In a knowledge city, the collective power of mind and experience drives the city’s prosperity, its ability to compete globally and the quality of life its people enjoy. It supports a well-resourced education and scientific research system producing a highly skilled and talented workforce and a culture of innovation. It has a vibrant, collaborative and city-based lifelong learning culture. This is supported and amplified by a universal and dynamic online culture connecting its people to each other and to the world.
Future Melbourne 2008

In 2012, there were 6708 businesses and organisations employing a combined 285,762 jobs in the municipality’s knowledge sector. Its total output was $98.6 billion and it contributed $57.8 billion in Gross Local Product to the municipality’s economy.

Melbourne’s universities are integral to Victoria’s economic, social and community development. The municipality is home to the main campuses of the University of Melbourne, RMIT and the city campuses of another seven universities. Collectively, universities are among the largest employment industries in the municipality.

The number of people aged 15–65 years participating in formal learning in inner Melbourne remained fairly constant at around 57,000 people each year from 2011 to 2013.The development of Melbourne as a knowledge city has long been a priority for the City of Melbourne, which is a recognised early adopter of knowledge-based development strategy.

To support the recognition and expansion of Melbourne as a knowledge city, the City of Melbourne initiated an annual Knowledge Week in 2009. Now entering its seventh year, Melbourne Knowledge Week stimulates and facilitates exchanges between businesses and the research sector to form a vibrant knowledge and innovation ecosystem, leading to new ideas and successful business ventures.

For the third time, Melbourne won the Most Admired Knowledge City Award (MAKCi) at the 2015 Knowledge Cities World Summit.

Melbourne was just the second city to be named a UNESCO City of Literature.

Parkville is the major precinct in Australia for medical and bio-scientific research, education, clinical practice, production of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology products.

The Parkville Biomedical Precinct is without parallel in the southern hemisphere and one of the few such concentrations of research excellence worldwide. The close co-location of major teaching and research hospitals, research centres and universities has created ideal conditions for science and biomedical training, partnership, collaboration and innovation.

A key driver in future will be the increased use of smart technology in mobile devices to drive further innovation in web-based business models. Customers will be closer to the service or product provider regardless of physical distance.

Read more about this goal in the Future Melbourne 2008 Report: