DIISR-Innovation Agenda - Australian Embassy and Mission to the EU

Australian Embassy and Mission to the EU

Belgium-Luxembourg

Embassy address: Rue Guimardstraat 6-8, 1040 Brussels - Telephone: +32 (0) 2 286 0500 - Fax: +32 (0) 2 231 07 88

Review of National Innovation System

In 2008 the Australian Government commissioned a wide ranging review of Australia’s national innovation system by a panel of experts from business, academia and government including four international advisors.

More than 700 submissions were received during the public consultation process. The expert group report identified gaps and weaknesses in the innoation system and contained recommendations on how to address them.

Australia’s 10-year Innovation Agenda

Building on the Review of the National Innovation System Australia’s Innovation Agenda, Powering Ideas: An Innovation Agenda for the 21st Century, was released on 12 May 2009. It sets a 10-year reform agenda to make Australia more productive and more competitive and is supported by a $3.1 billion boost in funding over the next four years.

Powering Ideas outlines a vision for a national innovation system in 2020 in which:
• The Australian Government clearly articulates its national priorities and aspirations to make the best use of resources, drive change and provide benchmarks against which to measure success.
• Universities and research organisations attract the best and brightest minds to conduct world-class research, fuelling the innovation system with new knowledge and ideas.
• Businesses of all sizes and in all sectors embrace innovation as the pathway to greater competitiveness, supported by government policies that minimise barriers and maximise opportunities for the commercialisation of new ideas and new technologies.
• Government and community sectors consciously seek to improve policy development and service delivery through innovation.
• Researchers, businesses and governments work collaboratively to secure value from commercial innovation and to address national and global challenges.

Australia can do better in building innovation skills, supporting research to create new knowledge, increasing business innovation and boosting collaboration. The Government’s vision is supported by specific policy ambitions, including:
• increasing the number of Australian research groups performing at world-class levels;
• boosting international research collaboration by Australian universities;
• significantly increasing the number of students completing higher degrees by research over the next decade;
• doubling the level of collaboration between Australian businesses, universities and publicly-funded research agencies;
• a 25 per cent increase in the proportion of businesses engaging in innovation; and
• continued improvement in the number of businesses investing in R&D.

The Government’s Innovation Agenda sets out a framework of National Innovation Priorities and details concrete actions to help it achieve its policy ambitions.

Investment in Science and Innovation

The Australian Government’s investment in Science and Innovation in the 2009 Budget is $8.59 billion in 2009-10 - an increase of $1.70 billion (25 percent) from 2008-09.

The Australian Government has earmarked $2.13 billion for the business enterprise sector. This is an increase of $386.0 million (22 percent), from $1.74 billion in 2008-09.

The Government’s targeted investment in innovation capacity in this Budget will boost Australia’s research and innovation capacity at a critical time and directly support the Government’s longer term vision and policy ambitions by:
• reforming university research funding arrangements and boosting investment, with a focus on excellence and transparency, and increased support for postgraduate research students;
• investing in infrastructure and fellowships to ensure Australia stays ahead of the game in the three priority science fields of marine and climate, space and astronomy, and future industries – each reflecting Australia’s research strengths and helping to address challenges like climate change, rising health costs, and increasing global economic competition; and
• boosting business research and delivering better outcomes for the nation by: replacing the R&D Tax Concession with a new, simpler R&D Tax Credit; and taking an innovative approach to the commercialisation of research through the Commonwealth Commercialisation Institute.

National Innovation Priorities

The Australian Government recognises that Australia’s resources are finite. To make the most of them Australia needs to focus on problems we are uniquely placed to solve, and opportunities Australia is uniquely placed to grasp – this means setting priorities.

Powering Ideas has adopted seven equally important National Innovation Priorities to focus the production, diffusion and application of new knowledge. They address Australia’s long-term weakness in business innovation and in collaboration between researchers and industry. The priorities complement Australia’s National Research Priorities.

The priorities are:
• Priority 1: Public research funding supports high-quality research that addresses national challenges and opens up new opportunities.
• Priority 2: Australia has a strong base of skilled researchers to support the national research effort in both the public and private sectors.
• Priority 3: The innovation system fosters industries of the future, securing value from the commercialisation of Australian research and development.
• Priority 4: More effective dissemination of new technologies, processes and ideas increases innovation across the economy, with a particular focus on small and medium-sized enterprises.
• Priority 5: The innovation system encourages a culture of collaboration within the research sector and between researchers and industry.
• Priority 6: Australian researchers and businesses are involved in more international collaborations on research and development.
• Priority 7: The public and community sectors work with others in the innovation system to improve policy development and service delivery.