Telstra has again put the call out to Australian inventors, researchers and innovators to enter its third innovation challenge. And this year they’re introducing a new people’s choice category focused on unearthing tech that helps before, during and after natural disasters.
This week I sat down with Dr High Bradlow, Telstra’s Chief Technology Officer, to hear how the initiative works. He said Telstra is looking to select five innovative ideas—not necessarily in a field where Telstra has a business—to act as a catalyst by providing access to Telstra services, commercial partners, technology and marketing experts and more.
The five winners are selected from a shortlist after submitting a 300 word abstract, and ultimately keep the intellectual property of their technology—and any eventual profits. Telstra simply retains first right of refusal.
All entries close on August 1, and voting for the people’s choice will be open for two weeks starting September 1. All winners will be announced late September.
Previous winners include RMIT (real time stress and remotion recognition in speech) and EVestG, a spin-off from Monash Uni that measures brain activity and captures biomarkers of brain disorders. EVestG also won ABC’s New Inventors series in 2010.
For full details on the Telstra Challenge, head over to: [Telstra Innovation Challenge]