Melbourne Connect

R U OK? inspires and empowers all to meaningfully connect with the people around them and start a conversation with those who may be struggling with life.

While R U OK? Day is our National Day of Action, we encourage you to Ask R U OK? Any Day of the year because a conversation could change a life. You don't need to be an expert to reach out - just a good friend and a great listener.

To recognise the day every year, The University of Melbourne hosts a range of events to help students, staff and precinct community connect, discuss the importance of mental health and learn how to access support.

Discover events and resources: https://students.unimelb.edu.au/student-support/health-and-wellbeing/r-u-ok-day

That’s a wrap on Melbourne Connect Innovation Week 2024! We had over 3000 registrations this year and over 35 engaging events across five days, celebrating the latest discoveries in Australia’s innovation sector. The festival brought together a community of researchers, industry experts, startups, and students to showcase the breadth of the innovation ecosystem. It featured thought-provoking panels on artificial intelligence, med-tech, and the future of gaming, interactive workshops on entrepreneurship, and engaging forums on climate action.

The success of this year’s Innovation Week wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our event partners at The University of Melbourne, Airwallex, Lendlease, Faculty of Engineering & Information Technology, She Loves Tech, Melbourne Connect Co-Working, URT - Unimelb Rover Team, Melbourne Space Program, Elucidate Education, Science Gallery Melbourne.

Many thanks to our incredible volunteers for their amazing behind-the-scenes work and support at every event during the festival.

For those who missed out during the week, watch all your favourite Innovation Week events here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGL8drpMIWbSGRJjvzMFamLo_LZfg7tPJ&si=gJkMB0q36jsONs15

Day 4 of Melbourne Connect Innovation Week was in full swing! We were captivated by outstanding three-minute pitches from The University of Melbourne's top student researchers, joined a crucial conversation with Melbourne Climate Futures and the City of Melbourne to shape the future of climate leadership, and explore creative space robotics projects from the next generation of tech and space engineers at the Melbourne Space Program Annual Showcase and more.

Don’t miss out on all the action, join us at our last day of the festival today in person or catch our livestream from anywhere. Access our live recordings here: https://bit.ly/MCIW-FBLIVE

Day 3 of Melbourne Connect Innovation Week featured insightful conversations on translating research to drive social and sustainable change across industries such as construction, agriculture, health, and national policy. We were thrilled to host esteemed experts from Lendlease, InEight, The University of Melbourne, Pearcey Foundation, The Advanced Genomics Collaboration, and Illumina, alongside engaging workshops led by Rocket Seeder at Melbourne Connect Co-Working.

With two more days left of Innovation Week, be sure to tune in to our livestream to catch all the action from anywhere. Access our live recordings here: https://bit.ly/MCIW-FBLIVE

Researchers have found that Diamond chips could be a more powerful alternative to silicon in electronics 💎

The team from the Faculty of Science at Melbourne explained how they used new techniques to observe lightning in a diamond, which could help improve the performance of other materials used in electronics → unimelb.me/3MyxCTo

Yesterday was one of our biggest days at Melbourne Connect Innovation Week, as the precinct came alive with energy and fresh, out-of-the-box ideas. On the second day of the festival, we explored the opportunities and challenges of applying AI across mental health, marketing, health tech, entrepreneurial thinking, and education through insightful expert panels and showcases. Catch some of the event highlights below!

Stay tuned for more highlights from the week. For those who can’t make it in-person, join us online to catch all the action anywhere here: https://bit.ly/MCIW-FBLIVE

The University of Melbourne Science Gallery Melbourne InEight Faculty of Engineering & Information Technology Melbourne Connect Co-Working Airwallex

Melbourne Connect Innovation Week kicked off yesterday with an incredible lineup of events! We heard engaging pitches from passionate women founders with She Loves Tech, discovered The University of Melbourne’s next generation of space pioneers at the Planetary Space Showcase, and gained insightful industry perspectives on entrepreneurial thinking and seizing opportunities in today’s dynamic market with Melbourne Business School and the Wade Institute of Entrepreneurship.

Stay tuned for more highlights from Innovation Week. We hope to see you soon at our precinct! For those who can’t make it, join us online to catch all the action here: https://bit.ly/MCIW-FBLIVE

Melbourne Space Program, ARES - Aerospace & Rocket Engineering Society, URT - Unimelb Rover Team, Faculty of Engineering & Information Technology

Discover the generations of startups from The University of Melbourne’s Melbourne Accelerator Program (MAP) as they showcase their progress at Marvel Stadium on Thursday 5 September. This event is a unique opportunity to connect with entrepreneurs, investors and industry leaders, and to be a part of the generational impact MAP has had on the startup ecosystem for the last 10+ years.

