Towards 3% R&D – now NSW puts industry and innovation at the centre of government

The New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has announced that industry, innovation, trade and investment functions will return to the centre of government through the transfer of Investment NSW to the Premier’s Department. This front door of government will make it easier for industry, investors, and entrepreneurs to participate in major government priorities and ensure…

Australia’s national R&D effort is faltering – call for contributions from readers for our new editorial series

By Peter Roberts @AuManufacturing News and Media is one of many voices concerned at a precipitous fall in national R&D effort since 2008 – innovation is the lifeblood of the economy and Australia’s effort is faltering. The fall, which accelerated under the coalition government, has not been reversed by the new Labor government despite Canberra…

Towards 3% R&D – the statistics tell us national innovation is faltering

Launching our new editorial series – Towards 3% – turbocharging our national innovation effort – innovation policy analyst Dr John Howard looks behind the statistics to reveal that Australia’s national R&D effort has slumped since 2009. In this edited excerpt, the first part of a two-part series, Dr Howard shows Australia is falling further behind.…

The importance of bringing play to work

As we await the judges’ verdicts, we continue to profile some of the companies vying for a spot on @AuManufacturing’s Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers list. Next up is NH Micro. Technical Director Josh Hacko tells Brent Balinski about why you need to spend a little time in a sandbox.  As is often the case…

Mary O’Kane recommends more uni R&D – but that’s not the innovation answer

By Peter Roberts Much has been written about the Australian universities accord – final report from scientist and engineer Mary O’Kane (pictured). But from an industry innovation point of view her panel’s recommendations fall short of what is needed to kickstart Australia’s fading innovation – and I mean business innovation – performance. National R&D has…

$51 million for CRC-P industry research collaborations

The federal government has committed $51 million to support collaboration between industry and researchers under Round 15 of the Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P). The 21 grants support industry-led projects with promising commercial potential that solve a wide range of community and economic challenges, from diagnosing life-threatening infections more quickly to innovative environmental recycling processes.…