Don has more than 30 years’ experience in science, technology and innovation policy and a recent strong focus on science and technology cooperation issues, research collaboration and technology transfer.

 

Don is working with Howard Partners as an Associate.

 

Qualifications and skills

 

• BSc (Agr) and MSc, applied science, University of Sydney
• MSc in History and Social Studies of Science, specialising S&T policy, University of Sussex.

 

Don possesses excellent communication, mobilisation and change management skills, demonstrated in:

• working with high level government, research and industry committees on policy development

• as a manager in the public service leading teams for policy development
• as a lecturer on management skills to public sector managers
• as a manager of research teams in a university context.

 

General professional experience

Don's professional experience covers

• Participation in research projects on technology transfer to India, Brazil and Thailand
• Directly participation, as the Australian Counsellor for Industry, Science and Technology, in the planning of technology transfer projects to Indonesia, including in the automotive, biotechnology and resource management sectors.
• Development of mechanisms for cooperation, assessed and reported on Indonesian organisations and policies, and facilitated research and cooperation projects.

• Holding appointments as Research Fellow, Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex, UK; Associate Professor, National Graduate School of Management, Australian National University.
• Currently an Adjunct Professor, Business School, University of Technology Sydney.

 

Don has worked as Industry, Science and Technology Counsellor in Indonesia, a Science and Technology Advisor to the Commonwealth Minister for Industry, Science and Resources, and as Manager, Strategy Development, Biotechnology Australia where he was involved in negotiations with diverse interests in strategy development.

 

Specific professional experience

Don has deep experience in science and technology policy and international science and technology cooperation. Recent experience has included:

• Director, Innovation Strategy Group, Centre for Technology and Social Change, University of Wollongong, led a series of major research projects on innovation for the then Department of Industry, Technology and Commerce.
• Facilitating science and technology cooperation between Australia and Indonesia, working with a range of government agencies and research organisations.
• Being joint author of an evaluation for the Department of Education, Science and Training of Australian-EU science and technology collaboration under bilateral and EU Framework programmes.
• The analysis of national, regional and sectoral innovation systems, research and consulting in technology commercialisation and transfer, and research-industry links.
• Public policy manager/independent analyst across industry with specific roles in the food, ICT, renewable energy, health, and medical sectors. He has also worked across the energy, mining technologies, transport, security, and defence domains.

 

Don has also has in-depth experience as a developer and user of indicators for S&T policy, and author of many reports based on the critical analysis of S&T indicators. He has been Australian correspondent for the EU ERAWATCH global innovation and research policy database, managed by Technopolis.