2026 National Innovation Policy Forum

Built Here: Australia's return on research, development and innovation

The National Innovation Policy Forum (NIPF) brings together Australian innovation leaders from business, research and boundary-spanning entities that foster industry-research collaboration with policymakers and parliamentarians to tackle common challenges.

This year, inspired by NCRIS’s 20th Anniversary, and regarding concerns around the importance of investment in RD&I post-SERD, we’re changing the narrative and really demonstrating what Australia gets for its research investment. And we’re doing this via a showcase, which will take place on the Monday prior to NIPF, on 12 October, in the Great Hall at Canberra’s Parliament House.

The “Built Here” showcase puts business and end users at the front. The story will be told by the companies that started, scaled and reached new markets, and by the people and communities who are better off for it because of the outcomes of the work with research institutions, investment in R&D, and access to funding that supports innovation. The return has been jobs, new industries, stronger supply chains, better health, and public good.  

Specifically, the showcase will feature impact stories from Cooperative Research Centres, NCRIS facilities, ARC funded COEs, Universities, MRIs and R&D-active businesses and industry, who will directly address an audience of ministers, parliamentarians, senior policymakers, journalists, sector leaders, and others in the RD&I space.

And then, as the process for the next Budget kicks off, our NIPF event on Tuesday 13 October will go deeper into the showcased outcomes, and the policy setting and funding needed to keep the returns coming.

Registrations for NIPF 2026 are now open:

“What made this session particularly valuable was the diversity of perspectives represented. It brought together voices from both public and private sectors – including government policy makers, universities, R&D institutions, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders – all contributing ideas and influencing what effective, future-ready policy should look like. These types of collaborative discussions are essential to building a consistent and sustainable innovation ecosystem in Australia, both now and into the future.”~ Kurt Benavides, INEXLINK Inventory Exchange Spa

Showcasing the value of innovation and research

Cooperative Research Australia’s 2026 National Innovation Policy Forum (NIPF) and “Built Here” Showcase will bring together leaders from business, research, government, and boundary-spanning entities that foster industry-research collaboration, to demonstrate the real return Australia receives from investment in research, development and innovation.

Held across Canberra’s Parliament House and National Press Club, and inspired by NCRIS’s 20th Anniversary and the importance of investment in RD&I post-SERD, this two-part program will put practical impact stories directly in front of ministers, parliamentarians, senior policymakers, journalists, and sector leaders, just as the Federal Budget process gets underway. 

The “Built Here” showcase will place businesses, end users, and communities front and centre of the story, showing how Australian research and collaboration creates jobs, strengthens supply chains, improves health and wellbeing, builds new industries, and delivers public good.

Through participation as partners and/or exhibitors, you can help amplify this national story while gaining visibility, engagement, and connection with the decision-makers shaping Australia’s innovation future.

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Built Here Showcase

Date: Monday 12 October 2026
Time: 4:30pm – 1:00pm AEDT
Venue: Great Hall, Parliament House, Canberra, ACT, 2600
Cost: Complimentary

Expression of Interest to Showcase: Complete Form

National Innovation Policy Forum

Date: Tuesday 13 October 2026
Time: 7:30am – 1:00pm AEDT
Venue: National Press Club, 16 National Circuit, Barton, ACT, 2600
Cost: CRA Members – $570, Non-Members – $720 (Inclusive of GST)

Register Now: NIPF2026

Partner with us for NIPF2026

Be part of Australia’s innovation story. Join us as a partner or exhibitor at the National Innovation Policy Forum and Built Here Showcase to showcase the impact of your work, engage directly with key decision-makers, and help demonstrate the value that research, development and innovation deliver for Australia’s economy, communities and future prosperity. Secure your place and help shape the conversation about the future of Australian innovation.