More than 350 leaders and emerging leaders from Australia's tech ecosystem gathered in Brisbane for the inaugural National Tech Summit - Forging Australia's Tech Future. Queensland's commitment to fostering technology innovation was underlined with the announcement of a $4 million Strategic Initiatives Program, the first step in a $15 million investment initiative.
The program, which launches today, will provide grants of up to $300,000 to existing innovation precincts and places in Queensland. It aims to promote technological innovation, increase productivity and boost competitiveness. Key areas of focus include implementing best practice governance frameworks, developing investment attraction strategies and developing operational assessment strategies.
Part of the three-year Queensland Innovation Precincts and Places Fund, this initiative aims to take innovation precincts from idea generation through to commercialisation, adoption and diffusion. Aligned with the 10-year Queensland Innovation Precincts and Places Strategy, the Fund aims to accelerate the state's innovation economy.
Recognising the central role of innovation in Queensland's economic future, the program places the state at the forefront of the global economic revolution in cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, immersive technology and medical breakthroughs.
The Strategic Initiatives Program is the first of three streams under the Queensland Innovation Precincts and Places Fund, with streams 2 and 3 due to open later this year.
Details of this fund can be found at Advance Queensland.