Australian Capital Territory

Commercialising Canberra:

Innovation in the Nation’s Capital

Canberra, Australia’s national capital city is one of Australia’s leading research clusters with around A$800 million spent locally on research and development activity each year. The nation’s capital is a business savvy centre, fast developing into a vibrant, creative and culturally rich city.

Supported by a wide range of state-of-the-art industries including ICT, sustainable energy, defence and security, creative industries, education, and government administration, Canberra is an active hub of innovation and knowledge.

With gross state product per capita around 30 per cent above the national average, the ACT’s highly educated workforce is one of the most productive in Australia.

Canberra is known to be one of the most cost-effective cities in Australia for overall business costs. Couple this with the city’s idyllic expansive parks and open spaces, the nation’s capital is a hidden gem for companies seeking creativity-driven competitive advantages, in an international city that enjoys a quality of life second to none.

Intelligent

Canberra has the highest concentration of knowledge-based activity in Australia, as ranked by the National Institute for Economic and Industry Research. It is no surprise that Canberra spends more per capita on R&D than any other city in Australia.

At the heart of its knowledge intensive economy, the Australian National University (ANU) is consistently ranked in the top 20 of research universities in the world. Equally, the University of Canberra is highly regarded as among the best student-centred teaching universities in Australia.

The prestigious Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is headquartered in Canberra. CSIRO has the distinction of being globally ranked in the top 1 per cent of scientific institutions in 13 of 22 research fields.

The city also boasts world leading ICT research capacity and is home to Australia’s National Information and Communication Technology Centre of Excellence—or NICTA as it is known. The Australian Institute of Sports is also headquartered in Canberra, and is internationally renowned as a world’s best practice model for the development of elite athletes.

The ACT is taking a proactive response to tackling climate change, creating a wealth of opportunities for business in the growing environmental management and services industry, boasting about 400 firms focussed on the environment and sustainability.

Pro-Business

The ACT Government promotes positive economic outcomes through business-friendly policies, directly cultivating an environment supportive of innovation and commerce.

As a city-state, Canberra enjoys a single-tier system of government able to efficiently implement local and state government powers to stimulate an environment conducive to business and entrepreneurship. This has been pivotal in fostering a culture of innovation, and allows the transformation of ideas into commercial successes.

Investing

The ACT Government has a range of programs to facilitate new investment into Canberra and operates a one-stop investment facilitation service.

Additionally, the Government runs the Skilled and Business Migration and Live in Canberra programs. It also operates a Regional Certifying Body to support migration by offering a range of visa sponsorships to suitably qualified skilled and business people.

Business Opportunities

There are only a few places in the world that can truly offer the right convergence of cost-effectiveness, access to key decision-makers, innovative knowledge flows, modern infrastructure and liveability that are vital to the success of your international business endeavours – Canberra is one of those places.

Information Supplied by:

Chief Minister’s Department

Website: www.business.act.gov.au, www.act.gov.au  or  www.canberraconnect.act.gov.au