Creative Communication Creates Innovation

Successful communication strategies are essential to promoting innovation, which in turn is crucial to economic growth. Innovation commercialisation is a strong focus of both public and private sectors and Western Australia‟s (WA) Technology Park Bentley provides links between government, academia and industry that support innovation to commercialisation.

The Park is managed by the WA Government and its budget is determined by elections, ministerial appointments, social and economic imperatives and priorities, industry development and stakeholder expectations.

Whether managed by government, industry, academia or combinations, most STPs function within similar constraints that demand highly creative communication strategies to ensure their viability and continuation.

This paper explores strategies that generate optimal collaboration between innovative R&D and industry, and support innovation that creates commercial activity. It aims to encourage workshop debate by introducing proven strategies that can be adapted to most STPs and that can deliver short and long term social and economic benefits.