Dr John Howard
Innovation policy
John is Executive Director of the Acton Institute for Policy Research and Innovation, and Honorary Visiting Professor at the University of Technology Sydney. He brings over 40 years of global cross-sector experience spanning universities, business, government, and Commonwealth Public Service.
He has completed more than 500 commissioned research and consultancy assignments in public policy, read and reviewed innumerable policy documents and consulting reports, and interviewed countless researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.
His two books, the Handbook of Innovation Ecosystems: Placemaking, Economics, Business, and Governance and Australia’s Missing Innovation Policy: Will It Ever be Found, both published in 2025, achieved substantial national and global attention.
They're joined by his most recent release, Making Sense of AI in 2026: A framework for policy and practice, which reflects a distinctive public policy analytical perspective drawn from his decades long engagement with technology.
He also publishes the regular Innovation Insights series targeting policymakers and advisers, with over 150 editions to date.