NSW welcomes innovation ties with the US

NSW will host a local version of the world-renowned San Francisco startup LAUNCH Festival in 2018 and 2019, the first time the iconic event has been held outside of the US, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said today.

Ms Berejiklian welcomed the increasing ties between NSW’s and the US’s innovation industries after joining US Vice-President Mike Pence and his family for a Sydney Harbour boat tour today.

“Securing the rights of the LAUNCH festival through Business Events Sydney is a coup for our fast-growing startup community,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“NSW is the ‘Startup State’ of Australia, and San Francisco is the birthplace of startups.

“To play host to the world’s most famous startup festival here in Sydney is a great opportunity to support innovative industries and jobs in NSW.”

Ms Berejklian said NSW continued to attract major technology and startup brands because of the state’s vibrant culture, talent pool, connections with our academic institutions and links with Asia.

Ms Berejiklian welcomed the increasing number of NSW institutions that are teaming up with US corporate and academic partners on leading-edge research projects.

“A great example of collaboration is the joint study between IBM Research, Melanoma Institute Australia and the NSW Government which will bring together NSW medical expertise and melanoma data with IBM’s cognitive computing,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“This study could help doctors detect melanoma before it reaches a critical stage, and may result in better health outcomes as well as savings to the health system.”