R&D is a People Business

ANU College of Systems & Society Showcase, 
Photo by Tom Worthington CC-BY 21 October 2025

Professor Roy Green reviewed the new Acton Institute for Policy Research and Handbook on Innovation Ecosystems, highlighting the need to address placemaking, economics, business and governance. But I suggest more important, are relationships. R&D is about people working together, something neglected in PhD training. The Canberra Innovation Network is an example of a place which does this well. Another example was the Australian National University gymnasium yesterday, where the ANU College of Systems & Society students were showing off their projects. This was a mix of research projects and industry ones. As well as academics, there were business people who projects were for, wandering around. I bumped into an ex-student, now successful in industry who won a prize for their group project previously. 

He argues that policy effectiveness depends less on the volume of expenditure and more on the coherence of the system surrounding it. 

Learning to Innovate in Space

Somehow, at some time, I enrolled in CICADA's online course "Space Foundations for Elevate 2025". This is introductory start up training for budding space entrepreneurs. The course has 10 modules with a study time of four and a half hours. There are 3 minute videos some readings and quizzes. This is all designed for the student to do alone in their own time, it is complemented by face to face workshops (the first of which as yesterday and I missed). 

Some of the introductory slides juddered on my screen. All I could do is hit "start" and move on. The videos are the usual talking heads with some slides and quizzes. Unfortunately some of the videos don't have closed captions or transcripts, so if you can't hear, you are out of luck. 

There appear to be a generic set of innovation videos, supplemented by ones specifically on the space industry. This can be a little jarring. The entrepreneurial ethos of quick to market and failing fast doesn't necessarily fit with space engineering, where development can take decades and failure can be fatal. 

I managed to get half way through the course. At that point I noticed I had only completed 90% of the first module. There were a few multiple choice quiz questions. I went back and attempted them several times, but could not get past 90%, so at that point gave up. 

Singapore Fintech Festival 2025

At Singapore FinTech Festival 2022

The Singapore Fintech Festival is now accepting free registrations from academics. This is a very big event filling much of the Singapore Expo center. In 2022 I never actually got to any of the presentations and just wandered around talking to be on standards (including mayy Australians) and at the drinks in the evening. To help get me to the  I have volunteered to fill in if the scheduled chair doesn't turn up for a session.

Australian French Research Collaboration

 

Greetings from the Australian-French Association for Research and Innovation (AFRAN) meeting at the Canberra Innovation Network. Dr Charles Gretton and,l Dr Nian (Jenny) Jiang are talking about how research can have real world impact. Charles talked about both AI research improving industrial processes and Jenny development of new instruments. Charles pointed out 5% of ANU Techlauncher students go on to found companies. Jenny talked about joining Cambridge University just as COVID-19 lockdowns started.

Charles said "There are a lot of batshit stupid ideas being funded, so get your better idea out there!".

The 2024 AFRAN Forum on the  role of research and innovation in industry, policy and public dialogue is at ANU 4 to 6 Nov 2024, and is free.

Canberra's Digital Creatives Like Lunch

Creative Connect Panel at CBRIN:
Lucy Sugerman, Elvis Gleeson,
Emma Laverty, & Owen Walter

Greetings from Canberra Innovation Network, where I am taking part in "Creative Connect", sponsored by the ACT Government. We were surveyed beforehand and it turns out the largest group are digital creatives (which I guess I am) and we like meeting over lunch (CBRIN have put on a good spread). We have a panel with Lucy Sugerman (Music ACT), Elvis Gleeson (Blank Creative),  Emma Laverty (Project Dust), and Owen Walter (Oculo Digital). So we have a musician, writer, dancer, and video maker. This was a revelation, as most people think of Canberra as a place for public servants, and government contractors. I knew we also have a large education sector, but hadn't realized there was also a "creative" industry. Some of that supports education and government. One of the panel talked about getting paid to make "Beats to sound-cloud rappers". From this limited sample creatives don't fit the pattern of university fine arts degree and then work. 

