Innovate to Grow
“Innovate to Grow” is CSIRO’s online learning program for small to medium sized businesses (SMEs) who want to understand their R&D opportunities, or are in the early decision-making stages about engaging in R&D.
It’s a self-paced, engaging, free and industry specific online learning program that helps SMEs develop the insights and strategies needed to fully leverage research and development.
[Music plays and the CSIRO logo and text appears on a blue screen: “Innovate to Grow” is CSIRO’s online learning program for SMEs, delivered in partnership with Australian edtech start-up Practera]
[New text appears: It helps SMEs develop their R & D skills by bringing together companies, industry-specific researchers, and innovation experts]
[New text appears: Here is what recent participants have to say about “Innovate to Grow”]
[Image changes to show Hamish Shaw talking to the camera and text appears: Hamish Shaw, Bellata Gold]
Hamish Shaw: Yeah, nobody knows their product like SMEs. They have to or they don’t survive. So, we all run around with 50 ideas in our heads about how to do things better.
[Image changes to show Jo Lane talking to the camera and text appears: Jo Lane, Sea Health Products]
Jo Lane: Often you go, “Oh yeah, this is what I’m going to do” but we actually need to break it down step-by-step in how much is it going to cost, what resources do you need, is this actually a realistic concept.
[Image changes to show Amanda Falconer talking to the camera and text appears: Amanda Falconer, Bestie Kitchen]
Amanda Falconer: Doing the “Innovate to Grow” programme really made that accessible to me and demystified that. And it also gave me some tools and rigour around trying to develop a research programme and work out the funding sources for that.
[Image changes to show Hamish talking to the camera]
Hamish Shaw: We had great exposure to, along the way to several experts and those contacts I think will be invaluable going forward. I do feel they’re the sort of people, if I drop them a line they’d give me 15, 20 minutes, and certainly heading you in the right direction could save you months.
[Image changes to show Amanda talking to the camera]
Amanda Falconer: There was exposure to peers, people in businesses that I probably wouldn’t ordinarily come across who were having experiences, not the same as mine, but still things that I could learn from.
[Image changes to show two Emerging High Growth graphs on a web page and then the image changes to show a Research Engagement model web page]
Jo Lane: What I found most valuable was opportunities to talk with other participants and hear about their challenges.
[Image changes to show Hamish talking to the camera]
Hamish Shaw: We were very lucky it was CSIRO; I think they were sort of at the centre of everything.
[Image changes to show Amanda talking to the camera]
Amanda Falconer: It certainly paid back my time ten-fold I think.
[Image changes to show a Collaboration & Funding Options web page and then the image changes to show a pie graph and information about Businesses of Tomorrow on a web page]
Jo Lane: It’s been a great experience and opened my eyes to, you know, really anything is possible.
[Image changes to show Hamish talking to the camera]
Hamish Lane: I think the programme is a fantastic idea.
[Image changes to show Jo talking to the camera]
Jo Lane: I would definitely recommend it.
[Image changes to show Amanda talking to the camera]
Amanda Falconer: I think it’s an awesome opportunity and I encourage you to apply.
[Music plays and image changes to show a blue screen and text appears: Find out more about “Innovate to Grow” at www.csiro.au/sme]
[Image changes to show the CSIRO logo and text on a white screen: CSIRO, Australia’s National Science Agency]