On 11 September 2025, at the ACEEU Forum in Prague, the Canberra Innovation Network (CBRIN) was named Runner-Up in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Ecosystem of the Year category at the Global Triple E Awards.
This recognition highlights Canberra’s growing reputation as a connected innovation ecosystem — bringing together universities, government, startups, SMEs, corporates, and researchers.
What the Award Represents
- The Triple E Awards celebrate excellence in entrepreneurship and engagement in higher education.
- The Innovation Ecosystem category honours ecosystems with universities at their core that deliver measurable impact in entrepreneurship, research and community outcomes.
- For CBRIN, this is acknowledgement of our unique backbone model that links research, enterprise and government in one collaborative platform.
CBRIN’s Contribution
Key elements of our submission included:
- Partnership model: Founded in 2014 by Canberra’s universities and research organisations, supported by ACT Government and industry.
- Programs & platforms: Accelerators, coworking, grants, and events that connect entrepreneurs, researchers and students.
- Impact: Thousands of jobs, startups, and measurable economic outcomes for the ACT.
Canberra’s Win: UC ITS Capstone Program
Another Canberra entry — the University of Canberra’s Information Technology & Systems (ITS) Capstone Program — won the Community Engagement Initiative of the Year.
- Final-year students tackle real projects with government, industry and community partners.
- Since 2019: 2,500+ students, 500+ projects across health, sustainability, digital and social enterprise.
- A strong example of university-community collaboration delivering real impact.
Why It Matters
- Global visibility: This recognition positions Canberra as an international innovation city. Canberra was the only city in these awards where two independent entries scored in top 2 in their respective categories.
- Shared success: With UC’s win, it’s clear that ecosystem strength comes from collaboration across education, industry and government.
- Future focus: The challenge is to deepen collaboration and scale impact, ensuring Canberra stays at the forefront of innovation .
Thank You
This achievement belongs to our founding institutions (ANU, UC, UNSW Canberra, CIT), ACT Government, corporate partners, our team, mentors, entrepreneurs and the wider community.
