University of Tasmania, Australia

The forum will be held in partnership with DEDTA, as part of the Australian Innovation Research Centre (AIRC) collaboration agreement with the State Government. This agreement provides policy relevant data and advice for economic development in the State, with a focus on building the economic capacity of Tasmanian firms.

An additional area of research, based on a two-year research project for the Commonwealth Government, is on measuring innovation in the public sector and identifying the factors that promote success in public sector innovation. This research also has implications for the Tasmanian State Government.

The first speaker, Deputy Director Carol Harding, will provide a five minute overview of the AIRC and its three activities: research, teaching and community engagement.

The second speaker, Prof. Anthony Arundel, will provide some of the highlights of his research on innovation in the public sector and draw on data from survey research in Australia and Europe.

The third speaker, Jonathan West, will draw on AIRC research on alternatives for economic development in the State and his own research on what works in Tasmania. He will outline how the lessons of success in Tasmania can be applied to other areas of the Tasmanian economy.

The fourth speaker, Dr Tristan Richards from Department of Economic Development, Tourism and the Arts, will discuss the role of innovation in supporting the Tasmanian Government's Economic Development Plan. Tristan will reflect on the collaborative relationship with the AIRC since 2006 which includes research highlights that have informed the economic direction of Tasmania. This relationship provides a strong foundation for the future of innovation in Tasmania.

The forum will highlight creative approaches to innovation in both the private and public sectors.  

The goal is to further support collaboration between DEDTA and the AIRC and to attract the interest of UTAS researchers from business, social sciences and science backgrounds who may be interested in collaborating on future innovation research.

The forum will be followed by networking over drinks and nibbles.

Anyone interested in innovation in Tasmania: academics, government, business, industry and members of the general public are invited to attend.