Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research Announced Review of Australia's National Innovation System. (January 23, 2008)

In announcing the review Senator Kim Carr, DIISR's minister, said in part: "In today's economy, innovation policy is industry policy... In particular, we need to find ways to increase innovation performance across the economy, to ensure that business has better access to new ideas and new technologies and to bridge the divide between industry and research... At last count there were 169 programs in Australia, across all levels of government, aimed at supporting innovation... The review will allow streamline[ing] these programs, reducing fragmentation... this review is about building a strong, robust and truly national innovation system to bolster Australia's innovation performance, boosting productivity and helping secure high-wage, high-skill jobs for the future."

Of course it remains to be seen just how Senator Carr and his cabinet colleagues interpret and the implement the reviews findings and recommendations and those findings and recommendations will be governed in large part by the review's terms of reference and how the review committee chooses to interpret them.

Will they, for example, address the quality of the "infrastructure" on which the nation's innovation "sector" is built?

Chair of the committee is Dr Terry Cutler, currently a Director of CSIRO and Chair of the Advisory Board for the Centre for Excellence for Creative Industries.

 Other members of the review panel are:

• Dr Megan Clark (Vice President Technology, BHP Billiton);

• Professor Glyn Davis (Vice Chancellor, University of Melbourne);

• Professor Steve Dowrick (School of Economics, Australian National University);

• Dr Nicholas Gruen (CEO, Lateral Economics);• Ms Narelle Kennedy (Chief Executive, Australian Business Foundation);

• Ms Catherine Livingstone (former Chair of CSIRO and Director, Macquarie Bank and Telstra); and

• Dr Jim Peacock (ex-officio, the Commonwealth Chief Scientist).

Senator Carr has requested the committee submit a Green Paper by the end of July 2008, which is to be followed by a White Paper response from Government.

Senator Carr also announced a review of the Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Program as part of the broader review of the national innovation system.

The review is to "examine the overall strategic direction of CRCs, looking at the full range of issues, including governance and program design issues, the level and length of funding needed to support the program's objectives, as well as its overall scope and effectiveness."

The terms of reference set for the innovation review are to apply to the examination of the CRCs, but the minister emphasised: "The Rudd Government is absolutely determined to restore public benefit as one of the primary objectives of the CRC Program. This basic principle was stripped away by the Howard Government and it will definitely apply again from the next funding round."

The CRC's are to be reviewed by Professor Mary O’Kane, a former vice-chancellor of the University of Adelaide, with experience in high technology, commercialisation, national research strategies and higher education policy.

In his announcement Senator Carr said Professor O'Kane will be announcing in the next few weeks how interested parties will be able to contribute to the review process.