The question for me is what can Canberra do to help this industry? One surprising answer is "Be a nice place to live". I had assumed creatives would want a grungy inner city squat, but apparently the novelty of that wears off quickly. Another answer was that it is a place you go when your partner gets a job in Canberra.

Technological Security for Business Success

Craig Davis, Andrew McCallum,
Mandy Snashall, & Petr Adamek

Greetings from the Canberra Innovation Network, where an .auDA panel is discussing "Unlocking Success: Harnessing Technological Disruption for Business Growth". Having spent much of the last week and a bit answering media enquirers about the Optus outage, as an ANU expert, I would like a little less technological disruption. The language of innovation talks about disruption, and failing early. However, failed systems the public rely on result in inconvenience, and at times deaths. We need technology which works reliably. AuDA is part of keeping the Internet reliable and secure, as Craig Davis joint pointed out. 

The discussion has got around to AI. Petr pointed out AI is not new, having written a PhD thesis on it, a long time ago. Craig pointed how smart phones were revolutionary, but are now normal. It occurs to me that the Optus outage was useful in pointing out to people how dependent they are. Craig points out there will be bad actors misusing AI, but suggests we need the good people innovating against this. Mandy wants to jettison some of her job into space. With several rocket startups in Canberra, that will soon be possible. ;-)

Petr worried about ChatGPT queries warming the planet. I just did a quick calculation, and worked out one query emits about 0.0002 g of CO2.

My Factory Floor is an Outdoor Cafe at a University

Tom Worthington at ANU Coffee Grounds Cafe.
Photo by Tom Worthington CC-BY 2022

Greetings from the Coffee Grounds Cafe, at the Australian National University. in Canberra. I just met with a PhD student who is researching an ancient dead language, and working on a commercial spinoff, while employed part time by the government.  Someone who talks to university donors happened past with a project needing funding. I jokingly described this table under a tree at the cafe as my factory floor. This is where I meet people to get things done, some planned, some accidental.

Later I bumped into someone and discussed if I would be helping assess applications for course credit of international students again next year. On Thursday I am having lunch with people to organise the work integrated learning of computer students. Coffee Grounds makes up part of the almost invisible infrastructure which provides the link between higher education and innovation.

Research Should Be Driven by Both Curiosity, and Commerce

In an opinion piece, astrophysicist and ANU VC, Brian Schmidt urged that "Research in Australia’s universities should be driven by curiosity, not commerce" (The Guardian, 25 October 2022). He pointed out that technology such as WiFi was a spinoff from pure research. However, most of the useful, and profitable innovations from universities are not happy accidents, they are applied research to a practical outcome, funded by government, the military, and companies, with specific goals. The Internet was no accident, it was directed research, funded by the US Government, with the intent to build a reliable computer network.

There are skills and techniques which academics need to undertake applied research. There are also specialist roles for those who take the basic work and build usable products and services from it. These are very difficult fields with their own bodies of research. 

As a computer professional who wrote policy for government I had the honour of occasionally dipping into this field. As someone who helps out at a university I regularly get asked by academics how to get funding from government and industry. My answer is invariably is that they have to offer a useful outcome for those they are seeking funding from. Governments want ways to improve the lives of citizens, and companies want ways to make money. Ensuring that these things happen are very challenging tasks.

Several decades ago I visited Cambridge University (UK) to see how they commercialised research. What surprised me was that just about everyone, from the students to the VC, were hustling for money for commercial development. This was not treated as an accidental spinoff from pure research, but central to academia. Academics were comfortable going from the lab to the board room. On my return I proposed Australia, and Canberra in particular, adopt this approach. It is reflected in the establishment of the Canberra Innovation Network. 

Innovation ACT Pitches at CBRIN in Canberra

Greetings from the Innovation ACT pitch night at the Canberra Innovation Network (CBRIN). This is a competition for teams of Australian National University students to come up with a business idea. The winner gets business support via CBRIN.  

