United States trade trip to open doors for Queensland

A trade mission to the United States by Minister for Innovation, Science and the Digital Economy and Minister for Small Business Leeanne Enoch will open doors for greater collaboration with some of the world’s most influential innovation and science leaders.

Following on from last week's highly successful Advance Queensland Innovation and Investment Summit, Ms Enoch arrived in Houston today to continue conversations, pursue investment opportunities and explore pathways for Queensland startups, technology businesses and researchers to partner with key US companies and universities.

From Houston, Ms Enoch will travel to College Station and Austin in Texas and then fly to California for meetings with startups, corporates and investors in San Francisco, Palo Alto and San Jose.  

“The United Statesremains a dominant player in the global economy, especially for the development of new technologies and access to venture capital,” Ms Enoch said.

“This trip is a chance to inform US investors and partners about the huge potential of Queensland, see firsthand some world-class research centres and innovation hubs, and identify new opportunities in the US market.”

Ms Enoch said many Queensland and Australian technology firms were already working in the US and she wanted to strengthen those ties to deliver even greater benefits for the state.

“North America is our fifth largest merchandise trade partner and our largest investor and it offers strong prospects for Queensland bioscience and tech startups that hunger for access to new customers and capital,” she said.

“The Queensland Government has forged strong ties with the United States with a number of agreements and collaborative projects that support breakthrough science and translate this research into new products and services.

“Our program of business events is directed towards strengthening our commercial ties and encouraging emerging technology companies to make Queensland their springboard into markets in the Asia Pacific.”

Minister Enoch said the Advance Queensland Innovation and Investment Summit had demonstrated that the State was coming of age as an innovation and entrepreneurship powerhouse in the region. International investors and thought-leaders attending the summit had been impressed with the next generation of tech businesses emerging in Queensland.

“Organisations worldwide are looking for innovative technologies and new ways of doing business across key sectors including agriculture, digital technology, life sciences and biotechnology, and we need to ensure we are answering that call,” she said.

The trip will include visits to Johnson & Johnson Innovation’s newly opened JLABS incubator facility, Texas A&M University, Capital Factory, Salesforce Ventures, and EA Sports; tours of the Johnson Space Centre and attending the 2016 Silicon Valley AgTech conference.  

Ms Enoch will also hold preparatory meetings ahead of Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk leading a Queensland research and business delegation to the 2016 BIO International Convention in San Francisco from 6 to 9 June.

Media contact: Daniel Lato 0438 830 201