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About Us

The Australian Business Foundation is an independent organisation undertaking evidence-based research to deliver fresh insights and practical intelligence to boost Australia’s capabilities and global competitiveness.

The Foundation connects you to leading intelligence and forward-thinking people.

For the past decade, the Foundation’s research has focused on business innovation and sustainability, new models of competitiveness and opportunities arising from a knowledge-based economy.

The Foundation undertakes its research in partnership with expert scholars and practioners from around the world. This has established the Foundation as a leader in bridging academic research with realities and challenges of everyday business experience.

A research agenda that matters

The Australian Business Foundation’s research is an antennae for the ‘soft signals’, detecting emerging issues likely to be impactful on Australia’s business competitiveness into the future. Our research seeks to investigate those issues that set a new agenda for business and the community.

The end game is how to ensure Australia recognises and prepares itself for the new patterns of competitiveness and prosperity to be had in modern connected, knowledge-intensive economies.

Never has this been more important than in the current global economic crisis. Our research seeks to reframe the agenda with new thinking for turbulent times.

The Australian Business Foundation is an active and connected community of common interest, bringing together forward-thinking business executives, policymakers, academics and opinion leaders to share knowledge, shape debate and incite practical action.

What others say about the Australian Business Foundation....

“The Australian Business Foundation is an excellent platform for dialogues and ideas on the issues that underlie business competitiveness in Australia. Its activities support and nurture innovation, while challenging us to do things differently. The Foundation is an essential part of the business fabric of the nation.

Dr James Bradfield Moody

ABCTV Judge “The new inventors” 

'"The Australian Business Foundation has a good eye for identifying important questions and supporting independent research to answer them"

Professor Alan Hughes
Director, UK Innovation Research Centre
Director, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge, UK

"We at UTS: Business are delighted to support the Australian Business Foundation as the premier organisation for the promotion of rigorous and relevant innovation research in Australia."

Professor Roy Green
Dean
Faculty of Business
University of Technology, Sydney

"The Australian Business Foundation is one of the few think tanks in Australia with an  industry association connection, which brings the otherwise distant worlds of public policy and commercial reality closer together. Narelle Kennedy, the self-styled 'Queen of the future' is an influential thinker, a doer and generator of original ideas that have a practical, non-ideological bent. The Foundation is well worth supporting and engaging with in a busy world where ideas are the true currency of future prosperity".

Tim Harcourt
Chief Economist
Australian Trade Commission

"Australia’s future wealth will hinge on developing ideas, creativity, problem solving and innovation. The Australian Business Foundation stands at the forefront of this innovation knowledge. Its research is critical in informing governments, businesses and  thought leaders on driving Australia's progress in the global marketplace".

Glen Boreham
Managing Director
IBM Australia and New Zealand

“The global financial crisis has shown the importance of high quality research to help us prepare for and deal with future business shocks and opportunities. The Australian Business Foundation is a precious resource: a think tank that takes the future seriously and valuably contributes to the national debate with its well informed, non-partisan and accessible reports. 

Professor Mark Dodgson
Director of the Technology and Innovation Management Centre
UQ School of Business
University of Queensland

"For over a decade the Australian Business Foundation has made a unique contribution to Australia’s continued transformation into an innovative, competitive and prosperous nation. This contribution has been unique for a variety of reasons - not least the Foundation’s bold and ‘nation-building’ vision of an innovative Australia. In the global knowledge economy of the future – where competition and innovation will be even more pervasive - the Australian Business Foundation is sure to remain a key (if not irreplaceable) asset  for the nation as a whole".

George Bougias
Senior Economist Strategic Research
Charter Keck Cramer

Research Opportunities

The Foundation commissions research to probe beyond the obvious on issues to do with the prosperity of Australia and the global competitiveness of Australian business.  When such opportunities arise, they will be advertised here.