As Co-Director of the Finance and Frontier Innovation Cluster at RMIT University, I work with colleagues and industry partners to investigate how financial markets, organisational structures, and broader institutional arrangements shape technological progress, particularly the emergence of breakthrough innovations that open new technological frontiers. Our work is motivated by growing evidence that the production of genuinely transformative innovations has stagnated, despite sustained growth in research and development expenditure. Through large-scale empirical research and the development of novel measures of technological novelty, we seek to understand the forces contributing to these trends and identify opportunities to strengthen the environments in which radical ideas can emerge, attract investment, and develop into economically and socially valuable outcomes.
Beyond academic research, the Cluster pursues an active program of international engagement and experimental initiatives designed to translate these insights into practice. Our Forums on Frontier and Breakthrough Innovation, beginning in Melbourne in 2026 and continuing with the Indo-Pacific Forum in Hanoi in May 2027, bring together researchers, investors, entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and policymakers to explore how financial systems, investment practices, and innovation ecosystems can better support transformative ideas. We are also developing the Breakthrough Project, an experimental initiative aimed at identifying, evaluating, and advancing unconventional ideas with the potential to create entirely new technological and commercial opportunities. By bringing together innovative thinkers, investors, and industry partners, the project seeks to develop and test new approaches to recognising promising ideas that may be overlooked by conventional evaluation and investment frameworks. Ultimately, the ambition is to help unlock opportunities capable of generating substantial financial returns alongside meaningful social and economic value, while developing insights into how breakthrough innovation can be more effectively supported and financed.
More information about our research, initiatives, international forums, and opportunities for collaboration is available on the Finance and Frontier Innovation Cluster website.