The first pitch is for an App to find a bar with a short queue and good music. Many student pitch ideas are about food, drinks and entertainment, but this one is a bit different. 

The second pitch was about the "literacy crisis". This is less usual topic. The presentation spent a little long criticizing NAPLAN, which isn't designed to improve student outcomes, only measure them (and based on overseas experience is likely to make the situation worse, better). The actual product is a literacy analytics platform for schools. The catch with this is who will pay, and who will care? Individual teachers, and public schools can't buy such a product. The obvious market is private schools, but the pitch will have to be improve NAPLAN scores, not overtly undermine it.

The third pitch was on climate change action. The idea is to make many small changes to behavior. But it was not clear what these changes were, or how they were to be accomplished, apart from  Flash Mobs (very 2003). It sounded like a marketing pitch for a generic green-washing campaign.

The fourth pitch was for a pet medical registration service. This had a cleaver feature I have not seen in any offering before. But I ought be biased, as I mentored the team. ;-)

The fifth pitch was also about education, with an astronomical simulator to foster children's interest in science. A plus for this team is that they appeared in science week with their potential customers. But as with all education products, the question is who will pay?

The last pitch was for a navigation system for cyclists, wheelchair users, and pedestrians with special needs. The obvious question is how to pay for this, but the team had an answer for that.

Start-up Pitches by Smartphone

Automed Battery
Powered Medication Delivery

Greetings from First Wednesday Connect at the the Canberra Innovation Network (CBRIN). This was planned to be in the foyer of the ACT Government's new HQ, but has been moved online due to COVID-19. CBRIN kept the format the same: informal discussion, followed by 60 second pitches, but moved it online using the Remo platform. In the past I have had difficulties getting Remo to work on my old slow computer, but have found it works much better on my newer smartphone. One of the startups is Automed, with a livestock medication system. One of the participants commented that perhaps this could be used for COVID-19 vaccinations. It is not such a silly idea, to use a computerized powered injector which links to a database. That would not only allow injections to be given faster, it would reduce the time spent manually recording details. But a patient QR code might be used for identification, rather than an ear tag. ;-)

Australian Government Misses the Point on Innovation and Research

Dan Tehan, Australian Minister for Education, has announced an expert panel to provide advice on accelerating the commercialization of university research. While the panel is made up of eminent experts from research and industry, the government seems to have missed a key point on how innovation actually happens. 

Calling this "Better commercialising university research", indicates a lack of understanding of the innovation process. It is rarely the case that an academic at a university stumbles across a key discovery, and hands the finding over to business to "commercialize". What most successful projects do is have researchers work with business from the start, to identify what research directions are likely to yield useful results. Some of the researchers acquire business skills, so they can form the link between university and commerce.

In a series of talks in 1998 I suggested adopting an approach which evolved around Cambridge University (UK). In the decades since then, Australian state and territory governments, in partnership with universities and professional bodies, have set up centers at or near universities around Australia, to teach innovation and foster links. The Canberra Innovation Network (CBRIN), adjacent to the Australian National University in Canberra and at the center of a cluster of start-ups, is an example of this approach. University staff and students are formally trained in business development techniques at CBRIN, helped to undertake their own startups and make business contacts.

The government panel is made up of:

1. Professor Michelle Simmons AO, Director of the Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology
2. Dr Alan Finkel AO, Chief Scientist of Australia
3. Ms Laura Tyler, Chief Technical Officer, BHP
4. Mr Dig Howitt, CEO and President, Cochlear
5. Professor Paul Wellings CBE, Vice-Chancellor, University of Wollongong
6. Ms Shemara Wikramanayake, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Macquarie Group
7. Professor Deborah Terry AO, Vice-Chancellor, University of Queensland
8. Mr Jeff Connolly, Chairman and CEO, Siemens Australia and New Zealand
9. Mr Andrew Stevens, Chair, Industry Innovation and Science Australia

Train PhD Students as Enterpreneurs

This week I attended a presentation from an early career academic on the challenges of having a family and a research career, even before COVID-19 made it much harder. Also this week I was welcomed to the Canberra Innovation Network's Virtual Co-workingonline community. It occurred to me that the approach which the entrepreneur/startup community takes to mutual support may be of use for training doctoral students and supporting early career academics.

