Collaboration supports the exchange of good ideas and useful technologies.
Innovation collaboration, top 6 partners
Consultants, clients and suppliers are consistently the top collaboration partners for innovation. Source: ABS 2018c, 2022c, 2024c
This chart shows the collaboration partner for innovation-active firms who collaborated for innovation purposes across the 2016–17, 2020–21 and 2022–23 years. Collaborating firms are increasingly collaborating with consultants, 44.1% in 2022–23 from 32.2% in 2016–17.
Other common collaboration partners for firms include suppliers, customers or clients and other businesses owned by the same company.
Australian international co-authorship publications, by research field
International co-authorship publications are an indicator of international collaboration on innovation. Source: Clarivate 2024
This metric shows the proportion of Australian international co-authored research publications by research field from 2000 to 2023. The chart reveals a steady increase in Australian papers with international co-authors across all research fields over the past twenty-three years. Engineering and Technology lead in international collaborations, followed by Natural Sciences, and Medical and Health Sciences. International co-authorship in Engineering and Technology has seen a threefold increase, surging from 23% to 74% during this period. The proportion of Australian international co-authored research publications in all other research fields has at least doubled over the same timeframe.
Australian co-invention patents
Foreign co-invention patents are an indicator of international innovation collaboration. Source: OECD 2024
This chart shows the number of patent applications, submitted by Australian inventors that also had at least on co-inventor located abroad from 1978 to 2020.
The number of foreign co-invention patent applications has increased from 45 in 1978 to 1273 in 2020.