The art of disruption : innovation at UWA IQX
Universities are drivers of innovation, facilitating connections and collaboration between researchers, students, founders, funders, investors, and industry. But accessing these attributes can be difficult. The resources of most small to medium enterprises do not always allow for such opportunities, even though some of the most valuable seeds of disruptive, innovative thinking lie within them.
The University of Western Australia is a globally networked, billion-dollar enterprise, with world-leading research and teaching, talented people and the appetite to meet the grandest challenges facing modern society.
IQX is one of the many ways UWA is supporting innovation; connecting UWA’s academic and student community with local small to medium enterprises with a space on campus for co-location and collaboration.
The IQX operating model is agile, driven by a unique partnership arrangement between UWA and operating partner business foundations that offers the best of both organisations to the community. Through co-location at IQX, members are supported to grow their enterprises. Within the first 12 months alone, achievements have included investments of more than $2 million in resident small to medium enterprises, major buyout and merger activity and the creation of more than 46 new jobs.
More than 500 new connections have been made between members, researchers, students and industry. IQX has event and meeting spaces that support a range of community events, programs and activities – from accelerator programs to yoga, workshops, training , film nights and even music festivals. There have been more than 15,000 visits in just over a year.
In a rapidly changing world that demands entirely new types of thinking, UWA has recognised the need to seek out and embrace the new and unknown, and to encourage adaptive and open approaches. In doing so, it is creating new generations of thinkers who will change the way we in WA interactive with each other and the world.
To find out on how research and education at UWA can benefit your organisation email uwaiq@uwa.edu.au For information on IQX and the opportunities available for small to medium businesses visit www.innovation.uwa.edu.au/iqx