I first had the idea to visit every innovation ecosystem in Australia around 12 months ago.  I had just returned from the Australia Post Regional Pitch Fest in 2017 and was moving on from managing the local government innovation hub Fire Station 101 into a role with the Office of the Queensland Chief Entrepreneur to map and measure startup activity in Queensland. As part of my work, I would often visit local governments to learn from and advise on building regional innovation ecosystems.

A challenge began growing in me that there needed to be a better way to fully how to best build regional innovation ecosystems.  There were some exceptional examples across the nation, but it takes being in community to truly understand the factors that contribute towards success or that hinder growth.

So I built in a national tour into my PhD that was looking into the role that the innovation hub plays in building community resilience, with an emphasis on regional areas.

You can read about it here.

There have been a few admin things that have needed to be in place before I leave, primarily my PhD Confirmation and Ethics approval. I am waiting on final review, but figure I need to get it out there now to make it real.

I look forward to keeping this personal blog updated with my inner thought processes, even as I publish official posts through LinkedIn and Startup Status. Thanks for being with me on the journey!