Overview
The directorate, through Innovation, Industry and Investment, delivers:
- programs to accelerate the commercialisation of locally generated intellectual property and to enhance the innovation capability of the private sector;
- activities to support the ongoing internationalisation of the ACT economy through trade and investment, and supporting the work of the Commissioner for International Engagement; and
- initiatives and policy advice to promote the economic development of the ACT region, in collaboration with the ACT’s universities, research organisations, innovation partners and business organisations.
The Innovation, Industry and Investment business area works closely with Higher Education, Training and Research to deliver collaborative sector building projects in partnership with ACT region higher education and research institutions.
Highlights
In 2018-19 the directorate:
- continued the implementation of Confident and Business Ready: Building on Our Strengths, focusing on investment promotion, attraction and facilitation, innovation and entrepreneurship, international trade and engagement, and the ACT’s key sector capability areas, with the overarching goal of supporting the government commitment to grow and diversify the ACT economy;
- progressed development of this commitment in partnership with the ACT Vice Chancellors’ Forum, the CBR Innovation Network, the ACT Defence Industry Advisory Board, the Canberra Space Sector Development Working Group and the Canberra Node of AustCyber (The Australian Cyber Security Growth Network);
- delivered the first round of funding under the Priority Investment Program, awarding funding support to the value of $4.6 million to four proposals covering the space, agri-technology and renewable energy sectors and $0.6 million to the cybersecurity sector;
- established the CBR Screen Fund, providing funding support to seven productions, with a total investment of $570,000, aimed at the development of Canberra stories and content, building local screen industry capability, and attracting productions and film industry activity to Canberra;
- supported the Commissioner for International Engagement to implement the International Engagement Strategy, promote trade and investment opportunities in the ACT and support ACT businesses access export markets, and deliver five Chief Minister international delegations to priority international markets (Singapore, Hong Kong and Seoul: July 2018; Japan: October 2018; New Zealand: November 2018; Indonesia: February 2019; and Hong Kong and China: March 2019);
- delivered the 2018 ACT Chief Minister’s Export Awards, with Aspen Medical named as joint 2018 Australian Exporter of the Year (joint winner with South Australian business SEAPA);
- secured the delivery of the 2019 to 2022 TradeStart Program to assist small and medium sized exporters achieve success in international markets, in partnership and supported by Austrade;
- in partnership with the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), secured the establishment of an embedded ACT Singapore Officer under Austrade’s State Specialist Model, to be co-located in the Australian Austrade office in Singapore, to deliver a plan to support trade, investment and education opportunities for the ACT;
- delivered the International Business Engagement Program in partnership with the Canberra Business Chamber, including the establishment of International Business Connect, a networking platform providing support and guidance to new and established businesses accessing international markets;
- delivered the ACT Vice-Chancellors’ Forum in November 2018, focused on the economic contribution of Canberra’s tertiary education and research sector; a tertiary education sector environmental scan; student safety; and an evaluation of the Study Canberra program;
- supported the CBR Innovation Network in its charter to grow innovation and entrepreneurship through program activity such as: delivering 16 collaborative innovation workshops, with more than 700 people attending; direct engagement with more than 50 small‑to‑medium sized enterprises in CBR Innovation Network programs and services such as KILN Incubator, GRIFFIN Accelerator and Entry29; facilitating more than 290 industry networking events; and hosting more than 10,000 people across its suite of workshops, events and programs;
- delivered the Innovation Connect grant program in partnership with the CBR Innovation Network, providing funding support to 14 projects and totalling $388,000;
- delivered the Belconnen Business Showcase, which featured a series of events showcasing the Belconnen Business Community, cultivating collaboration, and improving awareness of town planning information and government services available to local businesses in the Belconnen area;
- promoted Canberra as a location to undertake trials of new innovative technologies, for example the CANdrive trial involving driver awareness monitoring in automated vehicles in a collaboration between Seeing Machines, the University of Canberra and the University of Newcastle, which has resulted in consideration of driver awareness monitoring by new car assessment authorities;
- established a WoG Working Group to develop an approach to the rollout of 5G by the mobile carriers to ensure that this progress is efficient, fair, safe and responsive to the extent practicable to community concerns;
- continued the delivery of CBRfree Wi-Fi across town centres and key public spaces, providing around 478,000 unique access log-ins to Canberrans and visitors annually;
- delivered the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Business Development and Entrepreneurship Program, providing targeted business, product and finance workshops, specialist business advice sessions and mentoring, introducing local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses to existing business support programs, and linking with formal training and education from the Canberra Institute of Technology;
- appointed a fulltime Manager to the Canberra AustCyber Node, delivered three Canberra Node Industry Advisory Group meetings, and established the 2019-20 Canberra Node Workplan;
