The state government has outlined its 10-year vision for WA to become a “global hub of invention, investment, innovation and impact” with today’s launch of the new Western Australian Innovation Strategy (‘Western Australia – the place to innovate.’)
The new strategy was announced at the opening of the West Tech Fest 2022 conference by Innovation and ICT Minister Stephen Dawson in front of an audience of 400 local innovators and visiting guests. An accompanying website summarises the main features of the Strategy, linking to another page where you can download the full 28-page document.
The strategy’s vision recognises the tech sector’s importance in building a more resilient, thriving and diversified WA economy. More than just the startup sector, the Strategy talks about innovation as “everyone’s business” and something that is “everywhere”.
The last Innovation Strategy was launched in late 2016 by the previous Barnett government, which lost power a few months later. Some of the elements of that Strategy survived into the creation of the New Industries Fund, but this updated one charts a new course for the 2020s and beyond, with seven priority action areas, in which the WA Government commits to act:
- Skills, people and culture
- Research and tech transfer
- Networks, precincts and shared facilities
- Access to capital
- Procurement and supply chains
- Diversity and inclusion
- Promotion and adoption.
“The new WA Innovation Strategy provides a roadmap for establishing the State as an internationally leading technology hub and innovation capital,” said Innovation Minister Stephen Dawson.
The strategy supports a range of activities and will build collaboration to elevate WA’s innovation sector onto the global radar and propel our local ecosystem into a new phase of growth.
Minister of Innovation, Stephen Dawson MLC
Innovation is key to diversifying our economy, and the McGowan Government is committed to making sure startups and entrepreneurs continue to have access to the opportunities they need to stay and expand their businesses here.
