This year’s Hot 30 awards has seen Western Australian firms emerge as a driving force for innovation and change within the mining, energy and resources industries, securing 15 places in the Hot 30 as well as three of the six top category awards.
Hosted by CORE Innovation Hub, the Hot 30 showcases the next generation of businesses which are successfully developing technology and shaping the future of their industries through innovation.
Announced in Adelaide, the Hot 30 has included six category winners for the first time.
The Women-led Innovation award has gone to Western Australia-based Cheeditha Energy, which decarbonises businesses by increasing equipment efficiency, reducing non-renewable energy consumption.
Additionally, Diptek was recognised for the state-based WA Innovation award for its DipStick field device, which integrates modern sensors such as lidar, GPS, rotary encoding and imaging sensors to collect drilling hole data for future analysis.
While the Emerging Industry award went to Western Australia’s Greatcell Energy, which aims to reduce the cost of solar power by using small, thin, solar cells produced with roll-to-roll technology.
CORE National Innovation Hub Manager, Renee Hakendorf said the winners of the CORE Hot 30 were outstanding in their fields, and had used innovation to solve real-world problems, created new technologies, scaled up when needed, improved industry capabilities and reached global markets.
Many of these businesses have started small and are still growing, however, they’ve been able to contribute to significant advancements in their field on a national and international scale,” Ms Hakendorf said.
CORE Hot 30 winners will receive industry recognition, be offered brand-building opportunities, business growth training, mentoring, offered connections to industry and be invited to take part in various innovation events across the industry’s ecosystem.
CORE Innovation Hub is Australia’s first collaboration and innovation hub focussed on the resources, mining and energy industries, initially opening in Perth in 2016, followed by Adelaide last year and the recently announced hub in Newman in the Pilbara, opening this year in partnership with BHP.
The organisation provides meeting and workspaces, regular networking events, opportunities to collaborate on emerging technologies and professional development programs to future proof the resources workforce.
The remaining top awards were taken out by Queensland-based Grease Bossfor Innovator of the Year, Queensland’s Wildfire Energy secured the Sustainability award and the second state-based award recognised South Australia’s 1414 Degrees.
Sponsors of the Hot 30 awards include METS Ignited, WRAYS, the Western Australian Department for Jobs, Tourism, Innovation and Science, the South Australian Department for Energy and Mining, Spacecubed and Unearthed.