WA Innovation Calendar

Marketing Strategy Made Simple
2026-03-05 16:00 - 18:00 (Australia/Perth) | Fremantle Chamber of Commerce, 16 Phillimore Street, Fremantle, WA, 6160
Join James Fitzjohn, Director and Founder of Brew Consulting, to learn how to apply the fundamentals of marketing strategy to grow your business.
In this session, you’ll discover:

What marketing really is
Why marketing is getting harder (and what to do about it)
The role strategy plays in successful marketing
How to apply marketing strategy to your business
A simple framework you can take home
A real-life example from a brand you know

Free for members and all attendees also receive a complimentary discovery consultation from Brew Consulting.

Women in Data Science (WiDS) Perth 2026
2026-03-05 17:00 - 19:30 | UWA Oceans Institute, Fairway, Crawley, WA, 6009
The University of Western Australia, in collaboration with the UWA Data Institute and Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, is excited to bring you Women in Data Science (WiDS) Perth 2026.
Our expert panel of leading WA-based data science experts will share their different stories and perspectives on what it takes to build a successful career in data science. Our panel discussion will be followed by Q&A and light refreshments with networking.

Women in Energy: Balancing the Scales: It’s Time to Break Down the Barriers
2026-03-05 17:00 - 20:00 | Ernst & Young, 11 Mounts Bay Road, Perth, WA, 6000, Australia
Join Women in Energy Perth for their 2026 International Women’s Day celebration.
An engaging International Women’s Day panel sharing journeys of change, breaking barriers, and shaping a more balanced future for all.

WA International Women's Day 2026 - Leaders Breakfast Event
2026-03-06 06:30 - 10:30 | Fraser’s Restaurant, 60 Fraser Ave, West Perth, 6005
Join For Purpose leaders for a morning of connection, reflection, and celebration as we mark International Women’s Day 2026.
Speakers:

Professor Lyn Beazley AO
Dr Hilda Turnbull
Mary Nenke
Andrea Musulin
Hon Maryka Groenewald MLC
Hon Julie Freeman MC
Jasmin Diab CSC GAICD
Professor Samar Aoun AM
Miquela Riley
Sarah Sfakianakis

Attend online or in person for an inspiring morning with a special breakfast honoring the remarkable women who have shaped WA’s history.

DEADLINE: LX Health LuminaX 2026 HealthTech Accelerator
2026-03-06 08:00 - 09:00 | Apply online
LX is a leading Australian accelerator that provides comprehensive support to ten healthtech startups, including the investment, networks, and resources required to build globally successful companies.
LX has accelerated 52 Australian HealthTech startups. We’ve invested in some, helped raise $33M, connected founders with 1,000+ clinicians, executives, founders, and industry leaders, and provided tailored support from leading minds in health, tech, and capital to drive commercial outcomes.
While the LuminaX Accelerator is delivered at Cohort Innovation Space (QLD), interstate applicants are encouraged.
Learn more and apply here: https://lxhealth.com.au/luminax-accelerator/

CERI - Concept to Creation Online Info Session
2026-03-06 10:00 - 11:00 | online
Tune in to an informative online webinar on what we do here at CERI and learn about the upcoming program Concept to Creation (C2C) and how it will help you grow your startup, idea to full fledged commercial reality!
Hear from C2C alumni on their experiences and how it has changed their startup and professional futures!
More information can be found here: https://www.ceri.org.au/programs/concept-to-creation

