Archives
CSIRO and Australian innovation: A business commentary
Narelle Kennedy
Chief Executive, Australian Business Foundation, North Sydney NSW
Abstract
The Australian Business Foundation's view of the role of CSIRO in Australia's innovation system is predicated on a shift in perception about what constitutes innovation. Innovation is the smart application of knowledge to transform businesses, driven by market and customer demands, not just by the commercialisation of intellectual property from science and research.
This re-interpretation, based on the Foundation's own research, and its adoption necessitates a shift in Australia's innovation policy from the current emphasis on increasing the supply of science and research to one that supports the 'demand pull' of business engagement with customers and markets. This wider angle on innovation policy maximises the benefits to Australia in terms of productivity and economic development. It also serves to expand, not diminish, CSIRO's role as a catalyst for Australian innovation.
Keywords
innovation, research and development, business transformation, knowledge economy, technology, policy, commercialisation
References
Australian Bureau of Statistics and Department of Industry Tourism and Resources (2006) Patterns of Innovation in Australian Businesses 2003, ABS and DITR, Canberra.
The Allen Consulting Group Pty Ltd (1997) Winning Companies and Jobs. How high growth and knowledge-intensive industries create jobs, Australian Business Foundation, Sydney.
CSIRO (2006) Public Support for Science and Innovation. A submission to the Productivity Commission from CSIRO, CSIRO, Canberra.
Dodgson M and Innes P (2006) Australian Innovation in Manufacturing: Results from an International Survey, Australian Business Foundation, Sydney.
GBN Australia (1999) Alternative Futures: Scenarios for Business in Australia to the Year 2015, Australian Business Foundation, Sydney.
Hall R (2003) Knowledge Management in the New Business Environment, 2 volumes, Australian Business Foundation, Sydney.
Howard J (2004) 'Business, Higher Education and Innovation: Institutions for Engagement in a Mode 2 Society', unpublished doctoral thesis, University of Sydney, Sydney.
Marceau J, Manley K and Sicklen D (1997) The High Road or the Low Road? Alternatives for Australia's Future, Australian Business Foundation, Sydney.
Marceau J and Manley K (1999) Innovation Checkpoint 1999: Innovation in Australian Businesses, Australian Business Foundation, Sydney.
Marceau J, Cook N, Dalton B and Wixted B (2002) Selling Solutions: Emerging Patterns of Product-Service Linkage in the Australian Economy, Australian Business Foundation, Sydney.
Marsh I and Shaw B (2000) Australia's Wine Industry: Collaboration and Learning as Causes of Competitive Success, Australian Business Foundation, Sydney.
McKinsey Global Institute with assistance from R Solow, B Bosworth, T Hall and J Triplett (2001) US Productivity Growth 1995-2000: Understanding the contribution of information technology relative to other factors, McKinsey and Company Inc, Washington.
Ramsay C and Bladier R (2005) Success Factors in Australian Industries: Levers for Fostering and Sustaining Growth Industries - A Synthesis of Earlier Research, Australian Business Foundation, Sydney.
Roos G, Fernström L and Gupta O (2005) National Innovation Systems: Finland, Sweden and Australia Compared, Australian Business Foundation, Sydney.
Scott-Kemmis D, Holmen M, Balaguer A, Dalitz R, Bryant K, Jones A and Matthews J (2005) No Simple Solutions: How Sectoral Innovation Systems Can Be Transformed, Australian National University, Canberra.
Smith K (2004) The Knowledge Economy in the Australian Context, re-published in Smith K (2006) Innovation and the Knowledge Economy in Australia, Australian Business Foundation, Sydney.
Smith K (2005) Promoting Innovation in Australia: Business and Policy Issues, re-published in Smith K (2006) Innovation & the Knowledge Economy in Australia, pp.6-31, Australian Business Foundation, Sydney.
Smith K (2004) The Knowledge Economy in the Australian Context, in Smith K (2006) Innovation and the Knowledge Economy in Australia, pp.32-63, Australian Business Foundation, Sydney.
Thorburn L and Langdale J (2003) Embracing Change: Case Studies on How Australian Firms Use Incremental Innovation to Support Growth, Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources for Science and Innovation Mapping Study, Canberra.
Vitale M (2004) Commercialising Australian Biotechnology, Australian Business Foundation, Sydney.
eContent Home