The “3 legged stool” of academia, government and business. Connect strategically – target 7 priority sectors - and move forwards.
Australia is 72nd in the world for knowledge diffusion on the GII Index.
That means we generate ideas, but keep them hidden. Private. Secret.
Not aways deliberately, but mostly due to lack of strategic and efficient distribution channels, lack of time or ability, or no knowledge of potential customer interest.
Our mainstream media is not committed to the promotion and sharing of knowledge. It doesn’t sell newspapers or ratings. Though we still have the Science Show on ABC Radio National, plus Dr Karl and Norman Swan on the Health Report.
But it is all ad hoc.
Australia needs the promotion and sharing of knowledge to be seamless. Strategic. Across business. Regions. High schools. Targeting the National reconstruction Fund seven priority sectors and beyond.
“I’ve got a website doesn’t work”. ?Nobody will visit a website if they don’t know that something of value is present. People don’t know what they don’t know.
All government websites are now “vanilla”. Filtered by legal, marketing, political advisors and time to a level of uselessness.
And nobody in their right mind is going to visit 40 university websites to see if there is anything or interest either. Just in case. Same with CSIRO.
Yet they all have articles, ideas, innovations, videos, news and information about inventions that would be of big interest if anybody knew they were there.
We don’t share knowledge within Australia effectively or strategically.
Ask most people what value is being created in our research institutions and they won’t have a clue. I regularly ask people, “what does CSIRO do?” Blank stares.
Our research institutions are single minded. Their main customers are government for funding, and students and parents, both here and overseas for enrolments and teaching. A visit to any university website will demonstrate that.
Industry engagement is the “last hair on the tail of the last dog”. Almost incidental.
Which is a shame, because businesses across all industries need to know what is happening in Australian research institutions. That research and knowledge may help. Can help. And will help once businesses and academia begin to share effectively and strategically
For knowledge does not diffuse by accident. It needs targeted and strategic promotion.
Direction. Purpose. Vision. How do we support rebuilding Australia’s economic complexity?
Where engagement happens at all, it is ad hoc, local, personal – friend of a friend.
There is no national strategy.
Imagine what might be, if our universities were able to share their knowledge (needs funding), targeting the seven-priority industry sectors the National Reconstruction Fund focuses on.
For the first time ever, we would be aligning government, academia and industry with vision.
Renewables, Medical Science, Transport, Agritech, Resources, Defence and Enabling Capabilities.
We have about 40 research-based universities, CSIRO and other institutes.
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All generate new ideas, innovations, inventions and knowledge.
But most of that information remains inside and is not shared with those of us outside.
It is true that the primary role of universities, CSIRO and institutes is research and educating students.
Industry engagement is a minor addition to that role. But an important one.
And it is not funded by Federal government, unlike research and education. It should be.
So, most universities that do engage with industry – are either seeking research funding (from the larger businesses that can afford it) or reaching out from a spirit of good will and local vested interest.
“We should be engaging with our local communities, that is where most of our students will come from.” A box ticking exercise.
Regional universities have more motivation to engage with their local communities. Because on the whole, they are not as attractive to the foreign student market that the sandstones rely on.
We are bad at sharing ideas within Australia, compared to others.
Finland - 1st, Israel - 2nd, Ireland - 3rd and Switzerland - 4th are the best at sharing.
And guess what? They are also high up the listings for economic complexity as well.
Finland is 15th, Israel is 21st, Ireland is 13th and Switzerland is 2nd in the world for economic complexity.
Whereas Australia is 72nd for knowledge diffusion and 93rd for economic complexity.
This holds us back.
In a digital age, knowledge sharing can be targeted. It can be orchestrated. Structured.
That is what the myREGION.au platform is for. Connecting regions, states, sectors and networks together to support sharing and collaboration.
And connecting government, academia and industry as well.
The more networks that collaborate and share, the faster we will rebuild our economic capability.
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Great article, John. This has been occupying me for a while. The key is intensionality: knowing why we have to do it. Covid has taught us the consequences of not being able to produce everything we need to keep our society going, and there are other similar global existential threats out there such as climate change and war. We are the only country with a continent all to itself so we have a unique opportunity to build a society that is capable of sustaining itself in any future global catastrophe from which we have some level of protection due to our relative isolation. We can then act as a kind of Noah’s Ark or lifeboat for those fleeing from danger. But it must be intentional. While we still have the capability we must identify what we need to be able to produce, determine where we get those things from now, and work to develop those capabilities ourselves. That gives us the urgency, because each essential capability is at the end of a long supply chain (eg computer chips). Trying to do this after the catastrophe is in play is too late. Having a plan of this importance and magnitude would operate as a framework for development and cooperation that will bring together and focus the efforts that you are already championing.
CEO at Digital Business insights
8 个月We have little or no sense of urgency. The sun shines. The sky is blue (mostly) and the coal and iron ore royalties pour in keeping Australia afloat. But we have to lift our game. We face multiple challenges and we are ill placed to respond to them. Yet the capacity is there. It just needs connecting and joining up with vision and direction. That means ignoring the election cycle. Refusing to play to what might impact the next election. Making decisions that benefit Australia in the short term, medium term and long term. That means a strategic view on how to go forwards. Using the 7 priority sectors to support connected and collaborative "missions". Big objectives that all Australians can get behind, using the intellect in our businesses and universities channelled through the priority sectors to achieve "mission" objectives. Help the "team players" get better at what they do (industry growth program), but then get them playing in teams targeting big picture missions - to rebuild economic complexity and provide high value, high reward jobs for our kids and grandkids, and solutions to the many "wicked problems" for export.
AIC - Executive Director
8 个月An important message, John, and a very useful service you are providing.? ?I can say from experience that in Australia we have very good 'legs'. Somehow, though, we want to create world-class outcomes just using just the leg we each represent . . . .? ? and we are frustrated when the thing falls over.? ?In places where amazing initiatives 'stand up' you'll find there's installed legs from Business (including industry), Academia AND Government.? ? ?And without this balance, the users, the market, the financiers, the beneficiaries are wary - it just doesn't 'look' right.? ? ? ...and it falls over. We're battling this at present through some projects at the AIC.? Its not easy getting the 3 legs to fit well into the whole.....? ? ? ? you actually need a sound PLATFORM to bring them all together? ? ? ?.....and in the end? ? ?it seems to be? ? that the thing becomes surprising stable, regardless of the landscape, precisely BECAUSE of the strength of the model.? At present its just far more difficult than it should be. We need visionary Platform Projects to work together on, from the very early stages, so each party continues to input their own strengths into a shared common vision.
Energy Efficiency | Data Analytics | Renewable Energy | Solution Sales | Masters Track Athlete
8 个月Llewellyn Owens
Co Founder PrimeLife Partners ??Building Australia's longevity economy ecosystem to transform the way we age, live, care and retire | 2x Tedx speaker
8 个月Spot on John Sheridan we are rudderless at the moment in Australia looping in Elliot Duff ???