Australian innovation in dire straits
Scientists believe a lack of funding and a ‘scatter-gun approach’ is causing Australia to fall dangerously behind in science and technology innovation, putting the country's future at risk.
Australia’s Chief Scientist Professor Ian Chubb today delivered a dire warning that Australia is falling further behind in scientific and engineering innovation, with a scatter-gun approach to the sciences, a lack of funding and no coordinated direction for the years ahead.
"We're not innovating for ourselves, we're not developing the capacity that we need, the capability that we need to prosper in a world that will be extremely competitive,” Professor Chub said.
Australia's peak scientific bodies, such as the CSIRO, have already suffered budget cuts of almost half a billion dollars.
Famous Australian inventions
• Lawnmower
• Hills Hoist clothes line
• Spray-on skin
• Cochlear implant
• Polymoer plastic money
• Black box flight recorder
• Google Maps
• Wi-Fi
Inventor and PhD student in Materials Science Joshua Girogio may have invented the first roll-up solar screen, with the ability to power our gadgets using regular room lights.
The invention could save Australians hundreds of dollars in power bills.
"If you can make your solar cell efficient enough and put it over the back of your mobile phone then potentially you would never plug it into the wall,” Girogio said.
Successive governments have spent tens of millions of dollars developing facilities to train young scientists.
But when it comes time for Joseph Giorgio to take his invention to the world he will most likely have to go overseas, which means Australia is missing out on a great business opportunity.
Darren Schafren has invented a ‘bug’ for the common cold, which enters the body and fights cancer.
However, like many Australian innovators, he had to go abroad in order to get his product to clinical trials and raise the money needed.
"I think once you get from the proof of concept stage and early clinical, once you're going down the commercialisation pathway, a lot of the infrastructure you need is overseas,” Schafren said.
According to many scientists, this will not only threaten science jobs, but also the future of Australian innovation.