From one point of view entrepreneurs are business people all competing with each other, but on the other hand there is a lot of sharing and support. There is also an emphasis on learning from failure, as at least 90% of startups fold. With the usual face to face events closed, this support has moved online.

Part of the stress and frustration for new researchers may come from too high expectations during their training. If they do well, they hope to be funded as a post-doctoral researcher and then, in time, a secure tenured position. However, there are far fewer post doctoral positions and even fewer tenured positions, than PhD graduates.

Even a supposedly permanent university position is dependent on funding from student fees, research grants and other variable sources to pay a salary. This can come as a shock to a new graduate who has worked for years in the expectation of a career in research. PhD students could be instead encouraged to think of themselves as entrepreneurs, with conducting research being just one skill they need to succeed.

Doctoral training could be changed to incorporate features of that provided for entrepreneurs. This emphasizes any one project has only a very slim chance of success and you should be prepared to learn from repeated failed projects. Skills in identifying what makes a project appealing to funding bodies can be taught. Also the ability to "pivot" can be nurtured: take a small sliver of potential from a failing project and run with that. Lastly, students can be provided with a broad set of skills useful for industry, as that is where 90% of them will end up working, not in research.

Innovators Lunch at the Eighteen04 Co-working Space Newcastle

Today I attended the monthly Innovators Lunch at the Eighteen04 Co-working Space in Newcastle. There were about a dozen people interested in start-ups, from university, local businesses, and some with international venture capital funds. Like similar centers around Australia, Eighteen04 is located in an interesting old building, in this case a former brewery. The Great Northern Brewery Building, is a very solid brick structure with huge wooden posts and beams, located at the TAFE NSW Hamilton campus. You can see the list of future Hunter IF Events.
.

InnovationACT 2019 Team Hunt Tuesday

InnovationACT 2019 starts Tuesday in Canberra, with a Team Hunt. This is a ten-week entrepreneurship program, for teams of two to five ANU students (plus a possible "Wildcard entry"). Teams can work on social enterprises, or for-profit ideas.  Teams can share from $50,000 in grants,to develop their idea. I have mentored several successful teams in the past (including "OK RDY"), and volunteered again this year.

Standards for Innovation management

While I have been looking at how to do, and teach innovation for several years, it was only this month I discovered there were formal standards. After giving a pitch at CBRIN's First Wednesday Connect, I was chatting to Rizwan Khan, who pointed out that ISO TC 279 is developing innovation management standards. The idea of a standard for innovation sounds a contradiction in terms, but DE CASANOVE, and MOREL (2018), provide a useful overview of the work of the committee.

Reference

DE CASANOVE, A. L. I. C. E., & MOREL, L. INNOVATION MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES FROM ISO 50500 SERIES. URL https://www2.aston.ac.uk/aston-business-school/documents/IAMOT2018_paper_97.pdf

Australian Tech Entrepreneurs Needed for Reality TV Show

The Australian Computer Society (ACS) is supporting a new reality TV show "Game Changers". 24 contestants are required for 10 weekly elimination rounds. Applications close on November 23. The winner will receive support for their start-up.

ps: Those who have participated in Innovation ACT, ANU TechLauncher, and similar programs, will have a head-start.

ACS at River City Labs Startup Catalyst

The Australian Computer Society (ACS) has announced it will operate the Brisbane based River City Labs (RCL) Innovation Accelerator and Startup Catalyst and will invest $7.5 million over the next three years.

