Integrating innovation, sustainability and regional development goals: Delivering on national policy through 'regional collaboratives'

Abstract

This chapter explores the potential for policy overlap across the themes of innovation, sustainability and regional development. It notes that Australia currently has no integrated policy platform that addresses the significant and valuable intersection between these areas. To tackle this, the authors propose a model for better policy integration focussed on regional areas, based on new system of collaboration and leadership amongst the key regional stakeholders in innovative and sustainable regional development (ISRD). This mechanism-the basis of an integrated policy platform-uses 'regional collaboratives' as an innovative amalgam of existing models, delivered in regions and by regions. Thus, whilst 'collaboration and connectedness' have become the accepted pathway for accelerating innovation outcomes, this chapter argues that what is needed instead is a model that overcomes the disconnects that can limit innovation in regional Australia. In doing so, 'regional collaboratives' should identify and deepen the mutual-value relationships that already exist between regional innovation actors. The development and strategic deployment of 'regional collaboratives' would therefore allow Australia's regional advantages (comparative, competitive and constructed) to be better realised via innovation.