• About AusInnovate
• AusInnovate Goals
• Who Should Attend
• The Greatest Wealth Creation Industry the World Has Known
• In Our Backyard: Australian Innovation Success

Why R&D in Australia Is Important?

About AusInnovate

AusInnovate is the most important research and development, innovation, and commercialisation conference that will be held in Australia this year, conducted as a partnership between the nation’s premier R&D agencies – NICTA, CSIRO ICT Centre, and the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) – and CeBIT Australia.

The combination of Australia’s flagship R&D organisations with the business-focused CeBIT Australia 2008 exhibition and conferences will draw together elite researchers, business leaders and technology entrepreneurs.

Australia boasts some of the best innovative talent in the world across a broad cross-section of technology disciplines. Yet, despite a small handful of stand-out exceptions, the nation underperforms commercially in taking its tech innovations to world markets.

AusInnovate seeks to be a catalyst for a national debate. If we truly are the clever country, how do we better drive our innovation talent toward commercial success and export performance? How do we turn Big Australian Ideas into large, wealth-generating Australian companies?

Australia’s future prosperity beyond the current mining boom will depend on how successful we are as a nation in turning our innovations into exports. AusInnovate aims to create vigorous discussion about where Australia should focus its innovation talent – and then to develop a critical path to market.

Hosted by ABC Radio National morning presenter Fran Kelly, and featuring both local and international speakers from the fields of R&D, venture capital, politics, and commercialisation, AusInnovate promises to be provocative and engaging, but most of it aims to be productive.

AusInnovate Goals

The aims of AusInnovate are simple:

• To create a forum at the highest levels of the research and business communities to debate innovation and commercialisation priorities for the nation; to build a roadmap for improved commercial success of Australian ICT innovation in world markets
• To create a platform for Australian innovators and researchers to showcase their ideas and projects, their skills and creative talents to the commercial enterprises
• To create a productive, engaging discussion environment that attracts the research, business and political elite to network and debate
• To create an environment that encourages industry investment in R&D, and encourages greater private sector engagement with our public sector researchers
• To raise the mainstream community profile of Australia’s ICT research and entrepreneurial talent; to use the power of example to attract Australia’s best and brightest youngsters into core innovation fields like physics and mathematics, engineering and computer science.

AusInnovate is an ambitious conference program with a big agenda and big goals for our industry. But it is a conference established with great optimism for the future.

The expertise and R&D connections of NICTA, CSIRO and the DSTO, coupled with the business profile of CeBIT Australia 2008 (and professional event management of Hannover Fairs Australia) has created an event of a scale and profile to match the importance of the ICT industry to Australia’s future prosperity.

With a high-level keynote speaker at a special delegate luncheon, and an exclusive invitation-only ‘Innovation-Nation’ cocktail event at the Home club in Darling Harbour, AusInnovate incorporates important and professionally structured networking opportunities.

For researchers and developers, entrepreneurs and investors, business leaders, product innovators, commercial development experts and government policy directors, AusInnovate promises to be the most important conference held in Australia this year.

Who Should Attend?

While this is a research & development event, it focuses on business, commercial, political and technical imperatives for Australia – and is designed to be both accessible and appealing to a broad delegate background.

• Senior Management (Chief Executives, Chief Technology Officers, Chief Financial Officers, Chief Marketing Officer)
• Entrepreneurs and business owners
• Private sector researchers and developers
• University researchers and developers
• Venture capitalists
• Technology exporters
• Senior government policy executives
• Business and management consultants
• Commercialisation experts

The Greatest Wealth Creation Industry the World Has Known

• The global ICT industry is a marketplace that turns over A$3,200 billion worldwide every year, and still retains the sector with the greatest potential for continued growth
• Global technology sector sales grew at about four percent last year, adding A$128 billion to the total market volume in just 12 months
• In Europe, one in three patents filed come from the ICT industry as businesses and government’s seek to capitalise on the sec¬tors wealth-generation capacity
• Australia’s pool of technology research and development is both respected and recognised globally … Can you recognise the markets where Australians have already established a develop¬ment lead?
• Could you recognise the next Google BEFORE it becomes the next Google?

In Our Backyard: Australian Innovation Success

Did you know?

• Breakthrough wireless data networking technology found in tens of millions of notebook PCs and mobile devices worldwide was developed by Australian researchers at Radiata in Australia.
• Eight out of ten of the world’s top mining companies use specialist software designed by Australian developers at mining specialist Mincom in Australia.
• Search giant Google based large parts of its global Google Maps platform on innovative software designed by Australian tech firm Where 2 Technologies in Australia.
• Australian innovator Cochlear Limited developed its hearing implant technology in Australia before taking it to the world – employing 1,700 people in a business that exports to more than 90 countries and staking a claim to more than 70 per cent the global market.

The report found 45 game developers reported an operating profit before tax of $8.5 million and an operating profit margin of 6.2 per cent.

The major source of income was the provision of game development services ($116.9 million), with most of that income (93 per cent or $108 million) came from overseas businesses.

Queensland and Victoria are the clear market leaders in the game development sector, accounting for 40 per cent and 33 per cent of game development income respectively, and 49 per cent and 33 per cent of employment.

There were 1,431 people employed in game development services in Australia at the end of June 2007., with the majority (90 per cent) being male.

Artists and animators represented 34 per cent of those employed, while programmers made up 29 per cent, the ABS figure revealed.

Innovation, Industry, Science and Research Minister Kim Carr has announced Government will spend $7 million on new collaborative research initiatives under the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund.

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“It is essential that we draw upon the expertise and knowledge that exists within the international innovation community in order to develop a world class innovation system,” Senator Carr said in a statement.

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While Boeing has a 20-year working relationship with local researchers at the CSIRO and Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), opening a Phantom Works in Australia will significantly deepen the relationship.

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The companies say they will focus on solutions for both consumers and business markets, and that the work would look at both desktop and mobile computing.

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