The Hallway and Australia Prospers Get Experimental for Business-Education Collaboration

It’s an alarming reality that Australia is lagging behind much of the developed world in embracing the opportunities afforded by new and emerging technologies. Its knowledge-based economy is underdeveloped, with an over-reliance on resources and real estate to drive its economic growth. And unless a step change occurs, Australia will cease to enjoy the economic prosperity the nation has become accustomed to over the last thirty years. 

Formerly known as the Business and Higher Education Round Table (BHERT), Australia Prospers is a partnership between businesses and universities working to bring about this step change. 

BHERT commissioned The Hallway on an extensive consultation project to understand the key triggers and barriers around the business and higher education collaboration process. Central to the process were interviews with over twenty key stakeholders, ranging from vice chancellors of major universities to innovation leaders at top 100 ASX companies. 

Martin Stewart-Weeks, project director for The Australia Prospers Project said: “Australia prospers when business and universities innovate together. That much we have learned and, although it can sometimes be a challenging process, when research and commerce combine, investment and jobs flow, new industries are born, lives are changed and sometimes saved. In a rapidly changing and very different world, we need to get even better at combining the knowledge, expertise and capabilities of universities and business for sustainable growth and shared prosperity.” 

Of critical importance was the articulation of the need for greater collaboration between business and universities. The story needed to be expressed in a succinct way, without diminishing the complex realities, that would cut-through to C-suite, higher education and governmental decision makers. 

Among the project outputs is a 60 second film targeting business and university leaders. The film takes a raw experimental-film-like approach to demonstrating the poignancy of - and delivering - its key message: “The Future is Clear When we Speak with One Voice”. 

“This film doesn’t just deliver its message to its audience, it is itself a demonstration of the message” said The Hallway ECD and partner Simon Lee. “It’s an unconventional approach, but this piece of work needs to help drive change, and you don’t drive change by sticking to convention.”