Seminar #2: Why buy-side investor readiness eats sell-side polish for breakfast
2026-03-06 12:00 - 13:00 | online
This webinar explains why most capital raises struggle long before a pitch deck is written. Traditional “sell-side” preparation focuses on documentation, polish, and marketing platforms, while investors make decisions through a buy-side lens that tests the underlying business and investment thesis.
Join to unpack the gap between these approaches and show why investor readiness is about surfacing gaps and fixing fundamentals, not improving presentation. The session highlights what investors truly assess and how a structured buy-side process identifies the issues that determine whether capital actually flows.
You will leave with a practical view of how to build genuine investability before going marketing-ready, turning fundraising from a risky sales exercise into the natural consequence of a strong, investable business.
Friday 6 March | 12:00 – 1:00PM AWST | ONLINE | Register here
About the presenters
Mike Ganon is an on-the-tools expert in corporate development, financing, mergers and acquisitions, investing and capital markets. Starting in the post-crash environment of 1990, he’s built a diverse career as a project financier, equity underwriter, investment banker, responsible manager, key person for a private equity fund manager and founder of two corporate advisory firms. He’s advised on and arranged hundreds of transactions across Industry 2, 3, and 4, on six continents and with deal credits in the double figure billions. Mike backs startups and scaleups directly and also invests indirectly as a limited partner. Leading NextLevelCorporate which he founded in 2001, he continues to work across the full advisory and transactional spectrum—private and public fundraising, M&A, exits, and professional investing—and has authored over 430 articles on key macro and financial factors that impact on Western Australian business. Mike is passionate about bringing unique and accessible investor readiness “superpowers” to founders and intrapreneurs—and through pitchhawk, he is helping them transform their innovations into compelling and dependable investment opportunities.
Stephen Carroll is a 25-year startup veteran who has seen the good, the bad, and the very ugly of Innovation. Thousands of startups and innovation projects have crossed his desk, giving him a unique insight into the patterns that drive success and the pitfalls that lead to failure. Stephen is passionate about shedding light on the common mistakes founders can avoid and the smart, grounded decisions that separate those who survive from those who don’t.

DEADLINE: MedChem Australia Round 3
2026-03-06 14:00 - 15:00 | Apply online
Empowering Australian drug discovery
MedChem Australia is a national drug discovery initiative that works with the Australian biomedical research community and guides early-stage projects through the critical value creation steps where ‘hits’ are optimised to drug candidates with enhanced commercial value and clinical potential.
MedChem Australia provides expert medicinal chemistry & DMPK capability at 80% subsidised cost to selected projects to enhance, accelerate, and enable the development of new small molecule therapeutics. Projects to receive subsidised support are selected through a competitive and independent application process. Applications are invited through annual calls, with researchers from Australian Universities, Medical Research Institutes, and SMEs eligible to apply.

Bloom: Home Cooked to Household Name
2026-03-08 15:00 - 16:00 | Bloom Lab, Crawley, 2 Park Road, Crawley, WA, 6009
This International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating big dreams, bold moves, and seriously good cookies.
Join Nadia Nesevski, founder of Cookie Loaded, as she shares how she turned a home-baked idea into a cookie empire. What started in her kitchen became a brand people line up for – and she’s spilling the real tea (and crumbs) on how she made it happen.
From late nights and leap-of-faith moments to scaling, branding, and building a cult-like following, Nadia will take you behind the scenes of growing Cookie Loaded into a household name – the wins, the setbacks, the risks, and the resilience it took to back herself all the way.

MRIWA Research Showcase 2026
2026-03-09 08:00 - 18:00 | Beaumonde On The Point, 306 Riverside Drive, East Perth, WA, 6004
This event will showcase cutting-edge research and emerging applications of AI and machine learning across the mining and minerals sectors, highlighting their role in shaping a sustainable future. Explore current innovations, future possibilities, and the associated risks and opportunities—fostering a shared vision for strategic research and collaboration.
From smarter exploration to predictive maintenance and sustainability breakthroughs, discover how technology is transforming resources. Network with leading researchers, innovators, and industry experts driving the next era of mining innovation.

WALSIH Virtual Global Expert Program: Steven Haken
2026-03-09 15:00 - 16:30 | online
If you’re building a medtech or digital health company with eyes on Europe, this session is exactly what you need before you make your next move.
This event will be bringing in Steven Haken, Managing Director of Odelle Technology, for the first session of the WA Life Sciences Innovation Hub’s Virtual Global Expert Program.
20+ years structuring reimbursement pathways across the UK and EU for med devices, diagnostics, biotech therapeutics, and digital health.
Monday 9 March | 3:00–4:30pm AWST | Virtual

Politics & Business breakfast with the Hon. Stephen Dawson MLC
2026-03-10 06:45 - 09:00 | Crown Perth, Great Eastern Highway, Perth, WA
Join Business News for an insightful conversation with one of the state’s most experienced leaders.
The Hon. Stephen Dawson MLC is currently the Minister for Regional Development; Ports; Science and Innovation; Medical Research; and the Kimberley, and serves as Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council.

