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Discussion Paper
Innovation Leadership Forum: Meeting the challenges – Developing an Innovation Action Agenda
Abstract
Preface
Innovation is a major source of competitiveness for firms and nations around the world. The challenge is not just to be innovative, but to lead innovation. To develop strategic advantage from innovation, Australian firms need to be ahead of the game when it comes to developing new products and services, using new organisational arrangements and incentives, and building new business relationships.
The summit provided an opportunity to bring together multiple perspectives on these critical questions. Its objectives were to build a community of interested parties to share knowledge on what we know and don’t know about innovation in Australia. Its intention was to produce a clear statement on the significance of, and responses needed to, the challenges of developing an innovative Australia.
The Melbourne summit was preceded by invitation-only working forums in Brisbane and Sydney. The Brisbane forum in October looked at policy frameworks for innovation, while the November Sydney roundtable examined a variety of corporate perspectives on approaches to innovation.
Overall, about 250 key people from governments, industry associations, individual firms, research agencies and universities contributed to the dialogue.
From the active dialogue at this and preceding summits in Brisbane and Melbourne a working statement has been drawn together summarising:
- Areas of broad consensus
- The challenges Australia faces
- Issues we need to address
- Leadership priorities
- Open issues and matters for further attention
The proceedings of the Melbourne Forum were structured as follows:
- Morning keynote presentations and discussion as thought starters and to set the scene;
- Working lunch table discussions about possible leadership priorities;
- Early afternoon panel sessions to crystallise views on the leadership challenges; and
- Closing sessions on setting a forward looking national agenda.
This record of the proceedings mirrors the programme for the day.
Going into 2007 the Innovation Leadership Forum will continue with a further series of roundtable meetings to address the open issues and the matters we have identified for further attention. We hope that this process will further broaden the emerging coalition of people committed to promoting an innovative Australia.
We thank the organisations and individuals who have generously sponsored and supported this series of forums, Brendan Lewis who organised the Melbourne event, and the staff from the University of Queensland Business School. It has been a truly collaborative exercise.
View the full discussion paper [pdf 724kb]
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