The Greater Cities Commission is leading the delivery and coordination of four innovation districts with the greatest opportunity to accelerate economic recovery for the Six Cities Region.

These innovation districts will complement and reinforce each other, incorporating social, economic and sustainability benefits into their strategic development. The innovation districts the Commission are focussing on are:

• Tech Central
• Westmead Health and Innovation District (including Parramatta North)
• Macquarie Park

Tech Central is a place where universities, startups, scaleups, tech giants and local communities collaborate to solve problems, socialise and spark ideas that change our world.

Westmead Health and Innovation District will continue building on its status as a globally recognised destination for innovation, health, education and research, capitalising on existing major health and research facilities and ongoing government investment in health and transport infrastructure.

The Macquarie Park Innovation District situated to the north west of Sydney CBD includes a world class university, a major shopping centre, a hospital, a high-tech employment hub.

NSW is home to 11 universities, with 2 ranked in the top 50 for medicine and health. Australia is ranked 8th in the world for life sciences research.

Significant capital investment in health precincts dispersed across Greater Sydney in Westmead, Camperdown, Randwick and Liverpool, offers economic and productivity advantages to businesses.

Precincts are where research institutions and companies can cluster and connect with startups, business incubators and accelerators. This creates a culture that supports the commercialisation of products and services and grows the future skills pipeline.

The NSW Government is targeting priority sectors including:
• medical devices
• biotechnology
• clinical trials
• gene and cell therapies
• digital health.

Sydney hosts six world-class universities offering a wide range of courses for international students across undergraduate, postgraduate and research degree levels.

The University of Sydney is one of the top universities in Sydney, Australia, and is consistently ranked in the top 50 universities in the world.

UNSW is ranked 2nd in Australia and 27th in the world for Graduate Employability. Browse our range of study options and find the perfect one for you.

Western Sydney University is one of Australia's leading institutions, ranked in the top 250 universities globally.

University of Technology Sydney is Australia's no 1 young university, focused on making a difference through leading research, and inspiring education.

Macquarie University is a public research university based in Sydney, Australia, in the suburb of Macquarie Park.

The Australian Catholic University is a publicly funded university with several campuses around Australia.

Waste is a significant and increasing contributor to emissions. Moving to a circular economy will reduce emissions and improve sustainability of our cities and infrastructure. This will require major changes to waste management, recycling, and reuse across the six cities.

Increasing the separation of household food and organic waste can generate renewable energy and reduce emissions. This may require innovative solutions in higher-density areas where fewer households have access to their own garden, including through the development of community-led ‘maker spaces’ or ‘circular economy hubs’.

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges we face. It impacts our natural environment and ecosystems, our economy, our infrastructure, and our way of life. As we plan for the future, we must ensure that we achieve sustainability for the long term, transforming to meet the challenge of realising net zero emissions, while ensuring our cities are resilient and adaptable in the face of the escalating climate change impacts we are already experiencing.

Reaching net zero emissions by 2050 will require a major shift towards private, public and heavy electric vehicles and more trips by public transport, walking and cycling.

The 2019–2020 bushfires across eastern Australia caused loss of life, property, infrastructure and devastating impact on communities, vegetation, wildlife and ecosystems across our region. There were additional health and economic impacts from the thick smoke blanketing the region for months.

Recycled water, including recycled stormwater, can help mitigate urban heat in a way that is less reliant on rainfall and drinking water supplies. Currently, only seven per cent of wastewater in Greater Sydney is recycled. Making greater use of recycled water, and water conservation measures will be critical to keeping our communities cool and green.

Sydney is recognised as Australia’s only global city and the leading knowledge-based economy in the nation.

Innovation districts, including health and education hubs, remain priority areas for building knowledge intensive jobs growth across the six cities. A number of current projects will set the scene for improved economic dynamism and future knowledge intensive jobs growth across the Central River and Western Parkland Cities. This includes the recently announced Advanced Manufacturing Research Facility at Bradfield, as well as investment in the Viral Vector Manufacturing Facility at the Westmead Health and Innovation District.

Focus industries will include agriculture, tourism, technology, health industries, defence and aerospace, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing and materials, smart freight and logistics, agriculture and tourism.

Innovation districts will complement the Aerotropolis, centred on semiconductors, defence, aerospace and modern manufacturing. Tech Central, which has a focus on deep tech, software as a service, quantum cyber and information and communication technology,
and Westmead, which drives health innovation, building on Westmead’s strengths in advanced therapeutics, translation cancer, immunology, vaccinology clinical trials and digital health.

Sydney is recognised as Australia’s only global city and the leading knowledge-based economy in the nation.

Innovation districts, including health and education hubs, remain priority areas for building knowledge intensive jobs growth across the six cities. A number of current projects will set the scene for improved economic dynamism and future knowledge intensive jobs growth across the Central River and Western Parkland Cities. This includes the recently announced Advanced Manufacturing Research Facility at Bradfield, as well as investment in the Viral Vector Manufacturing Facility at the Westmead Health and Innovation District.

Focus industries will include agriculture, tourism, technology, health industries, defence and aerospace, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing and materials, smart freight and logistics, agriculture and tourism.

Innovation districts will complement the Aerotropolis, centred on semiconductors, defence, aerospace and modern manufacturing. Tech Central, which has a focus on deep tech, software as a service, quantum cyber and information and communication technology,
and Westmead, which drives health innovation, building on Westmead’s strengths in advanced therapeutics, translation cancer, immunology, vaccinology clinical trials and digital health.

