The New South Wales government has entered into a five-year innovation partnership with 11 public universities to provide funding for 100 "innovation projects" as part of its plan to cement Sydney as "the smart city down under".

"NSW is home to some of the world's leading universities and we want to strengthen our working relationships with the sector to commercialise research and develop world-leading local precincts where people live and create jobs," NSW Dominic Perrottet said.

The partnership, entered into through a memoranda of understanding, will see 100 current and potential university-backed projects be provided with funding along with collaboration from the state government. The projects span technological areas such as AI, big data, and cybersecurity among others.

The universities that have entered into the partnership are: Australian Catholic University, Charles Sturt University, Macquarie University, University of New England, University of New South Wales, University of Newcastle, Southern Cross University, University of Sydney, University of Technology Sydney, Western Sydney University, and University of Wollongong.

Barney Glover, convener of the NSW Vice-Chancellors' Committee of the universities and Western Sydney University president, said the university sector welcomed the government's partnership in bring more research ideas closer towards commercialisation.

"This is a significant step forward not only in strengthening government collaboration with the sector but also in fostering collaboration between universities, so we can translate our collective strengths to achieve real impact for the communities we serve," Glover said.

The state announcement follows the federal government a fortnight ago proposing AU$2 billion worth of initiatives focused on commercialising research, including AU$296 million over a decade to create 1,800 industry-focused PhDs and 800 fellowships, if it were to win the upcoming federal election.

The AU$2 billion of initiatives would be in addition to the AU$247 million promised for a Trailblazer Universities programme by the federal government last year.

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