The GEN Australia instance of the Nectir challenge application allows you to add your ideas and work with others on their ideas to address complex challenges through innovation and entrepreneurship.
The challenge application, implemented for the Melbourne 2023 Global Entrepreneurship Congress, will support those in the Australian and global innovation and entrepreneur ecosystem to have a practical outcome as they work in their regions, industries, and communities to transform your world.
Transform your World
The theme for the 2023 Melbourne Global Entrepreneurship Congress from 19 to 22 September is "Transform your World".
This is more than a marketing tagline. It is a deeply held belief that innovation and entrepreneurship have the potential to be transformative for individuals, institutions, communities, and society. At the GEC, the theme is experienced through the program from three perspectives:
- Transform your world through industry and technology - diverse industry sectors and emerging technologies;
- Transform your world through impact and inclusive of everyone - the impact of innovation and entrepreneurship, such as climate and sustainable development goals, and inclusion across gender, nationality, and geography; and
- Transform your world where you live - place-based transformation, including the functions of entrepreneur ecosystems of university and research, investment, government policy, and incubation.
For the GEC, we have partnered with the Nectir challenge application to take the theme of "Transform your World" from aspiration and intent into practical reality.
The Nectir GEN Australia challenge application for entrepreneur ecosystem challenges
I have been to a lot of innovation and entrepreneurship conferences over the years. I always come away with new inspirations, ideas, connections, and networks. But I also leave wanting ways I can work with others on practical solutions to the challenges highlighted by the content and conversations.
This desire has led to the implementation of the GEN Australia instance of the Nectir challenge application for the Melbourne 2023 Global Entrepreneurship Congress. The application includes pre-defined challenges associated with different aspects of the innovation and entrepreneur ecosystem. These challenges are broad to address all perspectives but defined to focus ideas on topic areas.
In the application, you can add your ideas against the challenges as well as contribute to the ideas of others. These ideas and the resulting conversations are then exposed to a global audience through the Global Entrepreneurship Congress delegation for broader support and engagement.
In the video below, Nectir Partner Phil Trenbath joins me to explain the background of the challenge platform and its application for the Global Entrepreneurship Congress.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEGpkfNYQM4
Open challenges for the innovation ecosystem
Through 2022, we held over 30 workshops and engaged over 500 innovation ecosystem leaders across diverse focus areas. These conversations informed the development of initial challenges which then inspired the program for the Melbourne 2023 GEC. We are now refining these challenges in the Nectir application.
In our conversations and research, we have identified five overarching challenges that were common across all aspects of the innovation ecosystem. These include:
- Gaining clarity and understanding, including mapping, research, measurement, and data;
- Providing connection and connectivity, including events and activities, boundary-spanning activities, and crossing communities based on nationality, geography, industry, function, and areas of interest;
- Building capacity and capability, including direct support of innovators and entrepreneurs, advancing progress from idea to scale, and developing each aspect of the ecosystem such as investment, policy, and incubation;
- Collaboration for purpose, coming together around shared challenges and goals; and
- Advocacy and promotion, highlighting success and providing a voice of influence for innovation and entrepreneurship.
In addition to these five broad challenges, we are also looking for ideas across focus areas based on industry sector, ecosystem function, and area of impact. There are now challenges for areas of Space, Rural, Incubation, Youth and Education, and Climate. We are adding further challenges for areas including Women entrepreneurship, Mining and energy, Health and life sciences, Food and agriculture, First Nations, Sustainable Development Goals, Investment and risk capital, Government and policy, Creative industries, and Universities and research.
Sign up and add your voice now, during the GEC, and beyond
The application is now open for your contribution as we add challenges over the coming weeks. Even if you are not attending the GEC, you are invited to contribute your ideas.
You can sign up at: https://genaustralia.nectir.co/
During the GEC, there will be a dedicated stand for the Nectir challenge application where delegates can come together over shared challenges. Delegates will also be able to interact with the Nectir platform during sessions to capture ideas and interact with others over the shared experience.
After the GEC is over, the platform will remain open to carry through the development of ideas through the 12 months following the Congress. Our aim is to build support for your ideas, expose them to a global audience, and inform future policy and GECs about solutions to our shared challenges that can be addressed through innovation and entrepreneurship.
Our goal is to Transform your World. We are doing this with you by providing you with a platform to get your ideas heard and share in the ideas of others who may be experiencing similar challenges. Please register for the platform and join us to make a real impact.