Entrepreneurs and business owners from Moreton Bay are being encouraged to join a focus group to support the local innovation ecosystem.

As part of an industry-supported research project with Innovate Moreton Bay, USC’s Dr Retha de Villiers Scheepers, Noel Tracy and Terrena Hooper are assessing the support needs of entrepreneurs and business owners in the Moreton Bay region.

Dr de Villiers Scheepers said the focus groups aim to bring together members of all industries and all stages of business.

“This is a great opportunity to gain insight into the Moreton Bay business community’s approach to innovation, support they need to grow and understand the role-players in the region,” Dr de Villiers Scheepers said.

“We know that innovation matters to Moreton Bay, but it is such a diverse region, so it can be hard to capture what the ecosystem really looks like.

“We want to be able to support all businesses – whether they are start-ups or long-time family businesses – to grow and manage the next phase of their organisation,” she said.

“To do this we need to find out where the key hotspots of activity are occurring, and this doesn’t necessarily mean only start-ups or entrepreneurs working in tech. We want the full range of expertise and ideas from the wealth of business knowledge that exists.

“Beyond that, it’s a great opportunity for like-minded people from the business sector to meet and problem-solve together.”

A total of 12 focus groups, each consisting of 10 people, will be held from the end of August through to the end of October.

Interested people can register for the first focus group here.

The results from the focus groups will be provided to Innovate Moreton Bay to help them improve the support businesses in the region receive.