Third annual Scorecard reveals Brisbane businesses breaking the mould with new-to-industry innovation
17/08/2012
Nearly two-thirds (62%) of Brisbane businesses surveyed in the 2012 Brisbane Innovation Scorecard have made at least one significant innovation in the past three years.
The third annual Brisbane Innovation Scorecard, launched today by Lord Mayor Graham Quirk, also reveals that of those businesses which are innovating, three-quarters (78%) are pioneering ideas entirely new to their industry.
The Scorecard, which surveyed 301 firms in Greater Brisbane and looked at how they were using new ideas to create value, is the only city-based annual innovation benchmarking project in the world.
Businesses pioneering ‘new to industry’ innovations include electronic product specialists E3!, which were the first in the world to design a Landcare-approved eco-packaging for their range of consumer electronic products.
Hospitality equipment financers Silver Chef, whose innovative equipment funding solution has revolutionised the capital process for hospitality start-ups and digital marketing specialists Reload Media which have grown from six to 55 employees with the success of their in-house client management and tracking software, were also cited as leading Brisbane innovators.
Businesses in manufacturing, professional scientific and technical services and media and telecommunications were top innovators, with more than 50% of innovations reported from those sectors.
The Brisbane Innovation Scorecard also revealed many businesses innovated to improve efficiency and those operating in international markets and applying digital technologies, reported higher levels of innovation.
Larger businesses with 20 or more employees were also four times more likely to develop new ideas of value.
Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said the Brisbane Innovation Scorecard was key to highlighting and encouraging innovation in Australia’s new world city.
“These results show Brisbane businesses are world-class innovators and the case studies presented in this year’s Scorecard will inspire more businesses to look at how they can apply innovation in their organisation,” Cr Quirk said.
“The understanding and adoption of innovation best practice is vital to our industry's capacity to be globally competitive and grow our export potential as a city.”
The Brisbane Innovation Scorecard, is a collaboration between
Brisbane Marketing,
Deloitte,
University of Queensland Business School,
Brisbane City Council, Department of Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts (DSITIA) (
Queensland Government), Enterprise Connect (
Australian Government) and
Regional Development Australia (RDA) Brisbane.
John Aitken, Chief Executive Officer of the city’s economic development agency Brisbane Marketing, said Brisbane was strengthening its reputation as an enabler of innovation.
“This Scorecard provides a valuable insight into the way Brisbane businesses use innovation as a key to success and growth,” he said.
“It allows us all to learn about how we too can be more adventurous, fresh and creative with the way we operate.”
2012 BRISBANE INNOVATION SCORECARD HIGHLIGHTS
- 62% of Brisbane businesses reported significant innovation within the past three years.
- 78% of businesses reporting innovation activity were undertaking novel (new to their industry) innovations
- Seeking efficiency improvements for customers was a major driver of reported innovation activity
- Businesses operating in international markets indicated higher levels of novel or new-to-their-industry innovation
- Larger businesses demonstrated a strong innovation culture with innovation activity across many parts of the business
- Information/digital technology provided significant innovation opportunities for many businesses
- 93% of businesses reported the driver of innovation as internal to the business (CEO or a team of employees)
To download a copy of the 2012 Brisbane Innovation Scorecard visit
www.enablebrisbane.com.au
Leading innovators in this year’s Scorecard include:
Marine terminal operator
DP World Brisbane
Materials manufacturing company
Tenasitech
Biotechnology company
Coridon
Medical imaging specialists
Magnetica
Mining products and services provider
Industrea
Food manufacturer
Salad Fresh
Aerospace services company
Sikorsky Aircraft Australia
Online game developer
Kixeye Australia
Digital marketing specialists
Reload Media
Digital signage experts
Five Faces
IT infrastructure company
Opengear
Data centre provider
Nextdc
Custom boat design and manufacturer
Norman R Wright and Sons
Electronic product specialists
E3!
Hospitality equipment financers
Silver Chef
Concrete, quarry and transport enterprise
Wagners
Occupational psychology group
Sentis Australia
Food supply chain organisation
Australian Country Choice.
For more information visit www.enablebrisbane.com.au