As Australia’s first collaboration and innovation hub focussed on the resources industry, the CORE Innovation Hub is launching the CORE Hot 30 Awards as part of CORE Exchange 2020, a national conference and technology showcase highlighting ingenuity in the resources sector in December.

With a growing number of startups and small innovative businesses making their mark in the mining and resources industries, CORE National Innovation Hub Manager Renee Hakendorf said the awards would bring the brightest together at the Core Exchange 2020 conference.

Hakendorf said many ingenious businesses within sectors contributing to the resources sector go about their business quietly but it was time they were recognised and celebrated on the national stage.

“By identifying the sectors’ businesses that are developing new technologies, transforming industry practices or even taking their products and services to new international markets, we’ll be giving them a platform and highlight their great initiatives,” Hakendorf said.

“In addition, we’ll be inviting great innovations and the people behind them to be part of the CORE Exchange 2020 virtual conference, which will enable them to connect with like-minded businesses and potential partners, along with giving them a voice on the national stage.”

Hakendorf said the Hot 30 was aimed at highlighting early-stage businesses in all corners of the country making an innovative contribution. Applications for the Hot 30 are open until November 1.

“This is not a startup pitching competition, we’re looking for ventures who are a little further down the innovation highway and contributing to the sector,” she said.

“We’re looking for businesses with some traction in the market who have all the pieces in place to scale quickly.

“They will most likely be working with the resources sector already but keen to expand their customer base and contribute towards growing the industry worldwide.”

Identifying a Hot 30 list of innovators was also an opportunity to promote Australia’s growing strengths in knowledge industries, including advanced manufacturing and information technology, as the fourth industrial revolution – or Industry 4.0 – exerted a greater influence on almost every industry worldwide.

“Industry 4.0 is rapidly transforming how businesses operate, including advancing industries which increasingly use technology,” Hakendorf said.

“It creates a nexus between the creators, the physical world and the digital world, harnessing automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, sensor technology and data analytics.

“If we can identify those businesses at the forefront of Industry 4.0 as well, we can help them by providing connections through Core Exchange 2020 and the Core Hot 30.”

CORE Exchange 2020 is an annual startup and technology showcase for the resources, energy, space, and defence sectors. The conference will be held online with a virtual expo for the first time, combining physical events in both Perth and Adelaide with virtual guest speakers and innovators streaming in from all over the world.

Following the virtual expo, exhibitor and select attendees will have the opportunity to attend the in-person CORE Innovation Awards.

CORE will host two simultaneous cocktail style events in Perth and Adelaide to recognize the standouts of the evening, hear from a keynote speaker, and celebrate some of the best and brightest in Australian resources, energy, space, and defence innovation.

Image: Supplied

The hottest 30 innovators identified by a team of independent judges will be given the opportunity to showcase their technology on the conference’s virtual floor and will be supported to produce a three-minute pitch video to be featured on the CORE Exchange platform. Attendees will be able to log on, watch pitches and jump on video calls with exhibitors to ask questions and learn more about their companies.

“As a Hot 30 Innovator, businesses will benefit from national media exposure, which will increase their profile within Australia’s resources industry and amplify their business development efforts,” Hakendorf said.

“They’ll also make invaluable connections and potentially take their operations to another level.”

CORE has been operating in Western Australia since 2016, and launched in South Australia in June this year, recognising South Australia’s pivotal position in the nation’s mining and energy sectors.

CORE Innovation Hub provides meeting and workspaces, regular networking events, opportunities to collaborate on emerging technologies and professional development programs to future proof the resources workforce.

CORE is passionate about breaking down barriers for the translation of technologies into the resources sector.

To do that, Hakendorf said it delivers proximity to skills, solutions and opportunities along the supply chain, amid a culture of entrepreneurship, open innovation, trust, collaboration and speed.

Foundation Partners in the CORE Innovation Hub Ecosystem include METS Ignited, Austmine, WesTrac, the South Australian Department for Energy and Mining, Unearthed and Spacecubed.

Applications for the 2020 CORE Innovation Exchange and CORE Hot 30 Awards are open to Australian businesses with an ABN that are headquartered in Australia and will close at midnight on 1 November.

Click here to apply for the Hot 30 Awards

For more information about CORE Exchange 2020 or to register, click here.