Moreton entrepreneurs and businesses urged to collaborate

Moreton Bay region entrepreneurs and community leaders will today attend a State Government forum to foster greater collaboration between researchers, businesses and entrepreneurs.

Minister for Science and Innovation Leeanne Enoch will open the event, the eighth in a series of forums across the state to highlight the Palaszczuk Government’s $180 million Advanced Queensland initiative.

“These forums are part of our $180 million Advance Queensland initiative to create jobs now and for the future, drive productivity improvements, harness innovation and translate some of our great ideas into real economic outcomes for Queenslanders,” Ms Enoch said.

“The Advance Queensland forums aim to encourage ideas and a culture of innovation, and help people to build potentially valuable connections.”

Minister Enoch said it was a great time to talk to the community about Advance Queensland, as there were many opportunities in the region that had the potential to grow the area’s contribution to the knowledge economy.

“It is exciting to see the Moreton Bay Regional Council’s work result in a tender being awarded for the University of the Sunshine Coast to create a campus at Petrie by 2020,” Ms Enoch.

“The campus, which will offer courses such as electrical engineering, will help provide the Moreton Bay region’s growing population with more knowledge-based jobs, and economic benefits for the broader region.”

Ms Enoch will be joined by two local guest speakers to talk about their experiences – David Holman, co-founder of the startup Kalodio which has created an innovative electrical project documentation system, and Rob Stevenson from food technology company, Gateway Products. 

“Collaboration lies at the very core of Advance Queensland so we want people to share what they do, what they want to achieve and consider ways to collaborate,” she said. 

Ms Enoch said business collaboration and innovation resulted in a 70 per cent increase in the likelihood of delivering unique and innovative ideas and products.

“Rob Stevenson’s success in creating better ingredients and superior food manufacturing is a prime example of how collaboration between researchers and business-savvy individuals delivers improved commercial products,” she said.

“David Holman’s cloud-based project documentation system improves efficiency and productivity for electrical businesses and is a great example of a local solution and wonderful innovation which could be applied to other industries.”

Ms Enoch said if entrepreneurs and organisations open up about their challenges there is greater likelihood that through collaboration an innovative solution can be found, allowing them to develop  world-leading capabilities.

“Advance Queensland aims to build a strong innovation and entrepreneurial culture in Queensland and create highly skilled, knowledge-based jobs for the future,” she said.

“It is being delivered through a comprehensive suite of programs and forums like this which will tap into existing knowledge and creativity.

“We are starting an innovation movement and invite the Moreton community and businesses to join in,” Ms Enoch said. 

Find out more about Advance Queensland at www.qld.gov.au/advanceqld

Media contact: Kim Lyell 0437 859987