“Above all, Australians seem to have an insatia- ble appetite for what is new, interesting and ex- citing,” Dr Batterham says. “We also have an ap- petite for debate and can ask the hard questions on topics such as stem cells, genetically-modified food and cloning.” However, he adds there is still a certain reticence in the laboratories and high-tech boardrooms and not enough engagement with the wider society. “We need to explain and share our visions and excitement,” he says. “For many in the innovation culture, wider communication is not yet legiti- mised and this is where the big challenge still lies.” Professor Robin Batterham AO was the Chief Sci- entist of Australia from 1999 to 2006. He has led a distinguished career in research and technology in both the public and private sectors. He worked with CSIRO as a research scientist and became chief of the division of mineral and process engineering in 1985. His government appointments include mem- bership of the Australian Research Council, the Ad- visory Panel of the Australian Institute of for Com- mercialisation, the Cooperative Research Centers Committee and the Science Prizes Committee.
“Although when you put that proposition to a company board, and tell them it will take five years to get that return, only a few brave souls – mainly in the larger companies – are prepared to go down that path.” Dr Batterham believes that the answer lies in adopting a more strategic focus for innovation awareness, targeted directly at raising 50,000 of Australia’s small firms – roughly 10 per cent – to a level where they become contenders for global players. In pockets of the economy, this is already hap- pening. The wine industry offers one model and mining technology offers another. “Today 20 per cent of French wine is made us- ing Australian brains – our oenologists,” Dr Bat- terham says. “This is because of their recognition that we got it right. We have a clear understand- ing of the global market, combined with sound research and development, and we produce a product that is high quality and highly competi- tive in price.” Aquaculture is showing signs of emasculating this success, he says. “To achieve it, we need sound research and de- velopment and collaboration in clusters, where it makes sense to do so. There is no doubt aquacul- ture is on the same takeoff curve as wine was a decade or so ago. To support this, where do you find more millionaires per head of population in Australia?” The answer is in Port Lincoln, South Australia, where the boom in tuna aquaculture is a clear sign you do not have to be located in a metropolis to ride the innovation wave. Like the neurones in his initial example, Dr Bat- terham says the magic lies in getting young indus- try clusters to fire. Sometimes the clusters can be
physical, such as the $150 million “Monash strip” which was launched in early 2002 with the aim of bringing together bright young companies and university research firepower.
very diverse companies, scattered widely, that are nevertheless united under a common banner and have a common view of the opportunities,” says Dr Batterham. “They are also prepared to work to- gether when it is sensible to do so.” The cluster/awareness approach, he feels, is an answer to the eternal problem for small firms of being so preoccupied with the daily challenges of staying alive that they find it hard to focus on the strategic horizon. Moving from an Australian-cen- tric view to a world-centric business view is much easier when there is a band of like-minded col- leagues egging you on, sharing ideas, experiences and expanding your awareness. Dr Batterham believes that our small enterpris- es can go a step further. “Large firms are now liv- ing off knowledge transfer,” he says. “If they have a problem, they share it on the intranet, and peo- ple with specialist knowledge start volunteering solutions. This is terribly powerful and it involves physically transforming knowledge by moving people about.” Sharing ideas - the next big challenge Batterham says he is not suggesting SMEs share staff, but if they form a really tight cluster, they can spark off one another, share ideas and pool resources, which is more than they can do on their own. Australia is well-endowed to launch the new innovation culture, as it has a strong science base that is increasingly looking for partners, and a high-quality education system. “Australians seem to have an insatiable appetite for what is new, interesting and exciting.”
This echoes the success of the United King- dom’s “Cambridge strip”, where about 1400 high- tech companies have been seeded. Growth has been phenomenal, with some now earning a bil- lion euros each. Sometimes the clusters are based around an industry or an idea, even though the companies themselves may be scattered widely. AUSTMINE, consisting of 130 firms now earning $2 billion through exports of mineral know-how, is a case in point. It is located across the continent. “This shows that you can have a selection of
HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/X2DWY2SSFHC?SI=JOUVLN- Z2P38XP3_Y
Interesting viewing - Aquaculture Is Taking The world by storm & it’s attracting billionaires!
INNOVATIA
228
INNOVATIA
| Science
229
Powered by FlippingBook