Energy Exchange Australia (EXA)
2026-03-10 09:00 - 2026-03-12 17:00 | Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, 21 Mounts Bay Road, Perth, 6000
For over 40 years Energy Exchange Australia (EXA), previously known as AOG Energy, has cemented itself as a critical event in the oil, gas and energy market. Held annually in Perth, EXA builds on the strong legacy AOG Energy has established but with a modern outlook and new opportunities.
EXA is dynamic and immersive, with improved experiences to connect, inspire, and exchange initiatives. It tackles key industry challenges, encourages disruptive conversations, and showcases prominent influential industry figures who are making a difference in the energy transition, accelerating us to a decarbonised future.
Learn more and register here: https://exaexpo.com.au/

International Women’s Day Spacecubed Breakfast Club
2026-03-10 10:00 - 11:00 | Fern, 79 St Georges Terrace, Perth, WA, 6000
Join us at Fern, powered by Spacecubed, for a relaxed and interactive International Women’s Day Breakfast Club focused on connection, conversation and shared learning.
Running from 10am – 11am on Tuesday, 10th March at Fern (79 St Georges Terrace), the morning will run as human-led conversation zones. Attendees can choose the topic that resonates most, join open discussions, and move freely between tables — creating space for meaningful conversations and new connections across business, leadership and community.

Unlocking Global Tech Talent: A Founder’s Visa Playbook
2026-03-10 14:00 - 14:30 | Riff, 45 St Georges Tce, Perth, Australia
Join for this exclusive Perth Landing Pad event, delivered in collaboration with our global partner TechVisa, designed to help founders access and mobilise international tech talent strategically, compliantly and at speed.
TechVisa Co-Founder Natasha Prévot and General Manager Emily will break down the four visa pathways most relevant to scaling tech companies — 400, 482, 186 and 858 — and explain when each makes commercial sense.
In this high-energy, founder-focused session, you’ll learn:
• How to integrate visa strategy into your growth roadmap
• The three-stage 482 process explained clearly and commercially
• How to secure long-term retention through permanent residency pathways
• How to sequence hiring decisions to reduce risk and maintain momentum
• How to position immigration as infrastructure for scale
Whether you’re raising capital, expanding into new markets, or competing for world-class engineers and product leaders, this session will give you clarity, confidence and a strategic edge.

Panel: The conflict between commercial metrics and customer outcomes
2026-03-10 17:15 - 19:30 | Hatchd, Level 3/108 St Georges Tce, Perth, WA, 6000
Panel Event: The conflict between commercial metrics and customer outcomes. How product managers can balance cultural challenges, managing metrics, and being a good human being.
As technology and the landscape evolves we are seeing a growing conflict between delivering commercial outcomes and delivering value to and protecting the interests of customers. Performance metrics drive individual financial benefits, and so we can see this driving a tendency for leadership to focus delivery on organisational commercial value at the cost of service or product outcomes to the customer. Product Managers are directly part of the interface facilitating this and often have to struggle with the fallout of final decisions.

WA Spotlight on Biomedical Careers: Talent, Transition & Transformation
2026-03-10 17:30 - 19:30 | Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, 6 Verdun Street, Nedlands, WA, 6000, Australia
Discover biomedical career pathways in WA. Employer insights, real journeys and networking across research, industry and government.
Ready to discover what a career in WA’s biomedical sector really looks like?
The ‘WA Spotlight on Biomedical Careers: Talent, Transition, Transformation’ is an exciting in-person event exploring current and emerging workforce opportunities across WA’s growing biomedical sector. The sector extends well beyond traditional clinical and health roles and includes opportunities in research, advanced manufacturing, product development, digital and data, clinical trials, government and start-ups.
This event brings together employers, recruiters, government and sector leaders to provide practical insights into career pathways, hiring expectations and skills needed now and into the future.
Whether you are a student, researcher or industry professional considering a career transition, the session will help you better understand where your skills fit and how to take the next step.

