What is it all about?

Innovation Week 2012 is innovation in action! It’s all about collaboration and creativity – sharing new ideas, solutions and priorities to get better results and outcomes.

Events

Innovation Week 2012 is full of open public events and internal agency activities. Key open events are:

• Keynote Address (10:00 - 11:00 am , 4 June) - Dr Bronwyn Harch, Deputy Director, Sustainable Agriculture Flagship, CSIRO will set the scene for Innovation Week 2012. The event is being hosted by Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry at DAFF National Conference Centre, 7 London Circuit, Canberra City
• Connecting and collaborating (10:00 – 11:30 am, 5 June) – Doing it alone won’t get the best results. Damian West from the Australian Public Service Commission and Garry Reynolds from Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry will discuss ways to connect with diverse stakeholders for excellent outcomes.  The event is being hosted by the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry National Conference Centre, 7 London Circuit, Canberra City
• TED talks about great leadership (11:45 – 12:45 pm, 5 June) – Two amusing and inspiring TED talks set the scene for a discussion about leadership, facilitated by Dr Jane Gunn from the APSC. event is being hosted by Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry at DAFF National Conference Centre, 7 London Circuit, Canberra City
• Co-creating with communities (11:30 – 12:30 am, 6 June) – Three academics from Australia and the United States talk about catalysing and energising the intentional co-creation of new knowledge and ideas utilising "community" expertise.  They will explore our understanding of what it is to innovate and, based on the growing body of knowledge on this subject and their own research, they will explore the possibility of applying intentional innovation principles to different "community" contexts. The event is being hosted by Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry at DAFF National Conference Centre, 7 London Circuit, Canberra City
• Pressure cooker - adding value under heat (3:00 - 4:00, 6 June). Farming is not necessarily just about sheep and cattle. Come and share some delicacies from the smokehouse cafe at Poachers Pantry (www.poacherspantry.com.au) and insights from owner, Sue Bruce, about innovating in the rural sector. Susan Bruce established Poachers Pantry, a gourmet smokehouse, on the family farm close to Canberra over 20 years ago. Facing the loss of their leased farmland in the ACT, Susan needed to make their small property financially viable and after considering a number of alternatives decided to establish a smokehouse producing high quality smoked meat, poultry and game lines for restaurants, hotels and airlines.  Susan will talk about how she identifies opportunities to expand the business and turn a rural location into a strong branding opportunity
• Chocolate flavoured science (10:00 – 11:00 am, 7 June) – When you think of your favourite sweets, does innovation ever come to mind? Ever thought of how the science behind lightweight materials from Defence applications could be used in confectionery? How about using 3M technology for chewing gum, or South American frogs’ nests for chocolate? Physicist Dr Sarah Pearson—CEO of ANU Enterprise and former Open Innovation Champion at Cadbury’s—reveals the weird and wonderful scientific secrets behind some of your favourite goodies. This session involves all the senses—taste, smell, feel, touch and hear
• The value of foresighting (2:00 – 4:00 pm, 7 June) This session will introduce and discuss the value of foresighting tools such as horizon scanning, emerging issues analysis and risk mapping. The event is being hosted by Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry at DAFF National Conference Centre, 7 London Circuit, Canberra City 
• Landing New Ideas (11:45 am - 12:45 pm, 8 June) The Western Australian Land Information Authority reveals its secrets to sourcing great ideas from employees
• National Broadband Network - how will it change our lives? (1:30 - 2:30 pm, 8 June). Why are we building a National Broadband Network, and how will it change the way we work and live? The Department of Broadband, Communications and Digital Economy reveals the answers.