InnovateWA sets tone for future

One of former premier Geoff Gallop’s legacies will be his 2002 ‘InnovateWA’ policy, aimed at reversing the decline in the state’s research and development effort.

At the time it was met with scepticism from academia, but University of Western Australia pro-vice chancellor research and innovation, Doug McEachern, told WA Business News he considered it a key driver behind recent success in building R&D.

“I think it was one of the most significant plans because really motivated all areas of research and development,” Mr McEachern said.

The government provided $50 million in new funding under the policy. It was considered a machine-gun approach, with spending designated for schools, universities, TAFE colleges in addition to dollar-for-dollar support for successful applications of Commonwealth research grants.

Mr McEachern singled out the WA Energy Research Alliance as one of the most significant develop-ments on the innovation front in this state. ERA is a joint venture between CSIRO, UWA and Curtin University.

In 2004, Woodside Petroleum Ltd also signed a $30 million, five-year deal with ERA, and last year Chevron Texaco signed a memorandum of understanding with the alliance.

Part of the Gallop government’s 2002 InnovateWA policy was directed towards stemming the ‘brain drain’ from the state by introducing state-sponsored scholarships for postgraduate research at the major universities.

Under the policy, there was an undertaking to better target about $90 million already spent on research in different government departments. These included the Department of Agriculture, Commerce and Trade and the Health Department.

The policy also set up the Office of Science and Innovation and Premier’s Science Council with the goal of supporting the premier as Science Minister and coordinating the implementation of the InnovateWA policy.

There was also an undertaking for the Science Council to coordinate Western Australia’s lobbying efforts in relation to national research issues, and to strengthen collaborative links between researchers and industry.

The policy was a response to declining R&D expenditure in WA, which fell by 12.2 per cent between 1996-97 and 1998-99. At the same time, business R&D expenditure fell by 20.3 per cent, compared with a fall of 6 per cent nationally, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.