Better Futures Industry Challenge hackathon

Faster ways to respond to emergencies and ultra-sensitive quantum seismometers for earlier detection of earthquakes, were two ideas that emerged from teams of intrepid researchers from five Centres of Excellence who competed in the inaugural Better Futures Innovation Challenge to solve critical industry problems.

Industry partners for the deep-tech hackathon had access to researcher skills spanning the fields of physics, chemistry, data science, optics, complex systems modelling, and quantum technologies.

“A further aim of the event was to break down the silos between academia and industry, build a pipeline of commercially valuable research, and train the next generation of Australian innovators,” says (Dr?) Nick Kirkwood, Chief Operating Officer at Exciton.