Last year I had some free time in Brisbane so I went along to River City Labs Entrepreneur's Story Evening. River City Labs is a coworking space, much like Fishburners in Sydney and Entry 29 in Canberra. Those wanting to start a new tech business get some office space and help.

River City Labs looks a good venue for innovation, but underused. The ACS input should provide a boost for this. I suggest also formal involvement by VET and university students, which I do in Canberra with CBRIN and ANU Students can undertake startups and receive course credit for it.

River City Labs is in the historic TCB Building, Fortitude Valley, fitted out in the usual New York Loft warehouse style of co-working spaces: bare wooden floorboards, brick-walls and services visible on the ceiling. There is glass partitioning, making the most of the light from the clerestory windows of the large atrium.

River City Labs founder, Steve Baxter, is best known from the Australian TV series Shark Tank. Originally from Brisbane, he made his mark as an ISP pioneer in Adelaide, then in the USA before returning to Brisbane.

At the Entrepreneur's Story Evening, Steve made several comments about the role of universities in innovation. He seemed keen for school leavers to undertake tech degrees at university, but otherwise did not want universities involved in innovation. I pointed out that some tech students in Canberra are encouraged to go to the Canberra Innovation Network (equivalent to River City Labs) to learn about entrepreneurship, they then receive credit for the project work they do. Programs such as ANU Techlauncher try to balance the academic and practical aspects. Steve seemed to like this idea.

ANU Social Enterprise Bootcamp

Greetings from the ANU Social Enterprise Bootcamp, at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra. This is hosted by the ANU Technology Transfer Office. The workshop is being run by Cindy Mitchell, Social Impact Strategist at the University of Canberra and CEO of the Mill House Social Enterprise Accelerator. Cindy has adapted the tools usually used to start-up a new for-profit business to the not-for-profit sector.


There do not appear to be many formal qualifications in this area. Macquarie University has a Master of Social Entrepreneurship and LSE an MSc in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

We had to each complete a "Design for Impact for Scale Canvas".

For the purpose of the exercise I looked at how we might help early career academics and professionals  teach part time at university. The idea would be to have them see themselves as professional educators. They would be offered ways to become qualified in eduction without having to attend class or pay a lot of money. The emphasis would be on what saves time and frustration and gets them contracts, not education theory. This is a path I have been on over the last few years,but I would hope to make it a bit easier.

ANU TechLauncher Call for Projects, Mentor, Tutors and Guest Speaker

The Australian National University (ANU) runs the

ANU TechLauncher program, where teams of computer science and engineering students work work on a real project for a business, government or academic client A call for projects and participation has been issued for  Semester 2, 23 July to 1 November.

Inquiry into Funding Australia's Research

The Australian Parliament is holding an inquiry into funding Australia’s research. Submissions are due by 30 June 2018. I suggest government funding should be conditional on Open Access publishing of the results and researchers receiving start-up training in how to apply their results. The era where researchers did the research and did nothing with it should end. Researchers need to be trained in how to take their work to the community.

"Terms of Reference

The House Standing Committee on Education, Employment and Training will inquire into and report on the efficiency, effectiveness and coherency of Australian Government funding for research, in the following terms:

• The diversity, fragmentation and efficiency of research investment across the Australian Government, including the range of programs, guidelines and methods of assessment of grants;

• The process and administrative role undertaken by research institutions, in particular universities, in developing and managing applications for research funding;

• The effectiveness and efficiency of operating a dual funding system for university research, namely competitive grants and performance-based block grants to cover systemic costs of research; and

• Opportunities to maximise the impact of funding by ensuring optimal simplicity and efficiency for researchers and research institutions while prioritising delivery of national priorities and public benefit.

This inquiry will be focused on federally funded research agencies, their funding mechanisms and university collaborative research. The inquiry will not consider the National Health and Medical Research Council, nor non-federal research funding."