Australian Innovation System Report released

As reported by R and D Info,  The Innovation Minister, Senator Kim Carr, has launched a new annual report on Australia’s innovation system.

The 95-page report, prepared by the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, provides an overview of key features and trends in the Australian innovation system; research capacity and skill base; business innovation; links and collaboration; and public sector innovation.

Metrics and baseline indicators and based on data most of which dates back to 2007-08 or earlier. The  report identifies the need for more timely and sensitive metrics of innovation performance.

Some of the report’s findings are:

• Australia’s gross expenditure on research and development (GERD) has grown at an annual rate of 6.1 per cent over the last twenty-two years in real terms, and businesses contributed two-thirds of the absolute GERD increase over this period.
• In 2007-08 the number of innovating firms increased to 39.1 per cent, up 6.4 percentage points from 2006-07. In 2007-08, the top three innovation sectors were wholesale trade, retail trade and manufacturing, with 51.4 per cent, 50.9 per cent and 45.6 per cent of businesses in those sectors innovating.
• The Australian innovation system consistently underperforms on most measures of collaboration and networking.
• Information technology, marketing and business management were the most frequent skills used for innovation.
• Eco-innovation is an important driver of renewal in the innovation system. Low-carbon and renewable-energy innovation received 32 per cent or $1.05 billion of the grant funding allocated for science and innovation programs in the 2009-10 Commonwealth Budget, an increase of 290 per cent from the previous year.