NSW Innovation Council and Secretariat

In November 2007, the NSW Government established an Innovation Council and Secretariat to advise the Government on ways to develop innovation-led growth in NSW.  The establishment of the Innovation Council and Secretariat is a key element of the Government’s ‘Open for Business’ strategy for NSW.

To encourage innovation, the NSW Government aims to:

• Boost high level skills
• Upgrade NSW’s knowledge and information infrastructure
• Reduce the cost to business of using science and technology
• Encourage more private sector investment in innovation
• Cut red tape that stands in the way of innovation.

The 5 key sectors the NSW Government is committed to delivering innovation-led growth in are:

• Logistics and transaction services
• Financial services
• Entertainment, design and media
• Manufacturing
• Resources, especially coal

The NSW Government has also outlined innovation initiatives it will pursue in the future, including:

• A plan to roll out Wireless Broadband Infrastructure across NSW;
• Goal of establishing an Institute of Advanced Finance, in conjunction with the private sector and universities, to promote Sydney as a financial hub;
• Goal of establishing NSW as a world centre of research in clean coal technology;
• Attempt to build NSW’s share of Australian government supported R&D resources, which have declined in recent years.

For more information, see the Government’s statement on innovation at http://www.business.nsw.gov.au