Canada, Pay Attention! Queensland’s Smart Strategy

In an event sponsored by The Biotechnology Initiative (TBI) and BioFinance, former Premier of Queensland, Australia, the Honorable Peter Beattie, spoke to members of the life science community in Toronto, ON about the strategy his state took to become a leader in biotechnology. Beattie spoke about how his government used a collaborative approach to change the way people thought of science and change the system from the ground up. Beattie calls it the “smart state” approach, and his government took the first steps to its implementation with only a minority government.

The Queensland government took the royalties they were making from their natural resources industry and used it to fund the life science industry. The government then went to the universities and presented its plan, a funding model where the government would invest a third of the money, the universities would invest a third and the final third would be solicited from the private sector or the federal government. This funding was on the condition that the scientists commercialize their work and that commercialization is based on world standards. Another condition was that the all of the universities had to collaborate.

Beattie suggested that the most difficult part of the process was getting public support for the funding. His government was in a unique place. Australia is within close proximity to both India and China. Beattie understood that it would never be able to compete with India and China in manufacturing, instead, Beattie suggested to the people of Queensland that they must use their brains. He frequently made statements about how brain power is more renewable and important than natural resources. By identifying the strengths of Queensland, the government began to build the foundation for a strong life science industry. Beattie says that they first needed a revolution in the education system. Queensland had a high school retention rate of around 50% before the strategy was implemented, and now boasts an 85% retention rate. Beattie called it “mum power.” By showing the public that their children would benefit hugely from the investment in sciences, the government changed the way the public felt about school.

Beattie also felt that the approach had to be by-partisan. In order for the plan to be long lasting they had to convince the opposition that it was a worth-while investment. In 2002 the government paid for the leaders of two opposition parties to attend BIO in Toronto so that they could understand the potential for success with biotechnology.

The Canadian biotechnology industry can learn a lot from the Queensland strategy. In fact, many leaders in the industry in Canada are pushing for exactly the same things: collaboration, commercialization and public support. Queensland’s example should be one that the Canadian industry pays special attention to.

Chris Rogers
Staff writer
Biotechnology Focus
editorial@promotive.net