By Alasdair Pal
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia appointed Tesla (NASDAQ:) chair Robyn Denholm on Monday to steer a assessment of the nation’s analysis and improvement efficiency, in an try to enhance financial development.
Denholm and three different panellists drawn from academia and enterprise will probably be tasked with making a extra purposeful method to R&D, together with strengthening hyperlinks between analysis and trade.
“It has been nearly 20 years since we requested the onerous questions on our R&D efficiency, regardless of the alarming slide during the last decade,” Minister for Business and Science Ed Husic stated.
“This assessment is designed to provide us an evidence-based pathway to stronger development.”
Australia is without doubt one of the world’s wealthiest nations, however is closely reliant on its assets industries for development and has lengthy struggled with diversifying its financial system.
A Harvard College index measuring financial complexity locations Australia 93rd out of 133 nations tracked, behind nations together with Uganda, Malawi and Laos.
Tesla chief govt Elon Musk, who will serve within the incoming administration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, has been closely essential of Australia’s Labor authorities over its coverage in the direction of know-how corporations, together with a ban on the usage of social media for below 16s.
At a press convention saying her appointment on Monday, Denholm was requested repeatedly about Musk and whether or not her relationship with him would assist clean relations between the Tesla founder and the Australian authorities.
“In the present day is all in regards to the R&D assessment that the federal government has introduced,” she stated.
Earlier than changing into Tesla chair, Denholm held senior roles at U.S. know-how agency Juniper Networks (NYSE:) and Australian telco Telstra (OTC:). Final 12 months, enterprise journal Forbes ranked her the eightieth strongest girl on the earth.
