Economic contribution of universities

Jon Stanhope, ACT Chief Minister, on 19 March 2008 launched the report of a Study of the ACT Innovation System, on enhancing Canberra’s knowledge economy, R&D and innovation. This is described key document for the Canberra 2020 Forum to be held on April 5 on the theme 'innovation'.

However, the report does not appear to have been made available yet. A search of the ACT Government web site found no matches found for "Innovation System". Howard Partners, who are undertaking the study, describe it as a "Work in Progress".

Howard Partners did undertake a study of the contribution of Melbourne’s universities to the City’s economic, cultural and community development in
May 2007. This is a 72 page report "Melbourne: Australia’s knowledge capital":

Globalisation is increasing as external courses offered by overseas providers increase. The falling costs of telecommunications and the capability of the Internet are providing opportunities in the provision of education across national borders. ...

For example, RMIT has research strengths relating to information retrieval from very large databases, including the Internet. One research group
has developed into a commercial enterprise which has been spun out as a successful company with clients in many sectors including defence, education and government in Australia and overseas. ...

Swinburne University has a research strength in how new information and communications technologies are put to use by users, communities, organisations and societies in a way that creates new intersections of technology, content and use. Research activity is concentrated in the areas of: convergent communications and technologies; human computer interaction; internet computing and ecommerce; affective human-computer interaction and information technology innovation. ...

The online astronomy program, Swinburne Astronomy Online (SAO), is perhaps the largest Internet-based astronomy learning program in the world. ...

From: Melbourne: Australia’s knowledge capital, Howard Partners, May 2007