Innovation LIVES in Australia

Too often the catchcry has been that Australia is not innovative.  It lacks leading edge action in fields such as electronics and even solar where Australia was once considered a leading edge player or in similar advanced engineering and science fields.  Never mind our leading edge technologies in agriculture!

This may not be as true as many would think.

The opinion piece below by the regional manager for STMicroelectronics a significant world player, is very different and he is adamant that Australia IS an innovation leader in many ways.  BUT - not in necessarily mass market stuff, but in advanced areas where features are more important in a smaller market, that places emphasis on features, ease of use and time saving.  These are more important in non major, but higher cost markets.

Read for yourself -
http://www.electronicsnews.com.au/features/opinion-innovation-distinctively-australian?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Electronics%20Newsletter%20-%20send%20-%3E%201/02/2013%2012:10:09%20PM&utm_content=

There are areas such as RFID use, in agriculture and cattle identification and management as well as transportation systems and logistics, where Australia is prominent, not to mention the company Dyesol as  a leader in solar optics and PV from dye pigments.

It is nice to hear from someone outside the Australian public that looks at things somewhat differently, that it is not all doom and gloom for advanced technologies and, more importantly, their deployment in real world use.  That last issue is an advantage when you are smaller - sometimes a tad easier to get started and then progress to full use.  Think Qantas with automated checkin, automated weighing, telemetry, watering and medication systems in rangeland grazing or even the new self serve immigration gates now more widely used around Australia [ at least for Australian and NZ passport holders].  These are all world leading deployments of the technology.