Finalists announced in WA Inventor of the Year Award

16/08/06 Seven Western Australian entrepreneurs have been named finalists for the inaugural $250,000 WA Inventor of the Year Awards.

16/08/06
Seven Western Australian entrepreneurs have been named finalists for the inaugural $250,000 WA Inventor of the Year Awards.
With inventions ranging from a revolutionary photographic lens to a new design concept for skateboards, the overall winner would win more than $100,000 in prizes.
Congratulating the finalists today, Science and Innovation Minister Francis Logan said the calibre of the entrants had been outstanding and competition was tough.
"The seven finalists were selected because of their outstanding innovation and their potential to satisfy significant markets," Mr Logan said.
"But all entrants should feel proud of their involvement because we had some excellent inventions with strong business cases.
"It is a reflection on how far WA has come in science and innovation in recent years - we are up there with the best in the world and, in many cases, are more advanced than most other countries."
The finalists in the two categories were:

  • Roland Butcher - LiveLens: An electro-optical technology which solves a fundamental problem in all forms of photograhpy - the loss of detail through localised under or over exposure (industry category).
  • Ben Newman - The Brakeboard: The same concept as a skateboard, except with the added safety of an innovative braking mechanism (industry).
  • Paul Huggett: A new process which allows wear-resistant composites to be manufactured at a relatively low cost, while still providing maximum wear resistance and impact toughness suitable for rigorous mining applications (industry).
  • Justin Miller - Sensear: A combination of hardware and software designed to allow communication in high-noise environments and prevent noise-induced hearing loss (industry).
  • Associate Professor Hui Chua, The University of Western Australia: A catalytic process to convert natural gas into hydrogen and graphite, with almost no carbon dioxide emissions (research organisations category).
  • Professor Kanagasingam Yogesan, The University of Western Australia and the Lions Eye Institute: The first affordable, non-invasive and easy-to-operate medical diagnostic device for early detection of blinding eye disease (research organisations).
  • The University of Western Australia, in collaboration with PathWest - Hepascore: A new blood test to accurately predict significant liver fibrosis among patients with the hepatitis C virus (research organisations).
The Minister said the prize-money would help winners take their innovation to the next stage.
"Winners will receive significant financial assistance and in-kind support, such as access to professional services and resources appropriate to their stage of development and commercialisation," he said.
"The seven finalists in the two categories will each receive more than $8,000 in in-kind support.
"Winners of each category will receive close to $40,000 each, with the runners-up receiving up to $24,300.
"The overall WA Inventor of the Year will receive prizes valued at more than $100,000."
The awards are administered by the Department of Industry and Resources through its Innovation Centre at Technology Park, Bentley.
Minister's office - 9222 8950