INCITE 2021 Awards finalists announced

Fifty Perth-based companies and organisations - including education institutions, numerous local startups and not for profits and mining giants have been announced as finalists for the INCITE Awards - WA’s longest running ICT Awards program.

Celia Jordaan, Chief Judge of the INCITE Awards, commented that entries for the 30th Awards program came from various industries and sectors, showing that technology innovation is a strong foundation for the growth and success of many WA businesses.

“In 2021, we have received a spectacular number of applications and final submissions for the Awards - a fitting tribute to celebrating our 30th year milestone - and an indication that local tech innovation thrives and exists within diverse business types and models,” said Celia.

“When our independent panel of judges - made up of WA’s industry leaders, successful innovators and technology experts - rigorously reviewed this year’s entries, they collectively indicated there is incredible innovation happening here to improve social, health, economic and community outcomes for many West Australians.”

This year’s finalists include Government agencies developing digital solutions to advance telehealth, improve COVID-19 assessments and response and provide urgent support for renters during the pandemic.

In the Social Impact category, we are seeing technology innovation that’s advancing reconciliation with the Stolen Generation, closing the gap between metro and regional WA, and brain building activities for early years’ children development.

Within the business sector, mining giants BHP and Rio are increasing safety in the workfield and productivity improvements through a maintenance safety dashboard and driverless train technology.

The WA mental health, wellbeing, real estate and manufacturing sectors are also seeing digital innovation to connect communities, deliver efficiencies and improvements to the way we work.

“What is also very exciting is seeing WA startups and students - the next generation of digital innovators - also developing some world-first technology and research that is or will make a positive difference in the way we live and do business,” observed Celia.

“From cyber security applications to increasing access to health services for all members of our community and advancing environmental management techniques, WA startups and young innovators are really finding sustainable solutions to modern challenges.”

Niamh Toohey, Chair of the INCITE Awards congratulated all 2021 finalists, commenting that the Awards and industry support is essential for WA technology to continue playing a part in diversifying WA’s economy and connecting its communities.

“Congratulations to all fifty finalists for the 30th INCITE Awards and thank you for continuing to develop inspiring and creative technology innovation that helps our local and global communities,” said Niamh.

“This year’s entries clearly indicate the influence that our tech and digital innovators have in providing solutions to identified contemporary and future issues across all industries, and to improve the way we work, manage our health, care for others and learn.”

“This year, we are seeing local innovation, leadership and solutions in Telehealth, Cybersecurity, Virtual Reality, Mobile apps, Internet connectivity, IOT, Automation, AI & Analytics, Autonomous Robots.”

“We at the INCITE Awards are very proud of our local tech innovators and look forward to a continued journey of supporting and showcasing their growth and success locally, nationally and internationally.”

TheINCITE Awards finalists will now enter the second round of judging, involving presenting winning pitches and Q&A sessions with WA’s tech and industry leaders. This round of judging has been designed to assist finalists to develop business and presentation skills for representing Western Australia at the national iAwards, international APICTA, Digital Disruptors, National Pearcey Entrepreneur Awards and potential investment opportunities.

Winners and merit awards winners from the second round of judging for the 30th INCITE Awards will be announced on 23 July 2021 at a Gala Cocktail Awards Night. For more information on the INCITE Awards: https://inciteawards.org.au

30th INCITE Awards Finalists

Innovating Government

• CSIRO - for their MICE Platform, enabling all the doctors at South Metropolitan Health Service Hospitals to use their own smart-phones to provide telehealth treatment and consultation via sharing patient medical information, images and consent forms electronically.
• Department of Mines, Industry Regulation & Safety - for their Rent Relief Assessment App, built to assist the lodgement and processing of applications for the Residential Rent Relief Grant Scheme introduced through the Residential Tenancies (COVID-19 Response) Act 2020.
• East Metropolitan Health Service - for their Covid-19 Assessment Digital App which rapidly collects demographic and clinical information across multiple settings (Covid, Airport and Mobile clinics, and hotel quarantine) in Western Australia.
• Western Australia Museum - for their Exhibition Content Management System (ECMS) Developed from open source content management software, ECMS integrates concepts from collection and digital asset management platforms into a one-stop digital solution for WA Museum Boola Bardip.
• BD Water Pty Ltd - for their Water Manager - the first and only water trading platform in WA - connecting buyers and sellers of water licences, providing an easy-to-use interface that incorporates water regulations, and streamlining the water trading process with the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation.
• Department of Education - for “Casual Staff Seeker” solving the daily problem faced by our schools across WA - finding relief teachers at short notice. When deployed, it should save 500 to 1000 days of effort annually, to ensure every student has a qualified teacher in every classroom at the start of every day.
• SpacetoCo - for their web platform, booking community spaces by the hour. SpacetoCo connects community members with local community and government-owned spaces. SpacetoCo is a new, modern and unique experience for both the Local Governments and their customers when it comes to facility and venue hire.

