In this episode of @AuManufacturing Conversations with Brent Balinski, we hear from  PhD scholar Kathryn Anderson. Anderson won the University of South Australia Three Minute Thesis (3MT)this year with her presentation on innovation districts, a topic she has a little more time to expand on in this episode.

Episode guide

0:50 – Personal background and how she ended up studying innovation districts.

6:12 – How do innovation districts create economically valuable proximity?

6:50 – Understanding clusters, a subject influenced by Michael Porter.

8:05 – Alfred Marshall and “industrial atmosphere”.

9:12 – Innovation districts: “a bit of a new beast”. What is distinct about them? 

10:55 – Looking at Technology Park Adelaide and Tonsley Innovation District.

14:04 – International case studies. Why 22@Barcelona is an exemplar when it comes to innovation districts.

16:10 – The amenity factor of places in modern life.

17:35 – “People stand up and take note when you say ‘Silicon Valley.’” Why it captures the imagination.

18:50 – Why it’s unreasonable to want to have another Silicon Valley.

20:10 – The sometimes-overlooked role of government in SV.

21:31 – Some important ingredients that have emerged.

22:57 – It’s not just the ingredients, but the intersection of the ingredients that matters.

25:02 – They are not set and forget. Tech Park, for example, has morphed over the years.

27:20 – Research on Geelong and its reinvention after Ford. What’s been important in this?

30:30 – A call to action regarding innovation districts.

Further reading

UniSA Business 3MT Winner - FWFC's Kathryn Anderson!