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An application to help university students mine the web for open access research, a wave energy harvesting device that uses gyroscopic technology and a solution to measure strain in mining structures with discontinuities, designed to improve safety in the resources industry.

These three very different ideas have won prizes for a trio of post graduate students from The University of Western Australia as part of the University’s inaugural Start Something program.

Jo Hawkins, Jonathan Lilley and Ghulam Hassan were among 30 researchers and post graduates who took part in a series of Start Something workshops, part of a broader UWA IQ initiative designed to encourage entrepreneurship within the university environment.

Developed by Innovation Cluster, a Perth organisation of industry experts involved with guiding corporate innovation and research commercialisation, the program was designed to empower participants with the skills needed to turn their ideas into a successful business.

UWA Deputy Vice Chancellor of Community and Engagement Kent Anderson said each workshop focussed on a different aspect of the commercialisation process, with topics ranging from market identification, to how to pitch ideas, to recognising funding routes.

“Participants were also given the opportunity to interact with experienced entrepreneurs who had successfully commercialised ideas in the healthcare, resources, information technology, engineering, social enterprise and innovation sectors,” he said.

“They concluded the program with a better understanding of whether there was a business or commercially viable product in their research as well as an awareness of next steps they could take in commercialisation.

“I think we are taking a very affirmative step with UWA IQ. My prediction is that the entire Australian Higher Education Sector, all 39 universities, will be on this route in the future”

Post graduate history student Jo Hawkins won the Start Something Prize for Entrepreneurship for her application to help users circumvent paywalls preventing them accessing academic research, by matching journal articles with ‘open access’ pre-press versions available in university repositories.

Mechanical Engineer and researcher Jonathan Lilley also won a Start Something Prize for Entrepreneurship for his Gyroscopic Wave Tech, a wave energy harvesting device.

The CSA Global Prize for Entrepreneurship went to post graduate computer science student Ghulam Hassan for designing a photogrammetric technique which acts as an automated remote solution to measuring the strain or displacement in mining structures with discontinuities.

Each prize winner will receive mentoring from an Innovation Cluster expert, access to desk space at an innovation space in Perth and industry contacts.

Caption: (left to right): AusIndustry Commercialisation Director Peter Clarke and Start Something prize winners Jonathan Lilley, Jo Hawkins and Ghulam Hassan.

Media references

David Stacey (UWA Media and Public Relations Manager)      (+61 8) 6488 3229 / (+61 4) 32 637 716