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The Blueprint for Western Australia's Innovation Economy

Thu, 22 Oct 2026

There is an increasing focus on Western Australia diversifying its economic base, improving health outcomes, transitioning towards renewable energy and protecting its pristine environment. The key to overcoming all these urgent challenges is innovation.

As intellectual property (IP) experts who live and work in WA, we understand how patents stimulate innovation by rewarding inventors and providing ideas for next generation technologies. But that is not what this blog is about. We're going deeper. We explore how patents teach us what it takes for WA to create an ecosystem that encourages innovation and allows it to thrive.

What makes WA unique?

An invention can't be patented unless it is "novel", which means it must have a point of difference. To enhance its innovation, WA must take advantage of what distinguishes it from the rest of the world.

Our State has rich and diverse mineral deposits, including those critical to developing tomorrow's technologies. The resources sector has produced generations of inventors whose experience can spark and lead innovation in other industries. It also provides opportunities for expansion into areas like advanced manufacturing.
We have abundant sources of renewable energy (solar, wind, tidal, wave) and the minerals required to produce batteries. Our enormous gas deposits can fulfill demand as we transition to renewables. This energy can be used to power the next frontier of innovation: artificial intelligence (AI).
We have a vast range of environments, from forests, deserts, coastline to fertile agricultural land.
We have the ocean and an incredible array of marine habitats with massive aquaculture potential.
Our Indigenous people have the world's oldest living culture and a deep connection to country. They are Australia's first innovators, with traditional knowledge developed over millennia about nature, managing the land and sustainability.
Our world class universities house world class researchers and produce world class graduates.
Our multicultural society allows people with diverse experiences developed throughout the globe to collaborate and find unique solutions.
We share time zones, geographical location and friendly personal, business and inter-governmental relationships with South East Asia.
Radio quiet zones and clear skies make WA a prime location for space projects like the Square Kilometre Array.
We have the Southern Hemisphere's fastest research supercomputer at the Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre.
We have space to scale new and existing industries.

Even WA's challenges like distance and the harsh environment have proved to be assets. They have made us pioneers in remote operations, automation and robotics, and driven our farmers to become innovation leaders.

Individually, each represents a real opportunity. Combined, they reveal the extraordinary strength of WA's position.

A clear vision for WA's innovation ecosystem

A patent must clearly and completely describe how to perform the invention. A successful innovation ecosystem similarly needs a clear vision and a strategy to achieve it.

The State government's Innovation Strategy, Diversify WA and 10-year Science and Technology Plan describe its vision for WA. It has also released industry-specific strategy documents like:

These documents envisage WA as a global hub of innovation and impact. We will be a leader in cutting-edge research and technology, collaboration and traditional knowledge integration. We will provide world-class educations, career pathways and expertise in advanced STEM and entrepreneurship. Global organisations will carry out technology development, testing, translation, commercialisation and manufacturing here, capturing more value locally. They will use an interconnected network of high-quality physical and digital innovation hubs. Local businesses will boldly adopt new technologies. This will drive WA's diversification into:

clean energy and green technologies;
creative industries;
environmental conservation and sustainability;
mineral processing and mining equipment;
critical and emerging technologies;
space industries;
health, medical sciences and wellbeing; and
sustainable and high-value food and beverage production.

Support Systems for Founders

Just as a patent specification needs to provide support for the invention, entrepreneurs and founders need others' support to succeed.

WA already has significant support structures in place. Founders have access to local incubator and accelerator programs, including those offered by Curtin University, Spacecubed and CERI. There are industry-specific programs like:

Core Innovation Hub and Curtin University's Trailblazer (mining);

Harvest (agtech);
Perth Biodesign (medtech);
WA Nature Tech Accelerator (green technologies); and
Blue Economy Innovation Hub (marine and ocean).

The planned Murray Street Launchpad, QEII Health and Biomedical Precinct and Floreat Biomedical Manufacturing Hub will soon assist biotech startups.

Hubs help companies validate ideas, including:

The future Commercialisation Hub will assist companies transition from validation to scale.

WA has a skilled workforce. It has well-funded venture capital firms and angel investors. It has experienced professionals ready to assist with engineering, product manufacture, environmental and energy challenges. Davies Collison Cave (DCC) has used its IP expertise to help inventors and entrepreneurs get the most from their innovation for over 145 years.

Founders also need government support with:

grants (like the New Industries and Innovation Fund, Innovation Booster Grant and Future Health Research and Innovation Fund);
competitive tax incentives for startups, research, technology companies and investors; and
investment in STEM education.

Innovation at every level

A patented invention requires an "inventive step" over what has gone before it, and we need new and inventive ideas at every level to expand WA's industries. This involves:

tackling the biggest problems, as well as identifying new problems others have overlooked;
incremental technical improvements and revolutionary breakthroughs that create new scientific fields;
innovative improvements to business models and ways of delivering existing ideas; and
finding new ways of collaborating across sectors to accelerate innovation.

Innovation for the real world

Only useful inventions are patentable. WA must prioritise innovation that addresses real world problems in ways that can be practically adopted. This is not about limiting ambition or imagination. It is about:

identifying important, existing challenges;
focusing attention on practical solutions that can be scaled; and
refining solutions until they can be seamlessly plugged into existing infrastructure.

The effort behind the ecosystem

Finally, a patented invention must be a manner of manufacture: essentially, it must create an "artificial state of affairs". Similarly, innovation and economic growth are rarely spontaneous. They require the deliberate, concentrated and sustained effort of an entire community to achieve tangible outcomes.

WA's moment is here

WA is uniquely positioned to lead the world across a vast range of industries. We have the talent, capital, space, energy and natural resources to solve the world's most pressing health, environmental and economic issues, and create a more diversified and sustainable economy in the process. Layer over that the potential provided by AI, and WA has a once-in-a-generation opportunity. But success requires more. It requires a clear vision. Those with ideas and ambition must be supported and empowered. Innovation must be at the centre of our plans and actions, including harnessing IP rights to unleash that innovation. We must focus on practical solutions, without curbing ambition. We must be prepared to exert the effort that a technological revolution demands. With these foundations, WA's potential is limitless.

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