2008 Innovation Review Submission Guidelines

From AussieInnovation Wiki

“In contributing to this Review, we invite your forward-looking responses. The ultimate question is what sort of outcomes we want to secure for Australia over the next ten years, and beyond. Against such goals, what do we need to be doing right now?”

—Review of the National Innovation System: A Call for Submissions, February 2008

Contents 1 A Great Opportunity 2 Putting together a Submission 2.1 Framing a submission topic 3 Submission Guide 3.1 Submission Requirements 3.1.1 Declaration of Interests 3.1.2 For Public Display 4 Public Involvement

A Great Opportunity

The call for submissions allows all of us to help shape how the government greets the challenge of innovation and nurturing a culture that truly values creativity. It is a fantastic opportunity for anyone with a stake in this culture, from community groups, to inventors and, of course, big business.

Your experience is a unique, from the trenches, perspective on what it takes to innovate in this country, and the panel wants to hear from you.

The only problem is that submissions close on April 30, 2008. We know that, even if you have a brilliant idea, getting a submission together can be a daunting task, so we are trying to help as much as possible. There is an innovation community here to lend support, information and advice. Beyond that, we have assembled this page to help with the other tools you may need.

Putting together a Submission

Submissions can be on almost any topic. The most concrete description of what the panel is looking for boils down to this: "We are interested in receiving submissions containing your insights, providing concrete examples of issues and data drawn from experiences of what does or does not work within the various facets of a national innovation system."

Framing a submission topic

If you are wondering how to present your idea, the questions listed in the Call for Submissions are a good starting point. The Innovation Review Secretariat says that any submission that seeks to address some or all of the questions, in the context of innovation, will be welcome.

The questions are:

• Can we imagine a better world? Are we asking the right questions?
• How do we solve the big challenges we face as a country, an industry or as a community?
• Could we do everyday things better?
• How do we get more firms and organisations to use the best available tools and techniques, from anywhere around the world, in what they do?
• How do we make it easy for people to use tools or apply ideas in novel ways?
• How do we educate and equip our people to be creative and innovative, life-long?
• As a relatively small country, how does Australia prioritise its innovation efforts to make the most of what it has or can do?

You can read an analysis of what they entail in the Call for Submissions or in our forum discussion.

Secondly, consider that the Review will include two specific programme reviews: the R&D Tax Concession and the Cooperative Research Centres. It is asking for suggestions on how these programmes can be retasked or improved, and what other support mechanisms are required to help truly make Australia the clever country.

Submission Guide

To help get newcomers started we have put together a template for submissions. It provides a logical framework to work with, as well as tips addressing what each section should contain. It will not only help you to produce a professional-looking document, but it should help you include all of the information you might need to present your ideas as strongly as possible.

Beyond the template included, your submission will also require a cover letter as well as a Declaration of any Interests and Affiliations (see below for more details).

• Submission Guide

Please tag any submissions with [[Category:Submission]] and [[Category:2008 National Review Submission]], where applicable.

Note well, the panel doesn’t have specific requirements for the format or structure of documents, although it does have some other requirements.

Submission Requirements

The panel has decided on some official submission requirements. These ensure any bias is declared and that the information it receives is available for discussion. The following two sections are direct quotes from the Innovation Review Secretariat, emailed to Aussie Innovation as clarification on the 25/03/08.

Declaration of Interests

All submissions must be prefaced by a Declaration of any Interests and Affiliations relating to the subject of the Review and the representations submitted. These will be published along with the submission on the website. Without this Declaration, submissions will not be accepted.

For Public Display

As a general principle all submissions will be placed on the Review website, as will discussion papers and other material developed as the Review progresses. The Review Panel will not accept submissions by organisations submitted wholly on a confidential basis. Where the nature of the material dictates, however, submissions may append material marked Confidential and severable from the covering submission.

As advised in the Call for Submissions, individuals may ask for their submission to remain Confidential. The Review Panel will accept confidential submissions from individuals where those individuals can argue credibly that publication might compromise their ability to express forthright viewpoints.

Public Involvement

We also ask that you post your past or current submissions to this website, either as complete submissions, while you are editing them or even at the ideas stage, to help stimulate discussion.