Kamrul Hassan PhD (Curtin, WA), AFHEA

Innovation is considered as a major driver of long-run economic growth with recent work showing that at least 50 per cent of growth is directly attributable to it. Innovation involves much more than changes to technology. It involves linkages, interactions and influences of many kinds between firms, universities, research centres, and government. Effective innovation depends on all such connections being in place and working well. The way all these work together to influence the development and utilisation of new knowledge and learning defines a country’s innovation system. Some aspects of innovation systems are national, others regional and sectoral or local. This report examines innovation policy and performance in eight jurisdictions — the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, South Africa, Chile, Brazil, and the Scandinavian countries of Finland, Norway and Sweden. The analysis highlights countries’ strengths and weaknesses in innovation as well as the effectiveness of their innovation systems and policies in driving economic performance. It aims to create an understanding of how countries act to develop and improve their capability for innovation. The report also compares policies and identifies commonalities and good practice in the sample countries with the view of identifying policy options for strengthening Western Australia’s innovation capacity.