University of Tasmania, Australia

This project was conducted for the Burnie City Council, and reviewed the innovation characteristics of the area, and how they compare with the rest of Tasmania. 

This project analysed the data collected from firms located in the Burnie Local Government Area with five or more employees, who participated in the Tasmanian Innovation Census (TIC) in 2007.  Data included business demographics; innovative activity; innovation inputs and outputs; patterns of collaboration; value chains; government assistance for innovation; and, the ‘most important innovations’ of firms.  Results from the Burnie region were compared to those from the rest of Tasmania.

The Tasmanian Innovation Census consists of a detailed company level survey of innovation activity in Tasmania, collecting data on innovation activities, investment in innovation, sales from innovative products, research and development activities, collaboration, key innovation outputs, and business demographic information such as turnover and number of employees.  In the Burnie region, the TIC target population consisted of 110 firms.  Completed questionnaires were received from 62 of these firms, giving a response rate of 56.4%.

This project sought to:

• Provide an analysis of the Burnie regional economy (distribution of firms, sectoral distribution of turnover, exports)
• Provide an indication of innovation in the Burnie region (innovation-active firms, types of innovation activity)
• Identify innovation input activities and investment
• Identify innovation outputs (sales)
• Identify collaboration patterns of innovating firms
• Identify and quantify innovative performance of firms in the Burnie region
• Outline areas for further investigation to deepen understanding of the issues around improving regional innovation capacity and performance

• O’Brien, KH, Arundel, A and Jerrim, S 2009, Structure, Business Demographics and Innovation in Burnie, Hobart, Tasmania.
• O’Brien, KH, Arundel, A and Jerrim, S 2009, Structure, Business Demographics and Innovation in Burnie, TIC/0409, Working Paper, Australian Innovation Research Centre, University of Tasmania.

Members

• Kieran O'Brien

Members (External)

• Sophie Jerrim