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Why Australia Shouldn’t Be a ‘Silicon Valley’, But Rather a ‘Silicon Nation’

November 11th, 2015

The Sydney Harbour, or coined the soon-to-be “Silicon Harbour”, is anticipated by several to be the natural home for this Australia’s first digital district. However, Sarah Pearson, Chief Executive of the CBR Innovation Network, is confident Canberra could become the hub for start-ups in Australia.

Pearson, who recently returned from a trip to Israel led by Assistant Minister for Innovation Wyatt Roy, believes that Canberra’s large universities, well-educated population, the CSIRO, and government and military concentration made it the perfect place to become the core for innovative concepts. Pearson further noted that the ACT could learn from Israel’s thriving innovation ecosystem that has attracted multi-national organisations.

In relation to this, Wyatt Roy’s presentation at the Open Opportunity Forum in Sydney last week, saw him discussing the similarity between the culture in Israel and Australia. Roy quoted similar ideologies shared between the countries, such as, the concept of “having a go” and “supporting the underdog”. However, Australia’s dwindling innovation levels is going to need more than feel-good slogans to contend in the 21^st century.

Certainly, there is no denying that the escalation of Malcolm Turnbull to Prime Minister has brought a distinctive transformation in the language and attitude concerning Australia’s part in the global economy. However, rather than focusing on one ‘Innovation Hotspot’ or one ‘Silicon Harbour’, Australia should be focusing on becoming a ‘Innovation Nation’ – a widespread country of innovators. Hence, if an individual has an innovative idea, whether they are operating in Sydney Harbour, Canberra, or Queensland’s Sunshine State, they should feel comfortable starting from where they are.

If Australia wants world class innovation, we don’t need to be a Silicon Valley – we need to be a Silicon Nation. One way of expediting innovation in a company and a country is by investing in Research and Development (R&D). The government does already provide a generous Research and Development (R&D) Tax Incentive which is highly effective in aiding rising companies in promising future industries. No matter your location in Australia, from regional to the main cities, you may entitled to the incentive. In addition, start-ups are also eligible to apply. Contact one of our R&D Tax Specialists today to find out if you qualify for the tax savings.

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 2. June, 2022
 
 
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   Payam Toloo  
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 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.  Damian Smyth and his team are very helpful, supportive and experts in their field of R&D Tax claims. I'm always happy with the work they do and been a customer of their for over 5 years.
  
 
 
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   Melissa Doddy  
 31. May, 2022
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.  The Team at Swanson Reed are very experienced R&D Tax Advisors and gave us ongoing support with all of our R&D Claims, the consultants ensured we were always working with current legislative guidelines, gave us assistance with compiling technical and government documentation and went out their way to ensure they were with us for the entire process from beginning to end.  Highly recommended to anyone who needs assistance with working through what can at times be a daunting process.
  
 
 
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   Gary Watson  
 31. May, 2022
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.  We can highly recommend Swanson and Reed as an R & D accountant. We have worked with them for several years now as they make our R & D claim so easy and communicate quickly with both us and our accountant.
  
 
 
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 31. May, 2022
 
 
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         Posted on Google  
   
   Daniel McGregor  
 11. August, 2022
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.  I have been using Swanson Reed for my clients for more than a decade.  Having a specialist firm that can provide practical and commercial advice that produces real outcomes is very important and we have received great feedback from our clients.
Highly recommended.
  
 
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   John  
 15. June, 2022
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.  Damian and the rest of the team at Swanson Reed have been supporting us for several years.  We always appreciate their insights, expertise, and efforts.
  
 
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Rueben Rajasingam  
 6. June, 2022
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.  Experienced responsive Team. They have been a great help to me and my company navigate the R&D tax claim process and have provided invaluable advice.
  
 
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Enrique Esquivel  
 6. June, 2022
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.  Damian and the team at Swanson Reed have been extremely helpfully and professional during all of our consultations. Highly recommended.
  
 
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Jess at Y&C  
 3. June, 2022
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.  
  
 
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Anatole Kononewsky  
 2. June, 2022
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.  The Swanson Reed team have provided our company with exceptional professional advice and assistance for all of our R&D claims for many years - have always achieved great results with excellent value for their services.
  
 
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Payam Toloo  
 2. June, 2022
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.  Damian Smyth and his team are very helpful, supportive and experts in their field of R&D Tax claims. I'm always happy with the work they do and been a customer of their for over 5 years.
  
 
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Melissa Doddy  
 31. May, 2022
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.  The Team at Swanson Reed are very experienced R&D Tax Advisors and gave us ongoing support with all of our R&D Claims, the consultants ensured we were always working with current legislative guidelines, gave us assistance with compiling technical and government documentation and went out their way to ensure they were with us for the entire process from beginning to end.  Highly recommended to anyone who needs assistance with working through what can at times be a daunting process.
  
 
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Gary Watson  
 31. May, 2022
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.  We can highly recommend Swanson and Reed as an R & D accountant. We have worked with them for several years now as they make our R & D claim so easy and communicate quickly with both us and our accountant.
  
 
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Rob van den Bergh  
 31. May, 2022
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.  Always professional.
  
 
 
  
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Why Australia Shouldn’t Be a ‘Silicon Valley’, But Rather a ‘Silicon Nation’

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