A community of practice for leaders of innovation precincts, places, hubs, and spaces

The Queensland government recently released a competitive fund to invest in innovative places and precincts . An information webinar supporting Stream 1 of the fund attracted over 75 participants. The fund's Stream 1 supports planning and strategy development for innovation places and precincts (up to $300,000 from a $4 million pool).

While the fund is competitive based on a limited pool of funds and a large number of applicants, the application process itself presents an amazing opportunity to build capacity and capability across the state's and Australia's precincts and places.

It is for this outcome I propose we trial a community of practice among leaders and supporters of innovation precincts and places.

You can register for the first online conversation Wednesday 2:00pm AEST: https://events.humanitix.com/incubation-community-of-practice-launch

Background and context

My recent post outlined the development of places and precincts in Australia over the past two decades. The Queensland fund highlights Australia's position to build connectivity, capacity, and capability in and on the existing infrastructure.

Physical incubators follow a specific business model that is tailored for each region, informed by the primary incubator funder, and specialised by focus area of sector, technology, or demographic. While there are many strategies common to incubators, there are a number of variables impacting the implementation of those strategies. For insight into the diversity of spaces and places in Australia, I maintain a running map of incubators including their areas of impact and funding models.

The current structure of the fund's Stream 1 is for each hub to secure a third-party expert, submit an application, and receive funding. This will inevitably create winners and losers in a 'zero sum' game. The fund also does not have a regional quota, presenting the risk of increasing inequality for regions more advanced with the ability to put forward higher quality applications.

I am keen to explore with you how we can build strength in the innovation ecosystem through the application process. I believe that through collective action we can have a greater impact on not only Queensland's innovation ecosystem but also share knowledge nationally to build capability across Australia and create global connections through the application process itself. I am also keen to ensure that the submissions are of as high quality as possible to expand our view of excellence in incubation in Australia.

What would it look like to establish a community of practice for leaders and supporters of innovation precincts and places?

What we mean by a community of practice

Initially, the community of practice will form using the promise of the Queensland fund as a catalyst. The aim is to share knowledge and ideas about strategies and structures for innovative places and precincts to better inform the application process. Creative approaches may also emerge to give a collective voice for smaller operators and ensure equity in support across regions and demographics.

The Queensland fund also includes a Stream 2 in the future designed to create leadership across precincts and places. This community of practice may transition into that initiative or maintain a life of its own.

The proposed draft principles below are open to editing and expansion:

1. Raise the tide (Increase base knowledge)

The aim of the community is to provide:

a) clarity and understanding,

b) connections and connectivity,

c) capability and capacity,

d) collaboration opportunities, and

e) advocacy and promotion for innovation spaces, places, and precincts in Australia.

The more this is achieved for everyone, the better it is for the impact and outcomes on the Australian innovation ecosystem. Initially established for the Queensland fund, we feel all incubators can benefit from the community. We will widely give and widely share knowledge and insights.

2. Acknowledge competitive tension

We acknowledge the competitive tension from places pursuing members and funding. The community facilitates open sharing, but there may be strategies and details that cannot be shared due to governance or funding requirements.

3. Open marketplace

We encourage an open marketplace of supporters of places and precincts, with experts sharing their services, systems, and products for the benefit of the collective.

4. Inclusive (geography, demographic, technology, structure)

There will be a representation of places, spaces, and precincts across:

• diverse geographies from metro cities to rural and remote,
• demographics by gender, nationality, and age,
• different technologies and industry sectors, and
• funding structures including government, university, corporate and philanthropic.

The community will be open and address the needs of all.

5. Integrated into the ecosystem

We respect there may be others building capability and capacity in spaces and places. For example, Flexible Workspace Australia is the peak body in Australia for flexible workspaces, including incubation. We encourage all spaces and places to support them with membership. There will also be communities developed by state, technology, or sector that add value.

Agenda - what to expect

For each meeting, we can expect:

• Introductions and interesting updates
• Ecosystem update - items of interest from Australia's innovation ecosystem
• Content of interest - 10 minutes or so of national or global expertise from research and practice
• Challenges and opportunities - open facilitated conversation

The first session will confirm the approach.

Our "Why"

The community of practice is being established because we believe in the power of the collective to address complex challenges ideally suited for the innovation ecosystem. We also believe in ensuring the innovation ecosystem provides opportunities for everyone and not just those who already have access.

As to who is behind establishing the community, it is my personal initiative aligned to organisations I work with including the Rural Economies Centre of Excellence , Startup Status , and the Global Entrepreneurship Network Australia . I do not run an innovation space but managed one in the past and I completed my PhD thesis on the role of incubators in contributing to community resilience . I do not work for or represent the Queensland government but I have in the past with the Office of the Queensland Chief Entrepreneur office and I believe in supporting government innovation initiatives to have every chance of success.

This community is a trial. We may have one catch up or it may take a life of its own. It is a 'community of practice', defined by the community around the practice area of innovation places and precincts. What it looks like will be determined in part by who shows up.

You can register for the first Community of Practice meeting here: https://events.humanitix.com/incubation-community-of-practice-launch