Where innovation thrives
The Sunshine Coast is a tech-savvy region with a reputation for innovation. Businesses are supported by a strong entrepreneurial, collaborative and digitally oriented ecosystem.
The region is recognised as a place where world-first ideas flourish, innovation thrives and startups prosper.
Accelerators, coworking spaces, incubator events and meetups foster a culture of collaboration and partnerships that develop fresh perspectives and solve problems.
Innovation in action
On the Sunshine Coast, innovation is not something that happens behind closed doors. It happens in real time, in real places, with real businesses.
This is a region where ideas are built, tested and scaled in the same place they are imagined. From startups to global companies, innovation here is practical, fast moving and connected to real-world demand
Bundle of Rays
Bundle of Rays is a Sunshine Coast health-tech company transforming how nurses and healthcare professionals are trained through immersive virtual reality (VR) and extended reality (XR) simulation.
From its Sunshine Coast base, Bundle of Rays is exporting this innovation globally, delivering immersive training programs across markets including India, the UK, the US, South Korea and Brazil.
Innovation highlights
- The Sunshine Coast is home to Critical Infrastructure – Information Sharing and Analysis Centre (CI-ISAC), a national organisation aimed at protecting Australia against cyber criminals.
- Australia’s fastest growing food industry group, Food and Agribusiness Network (FAN) connects and grows the region’s food and agriculture businesses by creating a culture of collaboration, accelerating innovation and promoting trade.
- Silicon Coast has almost 2000 members and is the leading representative body for entrepreneurship, innovation and technology on the Sunshine Coast. With programs such as LEAP Incubator and LEAP Accelerator, the group aims to ignite collaboration, facilitate introductions and share knowledge.
- Sunshine Coast Tech Industry Alliance (SCTechIA) has been established to provide ICT businesses with an opportunity to collaboratively drive industry growth and leverage the Sunshine Coast’s digital infrastructure.
- Geospatial Intelligence Ecosystem with active collaboration across industry, education and government the Sunshine Coast is building momentum to be a national hub for geospatial defense and innovation.
- Sunshine Coast Creative Alliance connects the dots between creative thinkers, businesses, places, supporters, target markets, audiences and key stakeholders. It supports creative enterprise and artistic expression as catalysts for innovation, culture and regional identity.
Innovation excellence
Top7 Intelligent Communities of the Year
2023 | 2022 | 2020 | 2019
Smart21 Communities of the Year
2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2015 | 2014
The Queensland Regional Innovation Benchmark Report 2021 identifies current practices and performance to determine how businesses across the region perform comparatively year on year.
46%
Sunshine Coast businesses say they have implemented new to the firm innovations
46%
Sunshine Coast businesses say they have implemented new to the firm innovations
29%
Sunshine Coast firms introduced new to the industry product innovations
29%
Sunshine Coast firms introduced new to the industry product innovations
90%
Innovators report embracing digital business practices, using an innovation strategy, website and e-commerce
90%
Innovators report embracing digital business practices, using an innovation strategy, website and e-commerce
Source: Queensland Regional Innovation Benchmark Report 2021
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