Macquarie Park joins new global alliance of innovation districts

Australia’s original innovation district - Macquarie Park – has received a worldwide boost, becoming a founding member of a new global alliance of innovation districts.

Connect Macquarie Park Innovation District was among the first district governing bodies to be inducted into the new Innovation Districts Alliance at the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovations’ (IASP) World Congress in Luxembourg earlier this month. Macquarie Park joins alongside districts from Argentina, Brazil, China, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK - including HERE EAST in London, MIND in Milan and 22@ Barcelona.

CEO of IASP Ms. Ebba Lund said:

“[Innovation districts] make a vital contribution to sparking innovation and driving development in their cities, and this group will help them learn from each other, share best practice and showcase some of the vital work they are doing in their local communities.”

“The Alliance plans to act as a platform to share best practice on how to grow, manage and connect urban innovation ecosystems for the prosperity of their cities and the world, and to share successful examples of the ‘triple helix’ where business, academia and government collaborate.”

Macquarie Park was represented at the global congress by Connect MPID Board director and Pro Vice-Chancellor - Research, Innovation and Enterprise at Macquarie University, Professor Dan Johnson, who was welcomed by IASP President Herbert Chen, from Tsinghua University Science Park, Beijing, China.

Mark Ames, General Manager of Connect MPID said:

“Alongside our colleagues at Melbourne Innovation Districts in Victoria, we are delighted to be the first to connect Australia’s leading innovation ecosystems to this important global community.”

“Economic agglomeration, knowledge transfer and spin offs from research were embedded in the design of Macquarie Park when it was first planned in the 1960s. Innovation success is in our DNA”

“We look forward to sharing our experience, learning from others, and building connections with similar spaces around the world as Connect MPID continues to make Macquarie Park a place where you can thrive.”

Connect MPID is a four-way partnership between Government, Macquarie University, landowners and leading local employers, working on a not-for-profit basis to advance Macquarie Park as a world-leading innovation district.