Cooperative Research Australia (CRA) has applauded the launch of a review into the nation’s research and development (R&D) system, announced by Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic.
The review will be guided by a newly appointed expert panel and aims to strengthen Australia’s innovation framework, the organisation said in a news release.
CRA CEO Jane O’Dwyer described the review as a critical step toward ensuring Australia’s economic resilience and innovation capacity.
“Building on our R&D capacity and capability is essential to securing a resilient and innovative economy that will provide well for Australians now and into the future,” O’Dwyer said.
The review’s Terms of Reference include a focused examination of industry-research collaboration, a move O’Dwyer praised as integral to maximising the impact of national R&D investments.
She highlighted the Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) program as a standout example of successful collaboration between industry and research institutions, calling it a flagship of Australia’s innovation system.
CRA organises the yearly National Innovation Policy Forum (NIPF), aimed at uniting businesses, industries, government bodies, and cross-sector organisations to collaborate on strengthening Australia’s innovation system and enhancing its capacity.
The recent forum, opened by Minister Husic, aligned closely with the review’s objectives, exploring ways to optimise Australia’s innovation ecosystem.
Policy priorities emerging from the forum included:
- National Innovation Framework: a central innovation body, leverage superannuation funds for domestic innovation, and promote evidence-based policy development.
- Cohesive Innovation Vision: a unified view and understanding of our innovation system and emphasise its role in addressing economic challenges and driving national productivity.
- Access and Procurement Improvements: Simplify procurement processes and integrate pathways for SMEs to grow from early innovation stages to large-scale.
- Strengthened Government Support: Establish “first customer” mechanisms, stabilise funding frameworks, and incentivise local innovation adoption.
- Collaboration and Export Focus: Foster closer ties between academia and industry, support export-oriented SMEs, and create supplier networks to scale innovation nationally and globally.
“This R&D Review comes at a crucial time for Australian innovation and shaping our future business model. Our community of expert contributors to Australian innovation are very much looking forward to participating in the Review, helping to drive ideas, research and innovation across the nation,” O’Dwyer concluded.
