Q-Tropics: Queensland Tropical Expertise Strategy

Queensland has a mega-biodiverse environment, world-class research capabilities and infrastructure, a modern economy, and is close to the rapidly growing Asia-Pacific region. As the tropical world grows wealthier and more populous, Queensland is fast emerging as the major centre for tropical expertise. Tropical expertise refers to all:

• businesses developing new, or adapting existing, products and services to meet the unique conditions of tropical environments
• the development, commercialisation, and diffusion of research, applied science and technology, processes, and systems that could be applied to tropical regions.

To support this rapidly growing industry, the Queensland Government has released the Q-Tropics: Queensland Tropical Expertise Strategy 2008-2012. The Q-Tropics Strategy contains over $20 million in new initiatives for growing, commercialising and exporting Queensland's tropical expertise industry.

An important component of the Q-Tropics Strategy is the Queensland Tropical Health Alliance that seeks to conduct new product development, diagnostics, and disease surveillance and control for tropical disease. The alliance will be based at James Cook University in Townsville and Cairns, with additional facilities in Brisbane at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Griffith University, and the Queensland University of Technology.

The Q-Tropics Strategy has also allocated $1 million to an independent incorporated association, TropLinks, to employ a Chief Executive Officer, establish a Q-Tropics regional hub, host an international conference/symposium, conduct marketing and trade initiatives, and carry out brokerage and business matching services. The board of TropLinks is currently chaired by the Queensland Chief Scientist, Professor Peter Andrews, and includes representatives from research organisations and industry.

The membership base for TropLinks is steadily growing, and it is intended that the entity will become financially independent from the Queensland Government after three years.

Queensland is also the secretariat of the Cooperative Framework on Tropical Science, Knowledge and Innovation - an agreement between the Chief Minister and Premiers from Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australian governments. The agreement aims to build and promote northern Australia's existing and emerging strengths in tropical science, knowledge and innovation.

Find out more:

• Q-Tropics: Queensland Tropical Expertise Strategy 2008-2012
• High Level Market Study 2007 - opportunities in tropical science, knowledge and innovation (pdf)
• Smart State Council Report - opportunities in tropical science, knowledge, research and innovation for Queensland 
• Cairns and Far North Queensland Centre of Enterprise
• Townsville and North West Queensland Centre of Enterprise 
• Queensland R&D priorities 
• Biodiscovery 
• James Cook University
• Australia Institute of Marine Science