Brilliant West Week focuses on innovation

Apple Computer Inc co-founder Steve Wozniak arrives in Perth today to participate in the State's Brilliant West Week, starting tomorrow.

Brilliant West Week will provide opportunities to develop and promote innovation and creativity in Western Australia and to showcase the State's capabilities to international investors.

Science and Innovation Minister Troy Buswell said the program would help encourage WA students to think about careers in science, as well as assist the State's researchers and the business community to take their ideas to the commercial market.

"Brilliant West Week will have a range of events aimed at helping innovative Western Australians to develop their knowledge, skills and networks," Mr Buswell said. 

"Our aim is to reach local, national and international audiences with WA's message."

Mr Wozniak will be a keynote speaker at one of the week's main events, the Leading Lights WA Innovation and Investment Conference.

The two-day conference aims to build links between innovators and financiers, to explore pathways to commercialisation and to showcase innovations from the State's emerging industries.

"Mr Wozniak's presence, along with several other national and international speakers during Brilliant West Week, will help to educate and inspire our local innovators and entrepreneurs to take their ideas to the world," the Minister said.

The Leading Lights WA Innovation and Investment Conference will be held on October 16 and 17 at the Burswood Entertainment Complex.

Other high profile guest speakers include Mobius Venture Capital managing director

Greg Galanos from Silicon Valley, Innosight Ventures partner Pete Bonee, mig33 founder and chief executive Steven Goh and Professor Peter Quinn.

Mr Buswell said Brilliant West Week and the Leading Lights Conference would provide further means for facilitating innovation in Western Australia.

Brilliant West Week will run from October 12 to 18.  Other events being held during the week's celebrations include:

·        Monday, October 13 - Women in Innovation Networking Event

The event is an exciting opportunity to meet and hear from some of WA's most interesting and prominent women in the fields of education, business and sustainability. The panel should ensure a provocative and stimulating discussion.

·        Tuesday , October 14 - Dialogue with Youth

This event, which will also be attended by Steve Wozniak, is a mini 2020 forum, using interactive audience response technologies. It will involve 200 secondary students from across WA discussing topics related to studying science and the engagement of students in the digital revolution.

·        Tuesday, October 14 to Friday, October 17 - Questacon Smart Moves

Questacon Smart Moves is a travelling outreach program promoting cutting edge research, new ideas and entrepreneurship in science, engineering and technology. Previously offered only in regional WA schools, Scitech will launch the program in four to six metropolitan high schools during Brilliant West Week.

·        Until Wednesday, October 15 - WA Inventor of the Year 2008 Schools Competition Display

Young inventors from primary and secondary schools are asked to look at the world around them and design and create a new device, or modify an existing tool in order to improve people's quality of life.  Scitech is hosting a display of the 18 finalists' inventions, reports and posters until October 15.

·        Wednesday, October 15 - WA Inventor of the Year 2008 Schools Competition Award Presentation

A morning tea for up to 140 students, parents, teachers and other stakeholders will be held at Scitech on Wednesday to announce the Inventor of the Year Award category winners, runners-up and the People's Choice Award. Steve Wozniak will also be attending the presentation.

·        Wednesday, October 15 to Friday, October 17 - Beyond the Beaker Careers in Science

Scitech will deliver the Beyond the Beaker program, designed to inspire Years Eight to 10 students to pursue careers in science, mathematics, engineering and technology, at selected schools during Brilliant West Week. This interactive workshop is designed specifically for motivated students to encourage scientific thinking and critical analysis of real science scenarios.

·        Friday, October 17 - WA Inventor of the Year 2008 Business Display and Award Presentation

The winners and runners-up in this year's business category of the WA Inventor of the Year Award will be announced at a lunch at Burswood Entertainment Complex. The 30 top-ranked entrants in the business competition will display their inventions prior to the lunch.

·        Saturday, October 18 - Business Icon Final Event

The event is a competition run by the Australian Experiential Learning Centre that tests contestants' entrepreneurial and personal skills through a series of business related tasks, much like Donald Trump's The Apprentice. The competition is targeted at entrepreneurs aged 18 to 25 and aims to promote business intelligence, harness entrepreneurial thinking, and develop creativity and innovation in young Australians.

More information about Brilliant West Week is available from http://www.doir.wa.gov.au/BrilliantWestWeek/