Towards 3% R&D – a Future Made in Australia needs innovation boost

By Peter Roberts @AuManufacturing’s editorial series – Towards 3% R&D – turbocharging our national innovation effort which is now seeking your input – has been made more relevant with the announcement by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of a Future Made in Australia Act. Australia’s manufacturing future lies in technology and skills based products, as well…

Towards 3% R&D – now NSW puts industry and innovation at the centre of government

The New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has announced that industry, innovation, trade and investment functions will return to the centre of government through the transfer of Investment NSW to the Premier’s Department. This front door of government will make it easier for industry, investors, and entrepreneurs to participate in major government priorities and ensure…

Towards 3% R&D – the statistics tell us national innovation is faltering

Launching our new editorial series – Towards 3% – turbocharging our national innovation effort – innovation policy analyst Dr John Howard looks behind the statistics to reveal that Australia’s national R&D effort has slumped since 2009. In this edited excerpt, the first part of a two-part series, Dr Howard shows Australia is falling further behind.…

If plastic manufacturing goes up 10%, plastic pollution goes up 10% – and we’re set for a huge surge in production

By Kathryn Willis, CSIRO; Britta Denise Hardesty, CSIRO; Katie Conlon, Ph.D., Portland State University, and Win Cowger, University of California, Riverside In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon…

We are closer than ever to being able to 3D print medicines. Here’s why that’s important

By Amirali Popat, The University of Queensland; Jared Miles, The University of Queensland, and Liam Krueger, The University of Queensland 3D-printed medicine could be the future of personalised healthcare, with research now suggesting printed tablets have reached a sufficient quality to match the standards set for conventionally manufactured tablets. Our new study, published in the…

Building activity produces 18% of emissions and a shocking 40% of our landfill waste. We must move to a circular economy – here’s how

By M. Reza Hosseini, Deakin University and Tuba Kocaturk, Deakin University Architecture, engineering and construction employ 1.2 million people in Australia and account for 9% of GDP. But our biggest services sector also produces roughly 40% of landfill waste and accounts for 18.1% of Australia’s carbon footprint. The sector must change its practices fast for…