Innovation: Lessons from Australia (From The Argus)

Innovation: Lessons from Australia

10:22am Tuesday 27th July 2010 in Blogs By Melanie Farmer - Sussex Innovation Centre

The Australian wine industry is a great example of how Government cleverly support growth in that country. They created several associations aimed at educating the local palettes, unifying vineyards that are dispersed across a vast country and encouraging the 'cluster' sharing of innovation in the sector. This led to a massive impact on export. Together we're stronger, united we stand etc. This idea is replicated in the catamaran industry, and several others. There are some excellent white papers on the subject as well .

If any entrepreneurs are reading this and seeking support, why not approach pressure groups (eg Cancer Research UK) who often fund innovation. The traditional VC routes are not always the only source of funding. An added benefit is their endorsement and contacts/access to routes to market. Yes the regional development authorities may be on the way out which is against trends elsewhere (eg USA, Japan) and shows a lack of foresight in the UK, in my humble opinion, as to the important role of regional Government in supporting innovation growth (again, many white papers on the subject exist). However, the IGT (Innovation Growth Teams), while stripped down, are still offering subsidised support to entrepreneurs.

I've been in UK for 10 years at the award winning Sussex Innovation centre but am actually from Australia originally, hence my two cents on the great Southern land. Come on, Cameron, time to get behind our entrepreneurs with unifying industry bodies and regional support.