The Review of the National Innovation System was a process established in January 2008 by the Government of Australia

Government of Australia

The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...

 and coordinated by an expert panel. Its purpose was to develop and deliver a green paper

Green paper

In the Commonwealth, the Republic of Ireland and the United States a green paper is a tentative government report of a proposal without any commitment to action; the first step in changing the law...

 examining the Australian national innovation system

National innovation system

The National Innovation System is the flow of technology and information among people, enterprises and institutions which is key to the innovative process on the national level...

.

Aims

The review was announced on 22 January 2008 by the Minister for Innovation Kim Carr

Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (Australia)

The current Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research is Kim Carr, appointed on 3 December 2007. He administers his portfolio through the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.-List of Ministers for Industry :...

 for the newly created Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.

Ministry (government department)

A ministry is a specialised organisation responsible for a sector of government public administration, sometimes led by a minister or a senior public servant, that can have responsibility for one or more departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions or other smaller executive, advisory, managerial or...

The review is linked to simultaneous reviews of the Automotive and the Textiles, Clothing and Footwear industries. Its terms of reference included close consideration of the Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) program (paralleling the more specific O'Kane Review) and the Research and Development Tax Concession scheme, and it aimed to review "the coherence and effectiveness of existing Government support for innovation", to "identify gaps and weaknesses in the innovation system" and to "develop proposals to address them".

Process

The process began in February 2008 with a panel meeting and the panel Chair's speech to the Australian Industrial Research Group, continuing in March with a series of Stakeholder Consultation meetings for research & academia, government, and business & industry, held in each of the State

States and territories of Australia

The Commonwealth of Australia is a union of six states and various territories. The Australian mainland is made up of five states and three territories, with the sixth state of Tasmania being made up of islands. In addition there are six island territories, known as external territories, and a...

 capitals in association with a "Call for Submissions".

The Review considered over 730 submissions, conducted a series of focused workshops, and ultimately delivered its findings in the form of a green paper entitled "Venturous Australia" on 09 September 2008. The government invited comment on the paper until 30 September, and intends issue a response white paper

White paper

A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that helps solve a problem. White papers are used to educate readers and help people make decisions, and are often requested and used in politics, policy, business, and technical fields. In commercial use, the term has also come to refer to...

later in the year.

Expert panel

The review was conducted by an expert panel chaired by Dr Terry Cutler, and included representatives from business and academia.

External links

• Review website
• Cooperative Research Centres program website
• R&D Tax Concession website
• Video presentations relevant to the review