I've been analysing Australia's innovation policy and discovered something striking: the Administrative Arrangements Order (which allocates government responsibilities) doesn't mention "innovation" anywhere. Departments are assigned responsibility for research, science, and technology, but no department is given responsibility for innovation itself. This helps explain why we keep cycling through reviews, Ministerial statements, and "renewed" strategies without delivering tran

John H. Howard, 1 April 2025 Innovation ecosystems are critical for economic resilience and long-term growth. Cities worldwide are...

Revenue-contingent loans are a policy mechanism to offer businesses flexible, risk-managed financing, with repayments tied to future revenue

John H. Howard, 11 February 2025 The transformation of regional economies through innovation presents one of the most compelling...

R&D scorecards are vital tools for policymakers. The IRDB last published a scoreboard in 1997. This left a gap in our understanding of R&D.

Our Business Expenditure on R&D has always lagged behind where we should be as an advanced economy. Governments can help in several ways.

It is high time to trash the tired old trope that ‘governments can’t pick winners’ and look to what governments can do and achieve

Innovation support is a growing component of the programs of international development agencies and foundations. The paper Transforming...