The company famous for the iconic Hills hoist has opened two centres in Adelaide to foster innovation and support start-up companies.
Hills Limited and the South Australian government will jointly fund the Lance Hill Design Centre and the Hills D-Shop.
The two centres will also collaborate with Adelaide's three major universities.
Premier Jay Weatherill says since the development of the Hills hoist, the company has become a leader in delivering technology and communication solutions into homes, hospitals, businesses and governments.
"It is recognised as a company that has sought and identified ways to build growth in rapidly changing economic conditions," Mr Weatherill said on Wednesday.
The new centres will unearth and reward local design expertise and have already attracted more than 30 submissions from Australian entrepreneurs.
On Thursday eight short-listed submissions will be presented to a panel of commercial and academic experts for further development.
Hills Limited group managing director Ted Pretty said the partnership with the state government was about finding the great Australian innovation of the 21st century.
"We have a proud tradition of innovation which started with the Hills Hoist in an Adelaide workshop 70 years ago, so it's great to return to the place where it all began to look for the innovations of tomorrow," Mr Pretty said.
"Importantly, we're really looking for innovation in the areas that can make a real difference to people's lives, like health care, aged and home care and safety and security."
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