On 22 January 2008, the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr, announced a wide ranging review of Australia's national innovation system to be conducted by an expert panel chaired by Dr Terry Cutler.
The establishment of the review recognises the vital role innovation plays in boosting productivity and international competitiveness, and re-iterates the Rudd Government's commitment to fostering innovation across the economy.
A Green Paper will be received from the panel by the end of July 2008, and this will be followed by a White Paper response from the Government.
EXPERT PANEL
SUBMISSIONS
The Submissions process has now closed
A Call for Submissions (336KB) (the submission issues paper)
EXPERT ROUNDTABLES
A number of invitation-only roundtables were run to help provide further information to the panel on a number of issues. The roundtables were:
Human Capital and Workplace Innovation - Melbourne, 2 May 2008
Funding Models - Melbourne, 9 May 2008
Public Sector Innovation - Canberra, 12 May 2008
Rural Innovation - Canberra 26 May 2008
Information Policy and Information Markets - Brisbane, 30 May 2008
Tropical Innovation - Townsville, 2 June 2008; Cairns, 3 June 2008
Government Procurement - Canberra, 5 June 2008
Measuring Innovation and Setting Targets - Canberra, 6 June 2008
National Facilities and Collections - Canberra, 11 June 2008
AN INNOVATIVE VIEW ON INNOVATION
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Sometimes pictures and cartoon commentary gives us novel and
challenging insights.
Melbourne cartoonist, FirstDogontheMoon, provides his
perspective on innovation in the innovation cartoon gallery. |
LINKS
The Review Panel is keen to promote the widest possible discussion of the issues around its terms of reference. There are also a number of important parallel discussions occurring within Government which bear of the Review, notably related reviews and the Australia 2020 Summit. Links to these other Government sites or Reviews are set out below.
In addition some non-government organisations and individuals are promoting online discussion of innovations issues, which contribute to the diversity of the discussion. The Review Panel welcomes this wider discussion and invites anyone to suggest a link to any such Forum (please contact our web manager).
CONTACT THE REVIEW SECRETARIAT
For information on the Review, including the submissions process, please email the Secretariat, or call +61 2 6276 1693
MEDIA CENTRE
Video Presentations
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Presentation (18.3MB) to the National Measurement Institute Innovation Symposium, by Dr Terry Cutler on 28 April 2008.
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Introduction (2.2MB) to the Review from Minister Carr and Review Panel Chair Dr Terry Cutler.
Speeches
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Prime Minister's speech Towards a Productivity Revolution, to the Australian/Melbourne Institute 2008 Economic and Social Outlook Conference.
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Minister's speech New Agenda for Prosperity, to the Australian/Melbourne Institute 2008 Economic and Social Outlook Conference.
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Chair's speech to the Australian Industry Research Group, 28 February 2008.
Powerpoint Presentations
Presentation (1.5MB) by Dr Terry Cutler to each of the stakeholder consultations.-
Presentation (1.3MB) by Dr Terry Cutler to the Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovation Council, on Wednesday 23 April 2008
Media Releases
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media release - Minister Carr announces four International Advisers to assist the Panel in undertaking the Review of the National innovation System.
- media release announcing the lastest funding round for the Australian Research Council's Linkage Learned Academies Special Projects scheme.
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media release on the Minister's response to the release of the Call for Submission paper
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- media release on the Chair's speech to the Australian Industrial Research Group.
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media release announcing the review of the CRC Program as part of the broader review.
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media release announcing Professor John Foster has joined the review of the national innovation system.
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media release announcing the review of the national innovation system.
Terms of Reference
Questions and Answers about the Review
Review Fact Sheet
TERMS OF REFERENCE
The Government is committed to building a strong national innovation system, in recognition of the vital role innovation plays in productivity and economic growth, and in meeting the challenges Australia faces.
In this context, the Government has appointed an expert panel to review the national innovation system and the coherence and effectiveness of existing Government support for innovation.
The Panel will identify gaps and weaknesses in the innovation system and develop proposals to address them. In particular, it will:
- Identify a set of principles to underpin the role and participation of the public sector in innovation.
- Develop a set of national innovation priorities to complement the national research priorities, ensuring the objectives of research programs and other innovation initiatives are complementary.
- Identify regulatory and other barriers to innovation and recommend ways to minimise these.
- Examine the scope for simplifying and reducing program duplication and ensuring that any support provided is well-targeted and easy to access.
- Consider the appropriateness, effectiveness and efficiency of the Research and Development (R&D) Tax Concession Scheme in promoting innovation and make recommendations to improve innovation outcomes.
- Consider ways to improve the governance of the national innovation system to support higher expectations of government agencies and industry.
- Assess the appropriateness, effectiveness and efficiency of the Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Program and make recommendations to improve innovation outcomes.
In conducting the review the Panel is to have regard to relevant reports and studies, including the Productivity Commission's Report on Public Support for Science and Innovation. The Panel is to consult nationally and provide a 'Green Paper' to the Government detailing policy options by 31 July 2008. The Green Paper will be released for public comment and used as the basis for the development of a Government 'White Paper'.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE REVIEW
What is the timeframe for the Review of the National Innovation System?
The Review will take 6 months. It was announced by Minister Kim Carr on 22 January 2008 and it will provide its report (a Green Paper) to Government by the end of July 2008.
What will follow when the Review reports to the Minister in July?
The Government will publicly release the Green Paper shortly after it is received in July, and will invite comments from stakeholders on its findings. The Government will then develop its response in the form of a White Paper later in 2008.
How can stakeholders input to the Review?
The Expert Panel undertaking the Review conducted stakeholder meetings across Australia in March. Over 1000 people participated in the consultations. There were up to three meetings for each State and Territory capital, comprising business, government and academia (research providers). The sessions with most participants were for business.
Who do I contact if I want more information?
The Review can be contacted by emailing the Secretariat, or calling +61 2 6276 1693
Who is conducting the Review?
The Review is being conducted by an Expert Panel, Chaired by Dr Terry Cutler. To assist the Expert Panel, three Working Groups have been established.
To assist the Panel in it's work, four international advisers have been appointed. They are:
- Professor Alan Hughes (University of Cambridge)
- Professor Richard Lester(Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
- Professor Stan Metcalfe (Professor Emeritus at the University of Manchester)
- Professor Keith Smith (Professor of Innovation, Australian Innovation Research Centre)
Who is on the Secretariat?
The Expert Panel and Working Groups are being supported by a Secretariat. The Secretariat comprises a dedicated group of officers within the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, and a smaller number of officers from outside the Department who are contributing on a part time basis in specialist areas.