Use your entrepreneurial skills to accelerate
Australia's renewable energy transition.
UQ students across all disciplines are encouraged to join our Ventures Industry Challenge. Work with our innovation partner to develop a real-world solution to a real-world challenge. This year's challenge focuses on the problems and opportunities surrounding renewable energy transition. Teams will compete for multiple prizes worth $20,000.
Our 2021 innovation partner is the UQ Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering Innovation. The mission of the UQ Dow Centre is to provide knowledge leadership and innovative solutions for the sustainable production and use of energy and materials.
Key dates
Infomation Session. 12.30-2pm, 6 August 2021.
Register to join the information session
Registration deadline. 4pm, 13 August 2021.
Register to join the challenge
Submission deadline. 4pm, 6 October 2021.
Submit your team's solution to be considered for the pitch event.
Pitch event. 21 October 2021.
Join us and watch the top teams pitch for the prize pool of $20,000.
Solve a problem
How might we accelerate renewable energy transitions so that Australian business and industry can be more sustainable and resilient? Choose a problem you’d like to tackle with your team. Your team can approach the challenge from a technological, social or environmental perspective.
How it works
This challenge will run across four stages.
Understand your problem
In Stage 1 your team will be working on understanding your chosen renewable energy problem.
Book in for the upcoming sessions.
| Time | Activity | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 10.30am-12pm 19 August |
Co-work and check-in session | For this session, bring your idea that you are working on for an initial discussion. |
| Self-paced | Video content |
Videos part 1-3 will help you to understand the problem you are working on and to empathise with your customers. |
Test your solution
During Stage 2 your team will use your learnings on problem discovery
and begin to test your market. Book in your team for the upcoming sessions.
| Time | Activity | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 10.30am-12pm 1 September |
Co-work and check-in session | For this session, we'll discuss how teams are going with testing their solutions. |
| Self-paced | Video content |
Videos part 4-8 will help you to test your market by rapid prototyping, perform market validation |
Pitch practice
In the last stage of the challenge, your team will be busy preparing and
practicing your pitch ahead for the submission deadline on 6 October.
Book in your team for the upcoming sessions.
| Time | Activity | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 12-1.30pm 15 September |
Co-work and check-in session | For this session, you'll be refining your solution ahead of pitch practice. |
| Self-paced | Video content |
Videos part 9-10 will help your team to refine and develop a compelling online pitch. |
Pitch your solution
Your team will need to submit a pitch video by 6 October 2021 to enter the challenge.
| Time | Activity | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 6 October | Submit pitch |
If your solution is shortlisted, your team will be invited to present your solution at our pitch presentation on 21 October 2021. Teams will compete for a prize pool of $20,000 in front of judges and an audience. At least one team member must participate in the virtual pitch. |
Why renewable energy?
While the global population continues to grow, access to renewable energy becomes more of a priority.
According to the UN, 789 million people around the world lack access to electricity. Globally, there is an effort to have a well-established energy system to support all sectors: from businesses, medicine and education to agriculture, infrastructure, communications an high-technology. By 2030, the UN aims to increase the share of reneweable energy in the global energy mix.
As for Australia, our energy efficiency value is a 4.3, the global average being 4.8. However, only 10% of the country's total final energy consumption is renewable energy. Making the switch to renewable energy for a lot of these sectors and for the population of Australia is not an easy task.
This is where the Ventures Industry Challenge comes in to innovate new ideas to facilitate more opportunities for Australian business and industries to be more sustainable and resilient.
Our partner
The UQ Dow Centre
For Sustainable Engineering Innovation
In affiliation with:
Office of the Queensland Chief Scientist
St Baker Energy Innovation Fund
Aurecon
Why participate
By participating in the Challenge you will be able to:
- showcase your entrepreneurial skills to industry,
- build your networks,
- strengthen your entrepreneurial skills,
- work with students outside your discipline
- address a real problem worth solving, and
- have the chance to win a cash prize!
Prizes
First place: $10,000 cash, the opportunity to pitch at the annual Ventures Showcase and Celebration event, and exclusive mentoring session with a Ventures entrepreneur-in-residence
Second place: $5,000 cash and exclusive mentoring session with a Ventures entrepreneur-in-residence
Third place: $3,000 cash and exclusive mentoring session with a Ventures entrepreneur-in-residence
People's Choice Award: $2,000 cash
Judging criteria
- Value proposition (30%) – how well does the proposed solution meet a need and deliver benefits. Outline the value proposition - who will be the beneficiaries, what benefits will be generated by the solution, and how the benefits have been validated.
- Solution Viability (30%) – demonstrate how the proposed solution is feasible in terms of resources required for successful development and implementation. Identify and address any financial, technology, legal, market or other issues and how they could be overcome to enable this innovation to be further developed and implemented.
- Level of innovation (30%) – present a design concept, minimal viable product or prototype and outline why this a new or significantly different approach that what is already available.
- Presentation (10%) – to what extent does the pitch tell a succinct yet detailed, compelling proposal to take action and support the proposed solution.
Support available
Check out the support available for your teams as you progress through the challenge.
2020 Ventures Industry Challenge Finalists
In partnership with WaterStart, a not-for-profit water innovation agency, the 2020 Ventures Industry Challenge provided students with the opportunity to connect and network with industry-experienced experts and resources to bring their ideas to fruition.
Have a question?
For more information about the Ventures Industry Challenge, contact the Ventures team