In partnership with the Bridge Hub 2020 Water Challenge, the Centre for Entrepreneurial Agri-Technology (CEAT) and the Centre for Applied Water Science (CAWS) are hosting ‘H2O Hack: technology to drought-proof the agrifood sector’ – a online hackathon from June 15-19, 2020. You can learn more about the hosts here.
The hackathon will be held over a five-day period, with online workshops and facilitated sessions taking place on three of those five days (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and an Induction Night on the 11th of June.
H2O Hack aims to generate innovative solutions to future-proof Australian water.
Teams of up to six people will work together to focus broadly on the applications of technology to improve water-use efficiency in Australia in the agrifood sector.
Do you have a team who could compete in H2O Hack? Sign up here
Prizes and more!
The hackathon offers a first place prize of A$2,500, a second prize of A$500, and an A$500 prize Crowd’s Choice award. Further, highly ranked teams will be given the opportunity to access an incubation program at CBRIN, attend CEAT- and CAWS-mediated workshops to develop linkages with researchers and industry, and participate in the CEAT Innovation Hub.
H2O Hack also provides a launch pad to the Bridge Hub 2020 Water Challenge, which includes a chance to win a A$25,000 prize and the opportunity for commercialisation. Blue River Group will commit up to A$100,000 cash investment into the prize-winning research; the investment commitment will be for the commercialisation of the research. Commercialisation support will be provided by Bridge Hub.
The Water Challenge is supported by representatives across research, government and industry. It aims to identify and commercialise promising research and new technology that will allow the agrifood sector to use water more efficiently.
More about the hackathon
The problem
Australia is facing an unprecedented degree of uncertainty regarding our future water security. The severe drought and bushfires which have recently devastated many areas of the country have significantly impacted Australia’s economy, environment, and agricultural community.
H2O Hack partners are calling for ambitious researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs to come together to develop ideas and technologies that have potential to generate valuable environmental, economic and societal impacts.
Developing solutions through collaboration: the hackathon
H2O Hack is a collaboration between the Australian National University, University of Canberra, CSIRO and Charles Sturt University, with the Canberra Innovation Network (CBRIN) as a delivery partner.
Aligning the key challenges of the Bridge Hub 2020 Water Challenge, H2O Hack will address the following questions:
- How can the agriculture sector increase water-efficiency while maintaining productivity and profitability?
- How can we ensure water quality and maximise environmental outcomes in agriculture?
- How can we turn arid agricultural areas into sustainable and productive regions?
- How can different sectors collaborate to optimise water usage to benefit agriculture?
H2O Hack looks to develop innovative solutions that improve water-use efficiency in the agrifood sector across Australia and beyond. Solutions can range from high-impact research project outcomes, to delivery of new products with sustainable and scalable business models. Proposed solutions will be judged on their potential for commercialisation and impact.
The hackathon will entail scheduled sessions run over three days (in the week of June 15 – Monday, Wednesday and Friday) via an online platform, but teams are encouraged to collaborate outside of these sessions, to help them finesse their project ideas. The scheduled sessions will help participants understand what deliverables should form part of their proposed solutions. They will also provide opportunities for teams to interact with mentors and hackathon facilitators to develop their project ideas.
Guidance will be available from mentors with expertise in research, business and start-ups, policy and the agrifood sector.
Participants are required to form a team of up to six individuals before the event. Single entrants will be able to register, with the organisers doing their best to allocate you to a team; however, please note you will not be guaranteed a place in the hackathon.
A free event. Register for the H2O Hack here
Registrations close: Wednesday the 10th of June.
More details
- Dr. Jane Doolan, Commissioner, Productivity Commission
- Mr. Oded Distel, CEO, Tal-Ya Agriculture Solutions
- Dr. Anastasia Volkova, Founder and CEO, Flurosat
- Mr. Craig Shapiro, Co-CEO and Founder, The Bridge Hub
- Prof. Niall Blair, Professor of Food Sustainability, CSU
- Dr. Lorrae Van Kerkhoff, Director of ANU Institute for Water Futures
- Prof. Elanor Huntington, Dean, College of Engineering & Computer Science
- Dr. Graham Bonnett, CSIRO
- Dr. Rose Brodrick, CSIRO
- Mr. Stu Adam, Co-Founder, Agronomeye
Learn more about the H2O Hack speakers
Meet the hosts
- Prof. Owen Atkin, Director CEAT, ANU
- Prof. Ross Thompson, Director and Chair, Centre for Applied Water Science, UC
- Petr Adamek, CEO, Canberra Innovation Network (CBRIN)
- Dianna Sommerville, Community Manager, Bridge Hub
Learn more about the H2O Hack hosts
Meet the judges
Find out who the H2O Hack judges are!
Post-Hack update – how did we go?
Read up on how the hack went, and meet some of the teams who participated here.
Please feel free to contact [email protected] if you have any questions.