Sustainability – WA Innovation Calendar

DEADLINE: WA Government & Founders Factory Nature Tech Program (Cohort 5)

Operating from Perth, the Founders Factory and WA Nature Tech Accelerator backs early stage startups (pre-seed to seed) with capital and a four-month program designed to support the development and validation of new environmental technologies.

Together with the Government of Western Australia, the accelerator supports startups restoring ecosystems and building scalable businesses across:

– Water quality
– Biodiversity, land & forest restoration
– Oceans & coastal resilience
– Food & agriculture
– Nature-positive industry & financing

It offers founders guidance from regional government, and operational support across product development, strategy and operations, commercialisation, data science, partnerships, and fundraising.

Circular Futures Forum

Circular Economy and Sustainable Procurement insights for local government and business operators.

The Circular Futures Forum is a full-day seminar bringing together sustainability, procurement, waste, and finance officers from local governments across Western Australia to explore what the circular economy really looks like in practice — and how to make it work in your organisation. It’s also relevant to business operators looking to improve their sustainability credentials, reduce waste and maximise their profits.

DEADLINE: Local Environmental Projects Program

The program funds locally informed, place-based projects that protect and restore threatened species and habitats, enhance coasts and waterways, and improve community access to nature, especially in urban green and blue spaces.

Projects must show long-term environmental and social benefits through sustainable management and local engagement, aligning with national goals under the EPBC Act and Australia’s Strategy for Nature 2024–2030. The program also supports Australia’s international commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Total Amount Available (AUD): $55,500,000.00

Estimated Grant Value (AUD): From $20,000.00 to $10,000,000.00

CSIRO Webinar: Nurturing Trust in Science Through Partnerships and Engagement

In an era of rampant misinformation, the credibility of science has never mattered more – or been harder to protect. CSIRO Publishing is responding on two fronts: making rigorous science accessible and engaging for the general public, and equipping researchers with the skills and confidence to publish with impact.

Join us for a snapshot of how we’re doing this in practice:

‘It Starts With…’ – our new podcast bringing credible science to curious, general audiences
Science video explainers – short, shareable content that makes complex research discoverable beyond the journal page
Scientific writing workshops – practical, partnership-based support to help your researchers communicate and publish effectively

Discover how CSIRO Publishing can partner with your institution to strengthen the research ecosystem – from the lab to the public conversation.

CSIRO Webinar: From data to action: new insights into Australia’s circular economy

This event will bring together the latest research, state experience, and national policy to explore what Australia’s first comprehensive circular economy metrics mean for how we plan, implement, and measure progress towards a circular economy.

You’ll hear from:

CSIRO presenting key insights from Australia’s first sub-national material flow and circularity accounts, covering all states and territories from 2010 to 2024, including what the data reveals about material demand, waste, emissions, and circularity performance across every jurisdiction.
Policymakers from South Australia and Victoria sharing their firsthand experience of using circular economy metrics in the policy process, including what works, what’s hard, and what the new data can contribute.
The Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) on why robust metrics are essential for national circular economy planning and implementation, and how this new evidence base fits within Australia’s broader circular economy framework.

Mangrove & Marine Science Panels & Talks

This event brings together leading researchers across marine and coastal sciences, with expertise spanning plant physiology, climate science, mangrove ecology, marine invertebrates, coastal geomorphology, and spatial ecology. It will be a fantastic opportunity to hear about cutting-edge research and engage in cross-disciplinary discussions.

CWSS 3-Year Celebration: Henry Darcy Medal Seminar & Networking Event

The Centre for Water and Spatial Science (CWSS) at The University of Western Australia warmly invites colleagues, partners, researchers, and industry stakeholders to attend a special seminar and networking event featuring Professor Sally E. Thompson, recipient of the 2026 Henry Darcy Medal.

The Henry Darcy Medal is one of the most prestigious international awards in hydrology, recognising exceptional contributions to advancing water science globally. In 2026, the medal has been awarded to Professor Sally E. Thompson in recognition of her for outstanding contributions to ecohydrology, particularly the co-evolution of vegetation and soils in natural landscapes, and the emerging patterns in response to water limitation.

This event also celebrates three years of impactful research, innovation, and collaboration across water and spatial science, bringing together academia, government, and industry to connect, share knowledge, and explore future opportunities.

HILT CRC Public Webinar: Technology pathways for green iron and low-carbon steelmaking

Join HILT CRC for a public webinar showcasing four iron and steel technology providers – and HILT CRC partners – working on practical pathways to decarbonise iron and steel production.

Speakers from Primetals Technologies, Metix, Tenova and Hatch will each provide a technical deep dive into their technologies, alongside a broader view of future green iron and low-carbon steelmaking pathways.

For Primetals, Gerald Wimmer will provide a technical overview of its work supporting lower-emissions iron and steel production. The presentation will consider practical pathways for integrating new process technologies into future green iron and steel value chains, including the implications for feedstocks, energy supply, plant configuration and scale-up.

Gerhard Terblanche will present for Metix. As SMS group’s centre of competence for reduction furnace applications, Metix brings deep expertise in pyrometallurgical furnace technologies, submerged arc furnaces, high-temperature process engineering and advanced electric smelting solutions.

Tenova will provide a multi-speaker overview of its technologies across the iron and steel value chain. Markus Dorndorf will introduce the company’s direct reduced iron (DRI) and electric arc furnace (EAF) technologies; Andre Esterhuizen will discuss submerged arc furnace technology, including iBLUE® (which combines direct reduction with arc furnace-based hot metal production), residual valorisation and slag granulation; and Alessandro Della Rocca will address downstream technologies, including reheating furnaces.

For Hatch, Simon Nitschke, Managing Director, Equipment Technology, will present on Hatch’s work in green iron and steel, including the NeoSmelt electric smelting furnace (ESF) design.

Presentations from each company will include an audience Q&A after each session, with a panel discussion to close.

Australia’s Environmental Data Mosaic: from complexity to national advantage

Australia’s environmental evidence is expanding faster than our ability to assemble it. Satellites, sensors, ranger programs, Defence monitoring and research infrastructures are generating unprecedented data. But fragmentation means critical insights remain locked in silos.

Major national decisions now depend on rapid, trusted environmental intelligence. From the upcoming State of the Environment Report to Defence estate stewardship, disaster‑risk planning and state land management, organisations need data that is findable, interoperable and ready for use at scale.

The cost of inaction is rising. Without a connected environmental data ecosystem, Australia risks slower responses, weaker accountability and missed opportunities to build sovereign capability in environmental intelligence.

This webinar brings together three speakers to confront a central question: how do we turn a fragmented environmental data landscape into a connected, resilient, national‑scale capability that serves reporting, operations and long‑term stewardship? If you care about the long-term health of Australia’s land and the institutions that steward it, this is a conversation you will not want to miss.

DEADLINE: AI For Good Innovation Factory

Innovate Australia is bringing the United Nations AI for Good Innovation Factory Australia back for a second year and invites startups to pitch their AI‑driven solutions that address one of UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Five finalists will be chosen to pitch at a live AI for Good Innovation Factory Australia showcase at The Platform on Wednesday 27 May. At this event, a winning finalist will be selected to represent Australia at the AI for Good Innovation Factory Grand Finale in Geneva, Switzerland, competing on the world stage with the support and visibility of the United Nations.

A final follow up event will be held in early-to-mid July, where the winning finalist will return to Perth to share insights and learnings from the international experience, helping to inspire and strengthen Australia’s AI and innovation ecosystem.

Deadline Friday 8 May, 5pm (AWST)

Deadline has been Extended to 13 May