- partnered with Austrade to support participation by eight Canberra companies at RSA Conference in San Francisco – the world’s largest cyber security conference drawing more than 50,000 attendees;
- continued to promote the ACT’s defence industry strengths through the work of the Defence Industry Advisory Board and Defence Ambassadors, leveraging the established defence presence in the ACT and supporting Canberra region businesses to maximise opportunities from defence sector activity;
- delivered Team Canberra participation at Land Forces 2018 in Adelaide and MilCIS (Military Communications and Information Systems) held in Canberra during November2018;
- delivered a Defence, Cyber, Space student-industry STEM skills connect event, facilitating connections between 20+ companies and approximately 100 STEM students;
- delivered a Defence Veterans Industry Connect Event to engage with the local defence industry and provided a platform for veterans to connect with leading defence, cyber, space and related industry employers in the ACT;
- supported delivery of the annual Aerospace Futures conference held in Canberra in July 2018 and the International Workshop on Space Laser Ranging held in Canberra in November 2018;
- supported the Australian Space Industry Association Conference at the 2019 Avalon Airshow to promote Canberra’s space capabilities and attract new investment;
- secured a Memorandum of Understanding between the ACT Government and the Australian Space Agency for the advancement and growth of the national space industry sector, highlighting areas of competitive strength for the local space industry; and
- increased the ability of the ACT Government to support businesses in the Canberra region seeking to export their goods and services through strategic partnerships with the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade): an embedded Business Development Manager position will be co-located in the Australian Austrade office in Singapore and the Innovation Industry and Investment team will deliver Austrade’s TradeStart Program From 2019 to 2022.
Strategic Projects has continued to facilitate government’s consideration of major projects and investment proposals that have potential to create local jobs and help grow and diversify the Territory’s economy. These have included:
- a formal proposal by the University of New South Wales to develop a new campus in the City’s east; and
- two unsolicited proposals received under the former Investment Proposal Guidelines and the resolution of decisions by government to: end Aquis Entertainment’s proposal for redevelopment of the Canberra Casino, as announced in December 2018; and progress negotiations with the Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE) for the direct sale of land in Watson as announced in April 2019. Negotiations with AIE are underway.
The directorate had four accountability indicators containing ten separate measures. Of the ten measures, eight were met and two were exceeded.
The eight measures met were: Number of lead responses generated from Invest Canberra program activity; Key Capability Area Fund; Defence Industry advocacy; ACT Vice Chancellors’ Forum; Cyber industry development; Space industry development; Screen industry through Screen Canberra; and CBR Innovation Network and associated programs.
The two measures exceeded were:
- Number of international trade and investment campaigns and delegations – (Target 4, Outcome 5) exceeded its 2018‑19 Target by 25% This is due to delivery of one additional international trade delegation than forecast in supporting implementation of the International Engagement Strategy. International delegations delivered during the reporting period were Singapore, Hong Kong and Seoul: July 2018; Japan: October 2018; New Zealand: November 2018; Indonesia: February 2019; and Hong Kong and China: March 2019; and
- Major projects under facilitation management – (Target 2, Outcome 3) exceeded its 2018-19 Target by 50%. When establishing the 2018‑19 target for this measure it was anticipated that facilitation management for one project would be concluded prior to the commencement of the 2018‑19 reporting period, however this project continued into 2018‑19 resulting in an actual outcome of three projects under facilitation management during the reporting period.
Future Direction
In 2019-20 the directorate will:
- work with the ACT’s embedded Business Development Manager in Austrade’s Singapore office to promote trade and education opportunities as well as enhance foreign investment attraction outcomes for the ACT. The Business Development Manager will provide services to ACT companies, individuals and agencies in order to generate economic outcomes and to support ACT international engagement across Singapore and South East Asia;
- deliver Host a TradeStart Advisor, co-funded by Austrade, to export advisory services and leverage Austrade’s extensive offshore networks and resources to assist local businesses to develop international markets;
- collaborate with key stakeholders to develop targeted investment attraction strategies that support commercialisation opportunities linked to the ACT’s key capability sectors;
- continue to progress and promote Canberra’s defence, space and spatial technologies, and cyber security strengths and assets;
- deliver the Woden Business Showcase in October 2019, highlighting the growing medical innovation and business community in the area;
- support the Commissioner for International Engagement’s ongoing implementation of the International Engagement Strategy and international trade delegations with programs that support investment attraction and internationalisation of the ACT economy;
- facilitate government decisions on a proposal by the University of NSW for a new city campus and for the location of a new CIT campus; and
- implement government decisions relating to the development of Canberra Technology Park.
Further information can be obtained from
Kareena Arthy
Deputy Director-General
Economic Development
+ 61 2 6207 5564
Kareena.Arthy@act.gov.au
Craig Harrison
Executive Branch Manager
Strategy and Policy
+ 61 2 6207 4607
Craig.Harrison@act.gov.au