Book your tickets: https://melbconnect.com.au/events/2024-map-demo-day-2

Experts are forecasting the end of the generative AI hype due to a “model collapse”, a scenario where future AI systems gets progressively “dumber” from the increase in AI-generated data on the internet. How realistic are these predictions?

Read more: https://melbconnect.com.au/discovery/what-is-model-collapse

Original article from our partners, The Conversation Australia + NZ.

Meet Paul Stark, the Climate Action Policy and Farmer Engagement Lead at Farmers for Climate Action, who is helping farmers across Australia make their voices heard in national climate policy discussions.

Currently based in Melbourne Connect Co-Working, Farmers for Climate Action is a non-profit movement representing 8,000 farmers across Australia and 45,000 agricultural leaders and climate action supporters. Their mission is to expand the number of farmers, farming communities, and their representatives leading climate-smart farming solutions, and influence Australia to adopt strong economy-wide climate policies for a prosperous and sustainable future.

Learn more: https://melbconnect.com.au/discovery/momc-paul-stark

Join a panel of industry leaders, including Taylor Fox-Smith, Head of Community Partnerships at Airwallex, as they explore how AI is reshaping the startup ecosystem and driving remarkable success stories during Melbourne Connect Innovation Week.

This discussion offers invaluable insights and actionable strategies for entrepreneurs, investors, and tech enthusiasts on leveraging AI to fuel the next generation of Australian unicorns. Be part of the conversation shaping the future of Australia's tech industry.

Register for free: https://bit.ly/MCIW2024-AIRWALLEX

Faculty of Engineering & Information Technology

Can spending time in nature significantly improve our health and well-being? Early results from a new trial by The University of Melbourne suggests it could serve as an alternative or an addition to conventional medical treatments for mental and physical health.

Read more: https://melbconnect.com.au/discovery/the-young-people-getting-nature-on-prescription

Congratulations to Froebel Australia Early Learning Carlton for winning the 2024 Little Scientists Excellence in Early STEM Education Award!

We are delighted to hear that FROEBEL, our co-located partner at Melbourne Connect, has been recognised for their outstanding educators and services, which excel in providing inquiry-based STEM learning opportunities and innovative approaches to engaging young children in STEM education.

Read more: https://ministers.education.gov.au/aly/rocket-ships-and-paper-planes-education-awards-encourage-little-scientists

We’re pleased to share that is the highest-ranked Australian university and 37 in the world, according to the latest Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).

We remain the highest-ranked Australian university in the three major ranking surveys – Times Higher Education, ‎Quacquarelli Symonds and ARWU.

🔗 Read more → unimelb.me/3YOLd07

A new system for forecasting weather and predicting future climate uses artificial intelligence to achieve results comparable with the best existing models while using much less computer power, according to its creators.

Read expert insights: https://melbconnect.com.au/discovery/ai-powered-weather-and-climate-models-are-set-to-change-the-future-of-forecasting

Original article published by our partners at The Conversation Australia + NZ.

We had the privilege of hosting Prof. Marie Sierra, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at The University of Melbourne who opened our recent event, The Future of Entertainment. The event explored opportunities in immersive storytelling, AI-driven creation, and mixed reality technologies, while also addressing challenges beyond the current entertainment landscape.

Watch the event recording here: https://youtu.be/kJECuFC01XM?si=9LvQkSUhQFBB6Dwe

Stay tuned for our next event in the Future of series. Sign up here to be the first to know: https://bit.ly/melbconnect-news

July was an incredible month for Melbourne Connect. We proudly hosted a vibrant mix of events, from dynamic pitches and captivating exhibitions to insightful industry talks. Check out our event highlights below! We had aspiring entrepreneurs and passionate early stage innovators at the Melbourne Entrepreneurial Centre (MEC) Ignite Future Founders Festival, engaging industry talks on harnessing AI at Melbourne Connect Co-Working, and explored new ways of advancing science education.

Explore our upcoming events: https://bit.ly/4bd6lkh

Be the first to know about news and events here: https://bit.ly/melbconnect-news

The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Accelerator Program