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Tag: Agriculture / Agtech

2026 BioInnovation Festival

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.

Regional Innovation Summit

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

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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: 

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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.
 
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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.

DEADLINE: Innovate to Grow: Farm and Food Technology

Innovate to Grow is a free 8-week online, self-paced learning program for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) working on innovative ideas in farm and food technology.

This program will assist you in:

  • Refining your innovation idea and learning how to transform it into an R&D opportunity.
  • Accessing tools and information for a comprehensive understanding of R&D collaboration and key considerations at each step.
  • Applying this knowledge to advance your technology or R&D concept.
  • Gaining industry insights, hearing from experts, researchers and your R&D coach.
  • Collaborating with like-minded SMEs and expanding your professional network.

 

2026 Postgraduate Showcase: Frontiers in Agriculture

You are invited to attend the 2026 Postgraduate Showcase. A group of outstanding postgraduate students from The University of Western Australia will present their research achievements in agriculture and related areas.

This is a free event open to all interested members of the public, agriculture industry, and UWA staff and students. Afternoon tea provided and fully catered sundowner to finish.

DEADLINE: Open Sustainability Challenge

Welcome to the Sustainability Open Innovation Challenge 7th Edition!
The global momentum for sustainability continues to grow, bringing new opportunities for innovation and collaboration.

Now in its seventh year, the Sustainability Open Innovation Challenge (SOIC) by Enterprise Singapore invites startups and innovators from around the world to partner with leading corporates in developing practical, scalable solutions for a more sustainable future.

This year’s challenge explores key themes including Renewable Energy, Offshore Wind, Greener Industries, Sustainable Agrifood, and Sustainable Materials. Each theme reflects pressing industry priorities and presents opportunities for innovators to pilot and scale transformative solutions in collaboration with leading corporate partners. Each challenge statement also highlights the potential sustainability impact that can be achieved through a successful solution.

DEADLINE: SIFT Facility Operator EOIs

A once-in-a-lifetime, industry-led opportunity to anchor your operations and lead Western Australia’s first shared food innovation centre – designed by industry, for industry.

SIFT is now inviting EOIs for an organisation to operate WA’s first shared food innovation centre. The Facility Operator will manage the site, run their own production and enable WA businesses to innovate, test products and scale in a high-quality environment.

This role is central to SIFT’s purpose of strengthening the state’s food and beverage sector through practical capability-building and shared infrastructure.

Part 1: Submit by 18th January 2026. Shortlisted applicants will be contacted to schedule a site visit/inspection which may include a trial shift.

ATSE: WA End of Year Event

Presented by the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering’s Western Australia Division

Join as early career researchers present their innovative work through engaging electronic posters and a keynote presentation by Trevor Whittington.

The highlight of the night will be a keynote presentation by Trevor Whittington, who will explore the theme; “How science and technology has helped, and will help, farmers adapt to a drying climate”

IIF Seminar | Building resilient industries: lessons from agritech, AI and circular economies

The South West Development Commission (SWDC), City of Bunbury & the Bunbury Geographe Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BGCCI) have announced the Innovative Industries of the Future (IIF) event series, marking a new chapter of discussion, discovery and regional collaboration.

The program will begin with a series of lunchtime events leading up to the IIF Conference in November 2026. The first event, “Building resilient industries: lessons from agritech, AI and circular economies”, will explore how innovation and technology can strengthen the South West’s economic future.

DEADLINE: Speak at Bioinnovation Festival 2026

Life Sciences WA, For Blue, Innovation Cluster, and the Aquaculture Council of Western Australia Inc. are calling for Innovator Speakers to take the stage at the 2026 BioInnovation Festival Conference, taking place at the Pan Pacific Hotel, Perth on 11 March 2026.

This opportunity is not only for biotech, health, and life sciences, but also agricultural and aquacultural innovations driving impact across Australia and beyond.

This is your chance to share your story if:
🔹 You didn’t present at last year’s Festival Conference, OR
🔹 Your company has had a major development – a deal, product launch, or other significant milestone.

The EOI is open to industry, investors, WA innovators, and mature university-led projects moving toward commercialisation.

Apply here: https://www.bioinnovationfestival.com/speakers/

DEADLINE: Regional Economic Development (RED) Grants program Round 8

Up to $250,000 is available for individual projects that promote sustainable jobs and workforce solutions, productivity, skills and capability building, as well as stimulating new investment and industry diversification across the region.

Each of the 9 Regional Development Commissions (RDCs) manage the grant round process for their region and will provide advice to applicants during the application process:

Goldfields-Esperance Development Commission (GEDC)
Mid West Development Commission
Gayscone Development Commission
Kimberley Development Commission 
Pilbara Development Commission 
South West Development Commission
Great Southern Development Commission 
Peel Development Commission 
Wheatbelt Development Commission