Griffith innovation centre flags off entrepreneurial development

Griffith University has opened a vibrant new innovation space at the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct in efforts to embed a deep culture of entrepreneurship across its teaching and research activities.

Launched November 8, the Griffith Innovation Centre (GIC) serves as a strategic venue for students, staff and researchers to expand on entrepreneurial and innovative activities outside the conventional curriculum through the delivery of special accelerator programmes. 

It ensures the university’s activities are aligned with the Federal Government’s National Innovation and Science Agenda and the State Government’s Advance Queensland policy frameworks that aim to educate, develop and encourage entrepreneurship innovations for socio-economic growth. 

“Griffith Innovation Centre will be a highly adaptable, teaching, prototyping and events space designed to bring together students from all disciplines, staff and wider industry to deliver best practice innovation and enterprise learning,” said Griffith University Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Carolyn Evans. 

Strategically co-located with COHORT, an innovative co-working space, the GIC also enjoys the close proximity of startups and businesses like IntelliHQ, a government, university and industry partnership centred on the implementation of AI in healthcare. 

“This connection to industry and networking opportunities within the Health and Knowledge Precinct and COHORT, will allow students to collaborate with some of the coast’s most innovative companies, through regular events and masterclasses,” said Professor Evans. 

She also explained that the innovation centre will also be located next to Griffith University’s planned AU$80 million Advanced Design and Prototyping Technologies Institute (ADaPT). 

The centre will be home to various extra-curricular acceleration programmes implemented to equip students with the latest skills to be applied in real-world entrepreneurial situations in the near future. 

These will include the US National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps based on the Lean LaunchPad programme jointly developed by Stanford and Berkeley universities as Griffith University’s capstone course. 

There will also be “3 Day Startup”, a world-leading experiential entrepreneurship programme, and the Stanford University-developed Design Thinking Bootcamp. 

Other innovative activities are also in the pipeline including a potential collaboration with the university’s co-joint clinical staff at the Gold Coast University Hospital to develop healthcare innovation from lab to bedside. 

The GIC programmes will cover all bases in entrepreneurial development, from ideation all the way to early-stage incubation of new businesses. 

These programmes will transcend disciplinary boundaries to ensure students and researchers develop a broad set of skills to bolster entrepreneurship activities in the region and country. 

To cultivate an inspiring and creative working environment, a mural wall created by Queensland College of Art (QCA) alumnus and sessional lecturer Simon DeGroot was set up at the GIC workspace. 

The centre has received development funds of up to AU$60,000 from the Economic Development Queensland.