Queensland’s innovation agenda is increasingly defined by delivery, not rhetoric — translating policy, investment and ideas into outcomes that drive productivity, resilience and growth across the state.

This session will explore what good looks like in practice, bringing together government and industry leaders to examine how innovation is being enabled, funded and scaled across Queensland. Steven Minnikin, Minister for Customer Services and Open Data and Minister for Small and Family Business, will share the Queensland Government’s perspective on creating the right policy, data and digital foundations to support customer-centric services, regional innovation and economic diversification.

Joining the Minister on the panel, Rebecca Iwanuscha, Innovation Incentives Partner at Grant Thornton, will bring a commercial and investment lens — exploring how organisations are translating R&D, emerging technologies and innovation activity into tangible outcomes through effective incentives, capital attraction and collaboration between government, industry and research.

Together with additional senior panellists to be announced shortly, the discussion will focus on:

• moving beyond pilots to innovation at scale, including R&D commercialisation and applied AI

• the role of open data, digital connectivity and infrastructure in unlocking productivity and investment

• how collaborative ecosystems are improving outcomes for small and family businesses, regions and communities

• building resilience through innovation that delivers measurable economic and social impact

The session is designed as a practical, off-the-record conversation for senior leaders — focused on what’s working, why it’s working, and how it can be replicated across Queensland.