Sydney is recognised as Australia’s only global city and the leading knowledge-based economy in the nation.

Innovation districts, including health and education hubs, remain priority areas for building knowledge intensive jobs growth across the six cities. A number of current projects will set the scene for improved economic dynamism and future knowledge intensive jobs growth across the Central River and Western Parkland Cities. This includes the recently announced Advanced Manufacturing Research Facility at Bradfield, as well as investment in the Viral Vector Manufacturing Facility at the Westmead Health and Innovation District.

Focus industries will include agriculture, tourism, technology, health industries, defence and aerospace, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing and materials, smart freight and logistics, agriculture and tourism.

Innovation districts will complement the Aerotropolis, centred on semiconductors, defence, aerospace and modern manufacturing. Tech Central, which has a focus on deep tech, software as a service, quantum cyber and information and communication technology,
and Westmead, which drives health innovation, building on Westmead’s strengths in advanced therapeutics, translation cancer, immunology, vaccinology clinical trials and digital health.

Sydney is recognised as Australia’s only global city and the leading knowledge-based economy in the nation.

Innovation districts, including health and education hubs, remain priority areas for building knowledge intensive jobs growth across the six cities. A number of current projects will set the scene for improved economic dynamism and future knowledge intensive jobs growth across the Central River and Western Parkland Cities. This includes the recently announced Advanced Manufacturing Research Facility at Bradfield, as well as investment in the Viral Vector Manufacturing Facility at the Westmead Health and Innovation District.

Focus industries will include agriculture, tourism, technology, health industries, defence and aerospace, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing and materials, smart freight and logistics, agriculture and tourism.

Innovation districts will complement the Aerotropolis, centred on semiconductors, defence, aerospace and modern manufacturing. Tech Central, which has a focus on deep tech, software as a service, quantum cyber and information and communication technology,
and Westmead, which drives health innovation, building on Westmead’s strengths in advanced therapeutics, translation cancer, immunology, vaccinology clinical trials and digital health.

Located on the Sunshine Coast, the Innovation Centre assists innovative and ambitious businesses at every stage across all industries. Typically, Innovation Centre members are looking to either launch a new venture or scale an existing venture in the mid to short term. Members join the Innovation Centre to access programs, training, mentoring and tailored advice aligned with their strategic needs.

We want a future Ballarat with an embedded culture of innovative thinking and entrepreneurialism, where the spark of creativity is nurtured everywhere. A Ballarat that celebrates is unique identity and heritage, that demonstrates leadership in sustainability, and a Ballarat that is a compassionate city – with a strong, caring community.

Logan has developed a strategy and framework to strengthen innovation capability in the City of Logan. An innovation ecosystem is one that creates new ventures and companies that generate jobs at a faster pace and will play a significant role in the city’s economic development.

The Innovation for Regional Success (IRS) group supports the development, sustainability and liveability of regional communities in Australia and internationally through research focused on regional innovation, entrepreneurship and capacity building.

IBM is setting up a regional innovation centre at Charles Sturt University, which will provide the Central West with greater job opportunities, by offering opportunities closer to home now and into the future.

The Tasmanian Innovation Strategy is designed to identify the opportunities available to Tasmania through an increased focus on innovation – in both traditional sectors of economic strength and emerging sectors.

The Canberra region is geographically and economically diverse. It possesses a vibrant, mobile and highly skilled workforce across a wide range of existing and emerging industries, providing the foundation for a strong economy.

Arts, culture and creativity in Canberra feature a rich variety of practices and practitioners, unique and historic places, national institutions and leading arts organisations.

The city is home to 12 of Australia’s most iconic cultural attractions, museums and galleries – the National Gallery of Australia, National Portrait Gallery, National Museum of Australia, Questacon, National Film and Sound Archive, as well as the Canberra Glassworks, Canberra Museum and Gallery and a range of local galleries throughout the city.

The greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming are generated from electricity, gas, transport, and waste produced in our city. They are also generated by food and agriculture, goods and services, and the resources that go into packaging, clothes and building materials. Too many greenhouse gas emissions act like a blanket around the earth, causing temperatures to rise.

To reduce greenhouse emissions, we need collective action by customers and businesses, commuters and transport companies, tenants and building owners, investors and government regulators. By taking action together, we can generate health and social benefits and reduce the cost of environmental impact.

We are already investing in renewable energy, urban forests, green buildings, waste innovation and in better pedestrian and cycling infrastructure. Through such creative initiatives, we can deliver better health for our community together with economic, social and environmental benefits.

Australian households generate many different types of waste – from food and textile waste to e-waste and hazardous waste.

In Australia, each person generates approximately 20 kilograms of e-waste each year. As a result, Australians have become the fourth highest generators of e-waste per capita. E-waste can be recycled. Just over half of all e-waste is collected in Australia, with 80% of this going to low-efficiency recycling. This means that valuable resources (such as lithium and cobalt) in e-waste are not reused.

Recycling is one of the easiest ways to contribute to environmental issues by helping to conserve water, reduce energy use, reduce greenhouse emissions, reduce reliance on landfill and conserve natural habitats.

The Advanced Manufacturing Research Lab was established for the development and use of innovative technologies for the fabrication of products, covering teaching, research and consulting in various manufacturing processes.

This includes advanced laser and laser-hybrid processing of materials, high pressure water jet and air jet processing of materials, mechanical machining, additive manufacturing, and friction and wear.