The Advancing Innovation in Place project

Regional Queensland boasts a thriving food production sector, yet it faces a crucial challenge — how to solve the challenges and seize the opportunities of the fourth industrial revolution.

This is a big issue, especially given many producers are small to medium-sized companies (SMEs).

One possible solution — the emergence of what are called food innovation clusters.

Innovation clusters bring together regional businesses, research institutions and government organisations to form a local, grass-roots innovation ecosystem.

The concept is to add value beyond what could be possible for these groups in isolation.

In effect, innovation clusters are about building hot spots of productivity and collaboration, delivering a new economy that is export-oriented, lower carbon, innovation-driven and prosperous.

Food and Agribusiness Network

One of these innovation clusters is the Sunshine Coast-based Food and Agribusiness Network (FAN).

Established in 2015, FAN is a food community innovation cluster. It has more than 370 members across the food value chain, from Gympie to Moreton Bay.

Members include:

  • Australian Macadamia Society
  • Belladotti Fine Foods
  • Blackflag Brewing
  • Gamble Family Lychees
  • Harefield Horticulture
  • Hum Honey
  • Little White Goat Cheese
  • Planet Organic
  • Walker Seafoods.

Advancing Innovation in Place

In 2022, FAN received almost $200,000 in Advance Queensland Regional Futures Collaborative Project funding for their Advancing Innovation in Place project to build a dynamic regional innovation cluster.

The Advance Queensland Regional Futures Collaborative initiative enables entrepreneurially-minded organisations and partners to collaborate on solving regionally significant or cross-industry real-world problems through innovation.

FAN CEO Nicole McNaughton said the Advancing Innovation in Place project aimed to enable everyone in the food and agribusiness industry to participate, benefit and add value in the evolving food landscape in Australia.

The Australian food sector is driven by increasing nutrition literacy, the multicultural nature of contemporary Australian food, a focus on good eating and health, as well as the environmental impact of food production.

‘The food and agribusiness industry is a major contributor to Queensland's Gross State Product.’

‘The industry is experiencing significant change and challenges, which need to be collectively addressed due to 87% of the industry being made up of SMEs,’ Ms McNaughton said.

‘Regions around the world that are doing this really well build their futures on collaboration and innovation, where cooperation and competition go together. However, the sector is at the early stages of innovation, and is mostly segmented and inwardly focused.’

FAN’s project brings together stakeholders

‘The Advancing Innovation in Place project draws inspiration from successful regions worldwide where collaboration and innovations forge a synergy between cooperation and competition,’ Ms McNaughton said.

‘The project has brought together stakeholders from Gympie, Noosa, Moreton Bay and the Sunshine Coast.’

A blueprint for change has been laid out through the development of Regional Action Plans for each of the four regions.

‘The themes of provenance, identity, agritourism and collaboration opportunities were key priorities mapped out by stakeholders in all of FAN’s four regions as part of the Regional Action Planning Process.’

Building four regional innovation clusters

In effect, the project has set out to build four innovation clusters:

  • collaborative food and beverage manufacturing on the Sunshine Coast
  • regenerative farming and natural capital in Gympie
  • food tourism and hospitality in Noosa
  • peri-urban farming alongside large-scale horticulture production, along with food tourism and food waste opportunities in Moreton Bay.

Ms McNaughton said the project served as a testament to the place-based, cluster-facilitated collaborative approach. It works to drive innovation and economic growth to support regional development and has set a precedent for other regions and industries across Australia.

Find out more about the Regional Futures - Collaborative Projects

Last updated: 24 Apr 2024