solar system and receives the data they send back. Together, the three stations provide around-the-clock contact with more than 40 spacecraft, including missions to study Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Pluto, the Moon and the Sun.
Wealth from Waste Cluster
The Wealth from Waste Cluster was launched on the 28 March 2014. The Cluster is a three-year research program that builds on work undertaken by the Mineral Futures Collaboration Cluster (2009-12). It focuses on ‘mining' above ground resources, which are the metals contained in collections of discarded manufactured products and consumer goods.
The research program is funded through CSIRO's Minerals Down Under and Future Manufacturing flagships and partner universities, including:
· The University of Technology, Sydney;
· Monash University;
· The University of Queensland;
· Swinburne University of Technology; and
· Yale University (USA).
A Digitally-enabled Health System
The report ‘A Digitally-enabled Health System’ looks at how the Australian health system can reduce costs and deliver quality care.
Some of the technology identified in the report includes telepresence robots taking rural health workers on city ward rounds, wireless ID wristbands monitoring patients in real time, mobile health apps assisting with at-home rehab and smart software that knows what patients will be turning up to emergency departments, from six to 12 months in advance.
The Report found that Big Data analytics and decision support tools will be a major driver in tomorrow’s digital hospital, helping staff move from reactive to proactive planning to minimise wait times, improve bed availability, and forecast likely discharge times – all of which make for a far less stressful experience for patients and staff alike.
Compressed air engine on the horizon for Australia
IT MDI Energy Ltd and its production partner AirVolution, are planning to release a compressed air engine for the Australian, New Zealand and Pacific Island markets. The compressed air engine is designed to be a low cost, environmentally friendly option to meeting transport and small scale power generation needs.
IT MDI Energy Ltd hopes to releases its first product, the Airpod, into the Australian market in the near future. The Airpod, is a compact, compressed air powered vehicle that produces no pollution, can seat three, and is able to reach speeds of 80km per hour. The vehicle can be filled in approximately twominutes at an air filling station and its top up power supply able to be recharged in three and a half to four hours using an electric plug.
After being filled with compressed air, the engine uses solar technology to heat and expand the air, providing sufficient pressure to power pistons in the engine. When stationary, the vehicle can be used as a standby electricity generator, air conditioner or means of collecting water from the condensation of cool air.
At a time when Australia’s traditional automotive manufacturing sector continues to decline, IT MDI Energy Ltd is proposing a decentralised manufacturing model for the Compressed Air Engine. This decision will enable the product to be manufactured locally in the region.
NSW: Industry-Research Collaboration Roundtable
The Sydney Business Chamber, with the support of the NSW Government, conducted an industry-research collaboration roundtable on 5 February 2014 to strengthen the connection between business and research with a focus on Western Sydney.
Australia’s Chief Scientist, Professor Ian Chubb, joined 60 representatives from business, university and government for the high level event to discuss strategies to improve commercial outcomes from R&D in Australia.
The outcomes of the roundtable will inform a PricewaterhouseCoopers report, commissioned by the Chamber, on potential future initiatives to improve industry-research collaboration.