The Western Australian Government is committed to raising the profile of innovation in WA and supporting the delivery of government initiatives to advance the growth of our innovation-based industries.
The WA IOTY program has showcased innovative and entrepreneurial individuals, businesses and creative minds since 2006. The program has benefited many of those who have participated, as well as the broader community of WA.
The program is a valuable initiative, which provides support to innovators and entrepreneurs across WA.
In accordance with the New Industries Fund, the objectives of the IOTY program are to:
- promote and acknowledge the success of Western Australian innovators;
- encourage co-support from industry for promotional activities;
- activate and strengthen industry-government research collaborations;
- engage communities throughout Western Australian regions in innovation; and
- promote job creation and economic diversification in Western Australia.
Apply for WA Innovator of the Year
Applications for the 2022 program are now closed. Finalists were announced in August this year, with winners to be published in December 2022.
Meet the 2022 Finalists
Congratulations to this year's WA IOTY finalists. 12 finalists were chosen in both the Rio Tinto Emerging and Rio Tinto Growth categories in 2022. In addition to the program finalists, there was a further 12 finalists across the three Platinum Award categories: Business News 'Great for the State', Wesfarmers Wellbeing and Woodside Energy.
The winner of each category will be announced at an awards ceremony on Monday 5 December, 2022.
Prior to this event occurring, all finalists are invited to attend a suite of commercialisation training in topics such as accountancy, IP protection, a legal health check, social media and marketing, grant writing, pitching and more. They will also be involved in the production of a photography and/or videography package, to better promote their innovation.
To discover more about last year's winners and finalists, please visit the dedicated 2021 WA IOTY Winners and Finalists page.
Rio Tinto Emerging Innovation Category
| Company | Project | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Ex Planta Pty Ltd | Unlocking the power of synthetic biology - Isoflavonoids 2.0 | www.explanta.com.au |
| Neurotologix Pty Ltd | Remote patient monitoring for dizziness and vertigo | www.neurotologix.com |
| Protective Pty Ltd | Broken Neutral Protection Device | www.protective.net.au |
| Speed Signature | Describing running gait characteristics | www.speedsignature.com |
| Walk to Beat Pty Ltd | Smart Walking Stick for Parkinson's sufferers | www.walktobeat.co.uk |
| Xsights Digital Pty Ltd | XIoT Health Tag for livestock health and welfare monitoring | https://xsights.com.au |
Rio Tinto Growth Innovation Category
| Company | Project | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Assuro | Bank guarantees and bonds made easy | www.assuro.com.au |
| Heat Trap Solutions Pty Ltd | Safety shower continuous recirculation technology | www.heat-trap.com.au |
| Pixelcase Group Pty Ltd | Aero Ranger - AI for vehicle management | www.aeroranger.com |
| Sentient Hubs | Dynamic Master Planning Platform | www.sentient-hubs.com |
| Vedi (formerly known as VetDB) | Powering veterinary care through trustworthy data and seamless technology | https://vedi.io |
| Vitruvian | Vitruvian Trainer+ | https://vitruvianform.com |
Business News 'Great for the State' Category
| Company | Project | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Assuro | Bank guarantees and bonds made easy | www.assuro.com.au |
| Sentient Hubs | Dynamic Master Planning Platform | www.sentient-hubs.com |
| Vedi (formerly known as VetDB) | Powering veterinary care through trustworthy data and seamless technology | https://vedi.io |
| Xsights Digital Pty Ltd | XIoT Health Tag for livestock health and welfare monitoring | https://xsights.com.au |
| Company | Project | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Lixa | Neo X, a platform technology mitigating antimicrobial resistant bacterial infections | N/A |
| Neurotologix Pty Ltd | Remote patient monitoring for dizziness and vertigo | www.neurotologix.com |
| Triphasic Cardiac Pump Pty Ltd | Triphasic blood pump for open heart surgery | www.triphasic.com.au |
| Walk to Beat Pty Ltd | Smart Walking Stick for Parkinson's sufferers | www.walktobeat.co.uk |
| Company | Project | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Axiom Sensing | Autonomous Soil Gas Monitoring Unit for Energy Transition Industries | N/A |
| FoundAt Pty Ltd | FoundAt Augmented Reality Based Data Management | www.foundat.com |
| Protective Pty Ltd | Broken Neutral Protection Device | www.protective.net.au |
| Sentient Hubs | Dynamic Master Planning Platform | www.sentient-hubs.com |
Program Sponsors
Thank you to the 2022 Innovator of the Year program sponsors:
Primary Sponsor: Rio Tinto
Platinum Award Sponsors: Business News, Wesfarmers and Woodside Energy
Gold Sponsors: Biodesign Australia, CERI - The Centre for Entrepreneurial Research and Innovation, Griffith Hack and Wrays
Silver Sponsors: Murfett Legal, Moore Australia, PwC