Social Impact

• Wise Realities - for their *Feel Better VR program, using the latest virtual reality technology to improve the mental health and wellbeing among Australia’s most vulnerable communities including Indigenous Australians, the autistic community, people with disabilities, dementia patients and senior citizens.
• Curtin University - for MissionsConnect - the first immersive technological tool of its kind in Australia that will aid in education, truth-telling and reconciliation.
• Lyfe Languages - for their Lyfe Languages Project, delivering a youth/ community-driven, digitally enabled, nationally/ internationally connected platform to translate medical terminology into Indigenous languages.
• Telethon Kids Institute - for Beacon - a free cyber safety app designed to give parents and carers trusted, tailored information needed to confidently navigate their children’s digital world.
• Telethon Kids Institute - for The Bright Tomorrows app, giving parents and carers brain building activities and support to give children the best start.
• What the Doctor Said - a web-based solution allowing patients to receive personalised, mobile-accessible discharge instructions so everyone knows exactly What the Doctor Said.
• Scitech - for The Earth Matters: Rethink the Future exhibition. Using the latest technology, Earth Matters pushes the boundaries of hands-on digital exhibits, including an immersive Banksia Woodland, pedal-powered Microgrid Playground, interactive Coral Reef and a playful Water pump.
• Airborne IT - through partnerships with WA’s leading IT organisations and Government agencies, Airborne IT’s innovative AeroIT service is closing the gap in access to technology and increasing equality in service between metro and remote communities.
• Vix Technology – for their automated Vix Pulse fare collection platform that enables transit agencies to provide a seamless customer experience, whilst reducing overall operating costs.
• Edith Cowan University - their HAND-DEX dexterity solution, a Virtual Reality program that simulates an individual's hand movements in order to allow people recovering from hand injury, arthritis, and other movement issues to interact with a dexterity exercise program in their own home and in their own time. Transformative Solution
• Cellr Pty Ltd- for their connected packaging solution that enables brands to gain frictionless connectivity to today’s consumers. The tech enabled wine lids and labels (and QR Codes) combined with a custom software platform provides wine producers unprecedented visibility from the bottling line to consumer.
• Rio Tinto - for The AutoHaul® system - the first fully automated long distance heavy-haul railway in the world. 2.5km long trains travel autonomously on Rio Tinto’s rail network, without a driver on board.
• Oqea - for their first person-centric wellbeing digital platform to connect consumers, health providers, businesses, family and friends all in one private, safe and secure online place.
• RaptorTech- for Raptor Core, enabling communication between any model or make of machine and providing the right data to enable customers to make the right decisions for their assets.
• Suitsme - a new, mobile-first platform for connecting mental health support workers and NDIS consumers. Suitsme is about choice and control. It’s about transforming mental health support.
• Avicena Systems Pty Ltd - for their Avicena Sentinel System - a revolutionary, low-cost and ultra-high throughput molecular screening and testing system, initially targeting the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Futocon Pty Ltd - for their Realtime Conveyancer - the first Australian end-to-end transaction management system to digitise the property settlement process, from contract to keys.
• Pentanet - Using cutting edge technology, Pentanet will create an innovative wireless mesh for Perth which eliminates constraints of traditional wireless networks and delivers faster internet speeds with lower latency.
• COREIOT - for their Visible Machines - a tool for business managers to monitor the real-time utilisation of their equipment, fleet. The simple plug and play nature of the solution makes it affordable, easy to deploy, on any type of equipment. 

