Supporting Melbourne’s pandemic recovery by connecting with Asia
9 June 2021: Melbourne has experienced the toughest and longest lockdowns of any capital in Australia.
The local economy shrunk by up to $23.5 billion (or 22 per cent) in 2020, with modelling suggesting a reduction of up to $110 billion in the city’s economic output, and 79,000 fewer jobs, compared to pre-COVID estimates over the next five years.
As Melbourne prepares to emerge from its fourth lockdown, the city is embarking on a road to recovery, aiming to become a top global destination for attracting businesses and jobs of the future, while supporting key traditional strengths such as international education and tourism.
“Pre-COVID, Melbourne was one of the fastest growing cities in the developed world, and we are committed to nurturing our economic, social and cultural recovery,” Lord Mayor Sally Capp said recently, with the launch of council’s new Draft Economic Development Strategy.
Supporting local business to connect with Asia is part of this comprehensive approach to help the city thrive again.
We caught up with our partners at the City of Melbourne to understand how the city is assisting local businesses to engage with Asia, as part of Melbourne’s pandemic recovery.
Here’s four examples
One: Building innovation links with Bandung, Indonesia
The disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for local businesses to innovate and adapt. Now more than ever, we need to find new collaborations that allow shared learning from our respective experiences. City of Melbourne, together with the Institute of Technology Bandung, Bandung City Government and SPARK Deakin is delivering a four-part Melbourne-Bandung Innovation Series, focussed on shared city challenges. The program connects entrepreneurs in Melbourne and Bandung (and Australia and Indonesia more broadly), helping them to ‘think globally’ around how innovative solutions could be adapted and applied to different cities. Register here for the upcoming session on creative approaches to tourism, on July 7, 2021.
Two: Supporting startups – Nexus program
The Jiangsu-Victoria Startup Program (Nexus) is a collaboration led by the City of Melbourne, Nanjing Pukou High Tech Park and ACASE, with support from the Victorian Government. Nexus helps startups to research, launch and expand into the Chinese market. The program provides a platform to highlight Melbourne innovation, support emerging startups, provide access to Chinese investment opportunities and link the Melbourne and Nanjing innovation ecosystems. The 2021 Nexus ‘Future City’ initiative will feature pitch competitions for both start-ups, and scale-ups/mature businesses, across agtech, biotech, foodtech, healthtech, sportstech, renewable energy, new materials, ICT and big data. In addition to the Nexus program, startups that reach an appropriate level of China-readiness can progress to participate in a global accelerator program (the Nanjing K-Pouch), which helps fast-track companies to succeed in the Chinese market.
Three: Zero Contact – supporting the hospitality industry
Four: Insights, capabilities and connections
As a long-term corporate partner, City of Melbourne accesses and leverages Asialink Business’ expertise to help enable local organisations to do business in the region. This support has included targeted training and capability development, briefings for business missions, events and webinars, and participation in the Asialink Leaders Program. More recently Asialink Business provided support to City of Melbourne’s Nexstar program for start-ups by delivering webinars on the E-commerce markets of China and Indonesia.
For more on how we can assist your local business or organisation to develop or refine your Asia market entry strategy or deepen your Asia capabilities, please contact Miko Montelibano at Asialink Business here.