UNSW Perth Alumni Talks | The Future of Mining
2026-03-10 17:30 - 19:30 | PwC, 125 St Georges Terrace, Perth, WA, 6000
Join fellow alumni in Perth for an exclusive thought leadership event featuring Professor Serkan Saydam, Chair of Mining Engineering at UNSW Sydney and Director of the UNSW ARC Research Hub for Next Generation Mining Methods (NextGenMIN).
Professor Sadam will explore how the industry must shift from simply adopting new technologies to creating new knowledge, integrating advanced technology and human capital to design mining systems designed for:

Zero waste
Zero (net) emissions
Zero (human) entry
Improved safety, productivity and efficiency

Founder Story: How Ida Sports' Discovery Cut Costs & Raised $2.5M
2026-03-11 07:30 - 08:30 | Riff, 45 St Georges Tce, Perth, Australia
In this practical session grounded in the Disciplined Entrepreneurship model, you’ll see the actual deck that raised the first $2.5 million for Ida Sports and unpack the customer discovery work that shaped it.
Ben will share how early customer interviews helped Ida Sports more than halve production costs, refine their feature set, and avoid building the wrong product — reinforcing why early validation is critical for first-time founders.
Perfect for early-stage builders, this session blends theory and practice, with actionable insights you can apply immediately (and a timely lead-in to our upcoming pitch practice session).

2026 BioInnovation Festival
2026-03-11 08:00 - 17:00 | Pan Pacific Hotel Perth, 207 Adelaide Tce, Perth, WA, 6000, Australia
The BioInnovation Festival is a five-day celebration of Western Australia’s life sciences and innovation ecosystem, featuring flagship events, regional tours, and partner-led activities.
BioInnovation Festival Conference – 11 March 2026
Connecting innovators, industry, and investors to explore the latest breakthroughs in life sciences. The program features over 50 speakers across keynotes, themed streams, and networking designed to spark collaboration and accelerate commercialisation.
Themes:
• Cross-disciplinary innovation
• Medical & Health
• Agriculture, Aquaculture & Life Sciences
• Commercialisation & Investment Readiness
• Partnerships & Ecosystem Growth
Program Highlights:
Morning keynotes, two focused streams, afternoon sessions, a “meeting of the minds,” and a Networking Sundowner. Optional Networking Dinner in the evening.

CERI: Investment Readiness Program Week 1
2026-03-11 17:00 - 19:00 | The Centre for Entrepreneurial Research and Innovation (CERI), Level 1, 22 Stirling Highway Nedlands, WA 6009, 6009, Australia
Refine your pitch and prepare your business for investment, with the opportunity to present to angels and venture capital investors.
Dates: 11 March – 20 May and 3 September – 12 November 2026
Schedule: Wednesdays, 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Price: $330 for students | $550 for full-time employees
Register: Investment Readiness

Coders for Causes (CFC) Industry Night 2026
2026-03-11 18:30 - 21:00 | EZONE UWA Student Hub, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, WA, 6009
2026 CFC Industry Night will be bringing together students, industry professionals, and organisations from across the tech ecosystem for an evening of networking and career insights.
This event provides an opportunity to connect with industry representatives, explore pathways in software development and data, and gain practical advice to support your professional journey.