Startup of the Year

• Singular Health Pty Ltd - for VRP - a virtual reality platform for clinical application - a medical software for the visualisation, manipulation and transfer of medical imaging data in 3D or virtual reality with scalable technology that offers opportunities in target markets that include education, healthcare and additive manufacturing of medical devices.
• Bruno Health Pty Ltd - a community healthcare platform that makes accessing allied health and disability services as easy as messaging a friend.
• Audioplay Australia Pty Ltd - for Audioplay, a podcast meets audiobook meets creative play; an entirely new immersive multiplayer experience. Kids put on headphones, step into the story and become the characters, playing out the action in real life.
• Oqea - for their first person-centric wellbeing digital platform to connect consumers, health providers, businesses, family and friends all in one private, safe and secure online place.
• Frogponds - a cloud based software procurement solution that simplifies the sourcing process through digital automation and streamlined workflow, connecting clients such as schools with suppliers on a simple and anonymous basis.
• Grafa - a financial data, news and analysis platform that gives users access to large volumes of information quickly, in a way that's entertaining and engaging. The platform integrates AI-curated video allowing users to track trends with multi-asset data sets including stocks, currencies and cryptocurrencies.
• VeinTech - for VeinWave, an ultraportable handheld device that takes the guesswork out of cannulation by finding and displaying peripheral veins on a screen in real time, in order to reduce first pass cannulation failure rates.
• Avicena Systems Pty Ltd - for their Avicena Sentinel System - a revolutionary, low-cost and ultra-high throughput molecular screening and testing system, initially targeting the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Functionly - an approachable org design software that democratizes organization design and empowers leaders to easily design their own organisations at 1% of the cost of institutional consulting firms.
• Hyprfire Pty Ltd – bringing a new approach to cyber security AI by using power laws and behavioural analytics to detect intrusions, malware, and other network anomalies without needing de-encryption, faster, lighter and cheaper than ever before.

Peter Fillery Undergraduate Tertiary Student Project of the Year

• Curtin University and Barminco - for their Re-entry Sentry, an innovative safety initiative that improves redundancy and operational decision making capabilities for underground post blast re-entry applications.
• Curtin University - for Aeroplan, a solution that helps to automate and optimise flight scheduling for companies with FIFO-based workforces.
• Curtin Hive - for Old Perth VR project taking historical 2D images of Old Perth landmark buildings and converts them into a Virtual Reality experience. The user has the sensation of walking down the streets of old Perth 70 years ago and is able to admire the beautiful buildings that once existed.
• Curtin University - for MiRo, a fully programmable autonomous social robot, has been designed and developed to help with caring for aged care patients.
• North Metro TAFE - for The Underground Mining VR Induction App, a virtual reality induction training application giving new miners the experience of an underground mine site without the associated dangers.
• Edith Cowan University - for Labrador Speech Application. Children on the Autism spectrum (ASD) often display profound difficulty in speaking. This application allows a mobile device to become a communication bridge between child and parent.

Research and Innovation Projects, Industry and Postgraduate Students

• 3D Measure Me Pty Ltd - allowing you to obtain and track your body measurements in a simple way using your smartphone.
• Rio Tinto - for The AutoHaul® system - the first fully automated long distance heavy-haul railway in the world. 2.5km long trains travel autonomously on Rio Tinto’s rail network, without a driver on board.
• BHP - for Dash Maintainer Tools’ which will eliminate fatality potential risks from every heavy mobile machine on the planet, ensuring Maintenance Technicians get home safely to their families every swing.
• What the Doctor Said - a web-based solution allowing patients to receive personalised, mobile-accessible discharge instructions so everyone knows exactly What the Doctor Said.
• Emyria - Openly combines a multi-factor wellness review consisting of symptom questionnaires and the ability to capture key vital signs, including heart rate, using a smartphone camera. Clinicians can monitor this data and provide care when necessary.
• Avicena Systems Pty Ltd - for their Avicena Sentinel System - a revolutionary, low-cost and ultra-high throughput molecular screening and testing system, initially targeting the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Edith Cowan University, School of Science - for the REDSAT system, which places mobile deployable Honeynet traps into remote and regional agricultural areas to collect and assess data about outside attempts to attack information systems where sensor data requires can be acquired through long range and low power networks.