FACTBase 68: Perth’s Innovation Hotspots and Collaborations

This Bulletin is divided into two main sections. The first section uses 1999–2013 REGPAT data to assess Perth’s relative position in emerging technology innovations. This includes an analysis of where Western Australia sits in relation to the other Australian States, and also where Australia sits in relation to other nations. The second section examines local government area (LGA) innovation hotspots across Perth using a social networks analysis for the periods of 1984–1998 and 1999–2013. These time periods represent data taken before and after online social networking platforms became popular global communication tools. The second section explores patent applicant collaborative activity across Perth and Peel LGAs, identifying where knowledge is aggregated and which regions act as mediators of knowledge exchange. We then aggregate the applicants at the capital city spatial level to examine the collaborative activity between the eight Australian State and Territory capitals. This Bulletin concludes with observations of the overall spatial distribution and connectivity of innovative activity within Perth and the nation. It then discusses implications and recommendations for WA’s innovation policy.