AIMI: Certified Innovation Professional (CIP) Programme
2026-03-12 08:00 - 12:00 | online
Certified Innovation Professional (CIP) Programme — Expressions of Interest Now Open
Expressions of Interest are now open for the next intake of the Certified Innovation Professional (CIP) Programme, delivered by the Australian Innovation Management Institute (AIMI) in partnership with the Global Innovation Management Institute (GIMI).
Most organisations do not struggle with ideas. They struggle with execution: unclear decision rights, inconsistent evaluation, and no repeatable system to move from concept → pilot → scale. The CIP Programme is designed to professionalise how innovation gets done—so leaders and teams can deliver outcomes with rigour, pace, and accountability.
Why CIP

Grounded in GIMI’s globally recognised innovation management framework and toolset—widely regarded as global best practice for building repeatable, measurable innovation capability across organisations.
ISO 56001 aligned, supporting capability consistent with the emerging global standard for Innovation Management Systems.

What past participants said (AIMI inaugural cohort, 2025)

“GIMI’s Certified Innovation Professional courses (delivered by AIMI) put participants in an engaging and practical learning environment… You learn and deliver at the same time with others. A brilliant way to learn and to test how the GIMI tools can be applied in a real-world sense for practical outcomes.”— Sean Webb, Manager – Innovation and Partnerships, CBH Group

“I participated… hoping to learn methods to continue my innovation efforts in a consistently scalable and repeatable manner, and the GIMI frameworks provide exactly that… Repeatable and scalable.”— Eric Berrill, Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer, núaTECH

Who it’s for

Innovation and transformation leaders and practitioners
Strategy, PMO, product, digital, and operations leaders
Emerging innovation champions who need a solid toolkit and common language

What you’ll get

Practical tools and methods you can apply immediately
A structured approach to building innovation capability (not just running projects)
A globally recognised credential that signals professionalism in innovation

Expressions of Interest are now open. If you’re ready to move beyond innovation activity and build a system that delivers outcomes, register your interest for the next intake.

Regional Innovation Summit
2026-03-12 08:00 - 2026-03-13 17:00 | South West, WA
The 2026 Regional Innovation Summit is bigger, bolder, and more immersive than ever.

The 2026 Summit will take place on Friday 13 March and will once again deliver a powerful experience connecting investors, innovators, industry leaders, and government stakeholders with the people and ideas shaping the future of regional innovation.

Hosted at the historic Caves House in one of WA’s most breathtaking coastal destinations Yallingup, this year’s Summit is newly designed as a roundtable-style gathering, bringing together regional and national changemakers for an interactive day of keynotes, panels, networking, and startup pitches.

Keynote Speaker – Tim Jarvis AM

Tim Jarvis AM is an Australian environmental scientist, adventurer, author and filmmaker, best known for recreating some of history’s most dangerous polar expeditions to raise awareness about climate change and environmental conservation. At the Summit, Tim will share powerful lessons from the world’s harshest environments — insights into purpose-driven leadership, navigating uncertainty and aligning innovation with sustainability.

Speakers & Panellists:

This year we’ve taken it to the next level. We’ve built immersive experiences into your day where you can taste wine aged on the seafloor, explore ancient bush medicines and ocean innovation, witness autonomous farm technology in action and experience an immersive art light display where biology, data and creativity collide.

Explore the details

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The Regional Innovation Summit is a BioInnovation Festival Satellite Event, supported by City of Busselton, South West Development Commission through the Innovative Industries of the Future (iiF) program, GreenTech Hub, Department of Energy and Economic Diversification through the CONNECT Sustainable Industries program and nbn® Australia. The Caves House Cleanser Sundowner is brought to you by Creative Tech Village.

Founder Open House | Venture UWA
2026-03-12 10:00 - 14:00 | The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
Drop in to get expert advice from Venture UWA Entrepreneur in Residence – Charlie Gunningham & Student Entrepreneur in Residence – Nathan Wipane, and start the journey to bring that idea to life, or grow that business you have been working on.
This event is for any UWA student or alumni seeking advice, supporting you to turn that idea into reality or take the next steps in your business development! Or just come and hang out in our co-working space and see what startup life is all about!

