University of Tasmania, Australia

In 2013, the AIRC is conducting a third Tasmanian Innovation Census (TIC). The TIC is an ongoing study of the innovative activities of Tasmanian businesses with five or more employees. The TIC will be conducted between September and December 2013, and cover innovation activities over the three years to June 2013.

In 2013, the AIRC is conducting a third Tasmanian Innovation Census (TIC). The TIC is an ongoing study of the innovative activities of Tasmanian businesses with five or more employees. The TIC will be conducted between September and December 2013, and cover innovation activities over the three years to June 2013. Of note, the TIC is the only source of innovation data for all business sectors in Tasmania.

The first TIC was conducted by the AIRC in 2007, and the second in 2010. The 2007 TIC surveyed innovation activities in key industry sectors for the period January 2004 to December 2006.  The 2010 TIC surveyed key industry sectors for the financial years 2007-2008 to 2009-2010.

To ensure comparability with the 2007 and 2010 studies, the 2013 TIC repeats key questions on the types of innovations introduced by businesses as well as questions on innovation activities and outputs. This will importantly generate a third wave of a panel data, consisting of responses from the same set of businesses over time. AIRC researchers will use the results to identify changes in innovative activities and capabilities in the Tasmanian economy since 2007. In addition, the 2013 study replaces several 2010 survey questions with new questions on forms of knowledge transfer, capabilities, skills and business practices.

The TIC is distinct from other innovation surveys in that it aims to survey the entire target population, rather than a sample of the target population, covering all firms with five or more employees across all sectors of the Tasmanian economy. To date the TIC has resulted in both academic publications and policy relevant research for local, state and federal governments, covering topic areas such as innovation collaboration, capability development, innovation measurement, eco-innovation and innovation in the digital economy. Details can be found under the research outputs section of this page.

The TIC data collection phase will be conducted by Enterprise Marketing and Research Services (EMRS) using Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI), with fieldwork to be completed in December 2013. Data processing and editing will be undertaken in early 2014 and results will be published in the second half of 2014.

The main findings of the 2010 TIC are now available:

• Arundel, A, Torugsa, N, and O'Brien, K, 2012, Innovation in Difficult Times: Results from the 2010 Tasmanian Innovation Census, Australian Innovation Research Centre

The main findings of the 2007 TIC were released on 8 August 2008:

• Smith, K, O'Brien, K and Jerrim, S 2008, Innovation in Tasmania. An Innovation Census in an Australian State, Hobart Tasmania.

Methodological documentation:

• TIC/0612 - Technological and Methodological Issues for the 2010 Tasmanian Innovation Census
  Dr Ann Torugsa and Kieran O'Brien
• TIC/0208 - Technical and Methodological Issues in the Tasmanian Innovation Census
  Kieran O'Brien, Sophie Jerrim and Professor Keith Smith, 20 August 2008

Academic publications

• Torugsa, N and Arundel, A, 'Private-Public Collaboration and Innovation Performance: Does Training Matter?', International Journal of Innovation Management, 17 (3)
• Arundel, A and O'Brien, KR and Torugsa, N, 'How Firm Managers Understand Innovation: Implications for the Design of Innovation Surveys', Handbook of Innovation Indicators and Measurement, Edward Elgar Publishing, Fred Gault (ed), Cheltenham, the UK, pp. 88-108.
• O'Brien, K, 2013, The Evolution of New Subject Approaches to Innovation Measurement, and Implications for New Innovation Indicators, Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Commerce (Research), University of Tasmania.
• O'Brien, KR and Torugsa, N, 2011, 'Supply-Side Determinants of Energy Consumption and Efficiency (ECE) Innovations', Journal of Business Chemistry, 8 (3) pp. 115-122.

Policy relevant reports

• West, J, Arundel, A, Adams, D, Bowen Butchart, D, O'Brien, K, Gatenby, S, Polkan, E, Smart, R, Taylor, L, and Torugsa, N, 2012,  Diversifying Tasmania's Economy: Analysis and Options
• O'Brien, K, Torugsa, N and Arundel, A, 2011, Export & Innovation Indicators for Priority Sectors in Tasmania Report from the 2010 Tasmanian Innovation Census 
• O'Brien, K and Torugsa, N, 2011, A Profile of Research and Development and Innovation in the Tasmanian Economy: Report for the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Australian Innovation Research Centre.
• O'Brien, K and Torugsa, N, 2011, Data on the Digital Economy in Tasmania: Report from the 2010 Tasmanian Innovation Census, Australian Innovation Research Centre 
• O'Brien, K, 2010, Nature of Innovation in the Northern Tasmanian Region, Report for Northern Tasmania Development, Hobart, Tasmania.
• O'Brien, KH, Arundel, A and Jerrim, S, 2009, Structure, Business Demographics and Innovation in Burnie, Hobart, Tasmania.
• Smith, K and O'Brien, KH, 2008, Structure, Business Demographics and Innovation in Tasmanian Manufacturing, Hobart, Tasmania.

Working papers:

• TIC/0511 - Patterns of Collaboration for Innovation amongst Innovating Firms in Tasmania
  Dr Ann Torugsa
• WP/0810 - Growth, Skills and Innovation in the Tasmanian Industrial Sector: Key Changes Over Time and Potential for Future Growth
  Kieran O'Brien

Project Leaders

• Professor Anthony Arundel

Members

• Kieran O'Brien
• Dr Ann Torugsa
• Professor Jonathan West