Driving Innovation and Collaboration: The Role of Cisco’s Innovation Central Adelaide

In the heart of South Australia, Innovation Central Adelaide (ICA) stands as a beacon of collaboration and progress, serving as a critical hub within Cisco’s National Industry Innovation Network (NIIN).

The centre is tasked with the mission of fostering partnerships between academia, industry, and government, ultimately driving technological advancement in sectors that will define the future of the region. Under the leadership of Dr Kathryn Anderson (who recently took the helm as Director, ICA), the centre is poised to reshape the industrial landscape of South Australia, leveraging cutting-edge digital solutions and creating opportunities for sustainable growth.

A Vision for the Future

Anderson brings a fresh and dynamic approach to the centre’s mission. Reflecting on her early days in the role, she noted that ICA is in the process of evolving its strategic focus.

While the vision is still taking shape, the foundational elements of ICA’s work remains clear. Anderson envisions the centre as a place where industries can collaborate to solve both practical and complex challenges, particularly in smart health, Industry 5.0, and smart infrastructure. This broad range of focus areas illustrates the centre’s adaptability and its capacity to innovate across sectors.

In particular, Anderson highlighted the importance of ensuring that ICA’s work stays grounded in real-world impacts. “For me, it comes back to where I started, as a social scientist, which is to make sure that the people are really central… The focus on innovation by humans, for the world, natural and social.” This human-centered approach to innovation is a core value that will shape how ICA tackles challenges in the future.

Factory of the Future and Digital Health Design Lab

One of the cornerstones of ICA’s work is its dual emphasis on Flinders’ Factory of the Future and the transition and evolution of manufacturing, and its Digital Health Design Lab, one of 5 national Cisco specialised centres in the National Industry Innovation Network, with a focus on digital health systems.

South Australia’s manufacturing sector is a prime example of an industry ready for transformation, through Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0. Anderson sees ICA as a bridge between large companies, including manufacturing and utilities companies, and the region’s vibrant small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs), which make up a significant portion of the state’s economy.

The health sector is one where the Digital Health Design Lab leads the way under Cisco Chair in Digital Health, Professor Trish Williams. Setting the standard for information infrastructure and breaking ground in medical devices for more than a decade, the new collaboration between ICA and the Digital Health Design Lab is fostering technology solutions to critical healthcare issues.

This dual focus allows ICA to serve the needs of different industry segments, from advanced manufacturing companies looking to adopt cutting-edge technologies to smaller enterprises eager to improve their operations through cost-effective innovation, to public delivery of essential services.

Through its work, ICA seeks to answer pressing questions such as, “If this is how technology might assist you, what is it going to do to the bottom line?” Importantly, Anderson notes that this “bottom line” is not solely financial – it encompasses environmental impacts as well. “The bottom line may well be the environmental bottom line, for example, you might find processes that take carbon out and make manufacturing simpler.”

Supporting SMEs and Indigenous Communities

South Australia is home to many forward-thinking SMEs, particularly in the manufacturing sector. Anderson remarked on the progressive nature of these companies, saying, “South Australian SMEs are quite forward-thinking, they’re quite adaptable, and there’s that progressiveness that’s always there.”

However, she acknowledges the challenge of access to technology and its cost, which can be a barrier for smaller companies. This is where ICA comes in, providing value through initiatives such as the ICA Innovation Projects, which help SMEs explore new technologies and adopt them in a way that is both affordable and sustainable.

The centre is also committed to ensuring that innovation benefits and engages with the wider community, including South Australia’s Indigenous populations.

While direct outreach and collaboration with Indigenous businesses is in early stages, Anderson stressed the importance of diverse perspectives in ICA’s future work: “First Nations people have been innovators for millennia and there is a lot to be learnt from indigenous approaches to knowledge and innovation, which are often more systems-focused, and this is what is needed for innovation today”.

Collaboration with Academia

At the heart of ICA’s mission is its role as a facilitator of collaboration between universities and industries.

Anderson refers to ICA as an “open door” to the university, enabling companies to engage with academic research and development in a way that is often difficult to achieve independently. “We know that universities and businesses have different ways of working,” she said. “For there to be effective engagement, those ways of working need people – an articulation point that helps navigate the pathways within the university and through the business sectors.”

This articulation point is crucial for ensuring that companies, particularly SMEs, can benefit from the wealth of knowledge and resources that universities offer.

Anderson’s vision for ICA includes not only fostering these partnerships but also helping students engage with real-world industry challenges. “One of the things that I think we absolutely are going to need is a workforce that has an innovative mindset but also knows how to do the research properly.” By connecting students with industry in a meaningful way, ICA is preparing the next generation of innovators for the workforce of the future.

Smart Cities and Sustainability

ICA is positioned to be a key player in the development of smart cities in South Australia, another area that excites Anderson.

“Smart cities as a concept is so broad,” she remarked. “It’s everything from traffic lights assisting travel times to data in your buildings that makes it better for people’s movement, to making it easier to manage and maintain.” By integrating technology into urban infrastructure, ICA aims to shape the future of urban living in a way that benefits both the economy and the environment.

Sustainability is a core element of ICA’s mission, as South Australia continues to push for zero-carbon targets and environmentally friendly technologies. “Sustainable technologies and zero-carbon targets are a big drive for South Australia,” Anderson explained. “We know that’s a big part of the future.” ICA will play a crucial role in supporting the state’s green technology initiatives, particularly in advanced manufacturing and environmental sustainability.

Building a Better Future

Innovation Central Adelaide, under the leadership of Dr Kathryn Anderson, is on the cusp of transforming South Australia’s industrial landscape. From supporting SMEs and fostering university-industry collaboration to developing smart cities and sustainable technologies, ICA’s work is setting the stage for a more innovative, resilient, and sustainable future.

As Anderson continues to shape the centre’s vision and strategy, ICA will undoubtedly become a critical player in South Australia’s economic and technological advancement, driving both local and global impact.

The opening of the precinct with a ribbon cut by robots.