SA Innovation Challenge

Giving people the ability to live independently, productively and with dignity is at the heart of this collaboration challenge, which brings together innovators, researchers and businesses to develop cutting-edge products in the health, ageing and/or disability sectors.

The South Australian Innovation Challenge is an initiative of EXCITE, the state’s 10-year science and innovation strategy. It aims to showcase the state’s research and innovation value chain by identifying solutions to a global problem that have the potential to transform supply chains and propel economic growth in South Australia.

The SA Innovation Challenge fosters new collaborations between researchers and businesses to harness R&D to deliver technology-based solutions, drive innovation, and create market advantage for start-ups, SMEs and businesses.

With $1 million committed from the Government of South Australia, the SA Innovation Challenge focuses on the sectors of health and medical industries and hi-tech.

Three South Australian businesses have received a share of more than $915,000 in South Australian Government funding, having submitted a successful pitch to the inaugural SA Innovation Challenge.

The SA Innovation Challenge, launched 2021, focussed on the theme of ‘Augmenting Ability’, and asked applicants to:

Demonstrate South Australia’s capability to harness frontier technologies across the research and innovation value chain to develop new products or services that augment the ability of a person at any stage of life to live independently, productively, with dignity and wellbeing, and create early market advantage for South Australian businesses.

Funded projects are now underway, with a description of each below:

• Lateral Vision received $486,000 in partnership with the University of South Australia, ECH and EnvisageAR to develop virtual environments using 360-video conferencing technology, which will enable people who cannot participate in social or community experiences in person to experience these events in a full interactive mode.
• Goldilocks Suit has received $230,000 in partnership with The University of Adelaide and ECH to develop a range of ‘smart garments’ to help older people age well at home.
• Neo Care has received $200,000 in partnership with The University of Adelaide, University of South Australia, Life Care and REDARC Electronics to develop AI-based sound detection sensor technology to support older people to live independently and safely in their homes.