The SRI's Scorched project, supported by the NSW Government, will use startup enterprise methods to explore innovative ideas for building business and economic resilience to the challenges posed by climate extremes.
Project Coordinator and UNE SRI Startup Activator, Sewa Emojong said everyone in the New England has an experience of the recent bushfires and how this impacted our region.
“How we can prevent the damage and destruction caused by the 2019 bushfires is the question that underpins this program,” Ms Emojong said.
“Scorched is currently seeking individuals, schools, volunteer organisations, community groups and businesses to be part of this incredible opportunity for the region,” she said.
Scorched is being delivered in two parts.
The first part is experimenting with ideas to solve real challenges as a result of bushfires. These hackathon-style events are fast paced to share ideas and foster creativity. Working in diverse groups means growing ideas, some which will fly and others can be reiterated.
The second part of the program is for those who want to take an idea and grow it into a business proposition. Over the 8-week period, with expert coaching and support participants get to learn how startups go from idea to a Minimal Viable Product and pitch an idea to customers and even investors.
“Imagine what is possible when we explore ideas and new enterprises that can impact bushfires and climate variability’ said Dr Lou Conway, Director of the UNE SRI
“The community will have the opportunity to hear the ideas that have been developed in a public pitching event to showcase these solutions to investors that have the ability to turn the concepts into reality,” she said.
Scorched is backed by $287,000 from the NSW Government's Bushfire Community Recovery and Resilience Fund (BCRRF), which invests in "community wellbeing, connectedness, social recovery, and future disaster resilience.
A diverse range of Armidale institutions – BackTrack and Armidale Secondary College, Renew Armidale, and Armidale Regional Council – supported the SRI application.
If you are interested in learning more about the program, and being involved, please contact Sewa Emojong, Startup Activator, UNE SRI, sewa.emojong@une.edu.au , or head on over to the UNE SRI Website for more details - https://www.unesri.com.au/scorched
