As education precincts develop around the country and overseas the benefits for the education sector, business and government are obvious. Working together, thinking big and innovating ensures future growth that contributes to the individual and the broa

Cities are natural centres of innovation, with their concentration of people, organisations and activities providing the firepower to fuel change and growth. But that innovation doesn’t just happen on its own; it requires the right settings for big thinkers such as entrepreneurs, researchers and visionaries to come together with a common sense of purpose, focus and inspiration.

Precincts are those places, where the brightest minds and most enterprising people can pool their knowledge, skills and resources to deliver on important government, business and community objectives — and find solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. From the creative industries to science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM), precincts have the power to intensify innovation and enhance outcomes.

As hubs for great talent, universities — along with hospitals — are often anchors for these innovation precincts as long-established homes for research and the development of new products, services or processes.

It’s no surprise we expect these institutions to take on the thorniest issues, but there’s clear evidence showing they shouldn’t do this alone. To turn innovation into practice, universities need to work closely with industry, in both a literal and physical sense. When these institutions are located close together — sometimes alongside government bodies — it creates the optimum environment for an innovation ecosystem to flourish.

Many universities recognise this, and are looking beyond their traditional campus borders to build strong external connections with industry. These partnerships are not only paths to more funding and more productive research across the board, the organisations on both sides of the equation acquire specific, valuable benefits. On the one hand, commercial ventures gain more credibility through affiliation with a university, while academics enhance the commercial potential of their research through a business partnership.

The Brookings Institution, a world leader in the theory and practice of innovation precincts, identifies economic, networking and physical strengths as the keys to supporting an ecosystem that generates and commercialises new and important ideas. (Brookings 2014)

As major landowners and place-makers, universities have historically played a big role in shaping the physical environments of their towns or city locations. In a globally competitive environment, universities are focusing much of that influence on campus amenities that attract and retain the best staff and students.

That approach extends to off-campus precincts. With greater focus and investment, the once-typical industrial site or bland business park is becoming a livelier, more ‘magnetic’ place for innovation and collaboration. Many of these university developments are now walkable, accessible to the community, served by public transport (or drivers for it) and enhanced by retail, culture and green space. Those qualities are key ingredients in the Brookings Institution’s recipe for success, which identifies five critical characteristics of innovation precincts:

1. Critical mass 2. Innovation capacity 3. Diversity and inclusion 4. Qualityofplace 5. Leadership

The buildings, parks, streets and other infrastructure that determine the ‘quality of place’ — whether publicly or privately owned — can be designed and organised to stimulate new and higher levels of connection, collaboration and innovation. There are great examples of this, both internationally and closer to home.

At Kendall Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, significant private and government planning and investment have helped