DEADLINE: Director Innovation Ecosystem | Department of Energy and Economic Diversification
2026-03-12 14:00 - 15:00 | Apply online
Join a department that’s powering WA’s energy transition and building a bold, diverse economy for generations to come. At the Department of Energy and Economic Diversification (DEED), your work will help drive innovation, support local businesses, and position WA on the global stage. If you’re ready to make a real impact – this is where your next chapter begins.
The key role of the Director Innovation Ecosystem is to guide the provision of strategic advice on innovation policy issues and manage the delivery of related programs, including the delivery of the New Industries and Innovation Fund, to develop the State’s innovation capacity and capability.
Learn more and apply here

CERI: Concept to Creation Week 1
2026-03-12 17:00 - 19:00 | The Centre for Entrepreneurial Research and Innovation (CERI), Level 1, 22 Stirling Highway Nedlands, WA 6009, 6009, Australia
Transform your ideas into viable concepts with structured support and expert guidance. Participants can pitch to win 3 x $5,000 Malka Foundation grants.
Dates: 12 March – 21 May and 10 September – 19 November 2026
Schedule: Thursdays, 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Price: $330 for students | $550 for full-time employees
Register: Concept to Creation

AI: Productivity, Power & Prosperity
2026-03-13 18:00 - 21:00 | Bloom Lab, Crawley, 2 Park Road, Crawley, WA, 6009
What happens when frontier models collide with hard industry problems? Compute, talent density, regulatory lag, how will these shape WA’s future? Two tech nerds go deep on the fears and the fantasies, pulling apart what’s hype, what’s real, and what choices we still have left to make.
Hear from two leaders in AI as they debate… well actually we don’t know what they will say:

Jeroen Van Dalen Founder, technologist, chief tinkerer of all things AI. Back in December 2026 he made 14 AI predictions. How’d he do? ✓ 10 spot on 🟡 2 on the way ❌ 2 still loading Basically: the guy to listen to when the future is speeding toward us.
Alex Jenkins Director at WA Data Science Innovation Hub, an advocate for Applied AI across Industry, Government Sectors, Academic Research, Health and Education.

Join the conversation shaping WA’s future. Because when it comes to AI, the questions matter just as much as the answers.

DEADLINE: ASTN Growth Stage Mentoring Program
2026-03-16 08:00 - 09:00 | Apply online
The ASTN Startup Accelerator Program enables the ASTN to provide free guidance & advisory for suitable startups across Australia.
ASTN invite sports technology startups or companies that wish to focus on specific aspects of their development (e.g. sports digital, advanced materials, sports performance & wellness applications suitable for participants and all abilities, and that your product/service/platform/application is driven by technology) to apply for positions available in the ASTN Accelerator Program. As part of the growth-stage program, startup founders will be able to benefit from the insights, knowledge and expertise of a range of experienced mentors.
The ASTN has unmatched knowledge and expertise in the sportstech industry in Australia, and this is complimented by an extensive network/connections and entrepreneurship education both within Australia and overseas. It has represented sports tech companies and their interests for over 10 years. Please note that Queensland and Western Australia based sportstech companies currently have priority access.
The program will help you to:

Assist in developing an innovative business model, that is sound & prepares your company to scale
Improve the market readiness of your company
Accelerate your company’s time to market, and/or
If your company already has a product and market, assist in your ongoing development and expansion within Australia and overseas
It follows its main mission to ensure Australian sports tech companies are “Born Global”

During the program you will receive:

Access to the broader ASTN export pool
Up to approximately 20 hours of free advisory comprised of:

1-on-1 sessions with an experienced sports technology advisor, and/or
a number of group workshops.

Learn more about the program and how to apply here: https://www.astn.com.au/growth-stage-mentoring
Application deadline: 16 March 2026

DEADLINE: International Space Investment India Projects Round 2
2026-03-16 08:00 - 09:00 | Apply online
These projects will support Australian organisations to conduct joint space projects and build valuable commercial links with the Indian Space Research Organisation and the broader Indian space sector.
A grant of up to $2.69 million is available for Australian companies and publicly funded research organisations who wish to work with Indian organisations to deliver collaborative projects to advance the space industry.
The grant amount will be up to 100 per cent of eligible project costs.
Learn more about the grant opportunity here
