Graham Centre members and Charles Sturt University (CSU) students are being encouraged to take part in a competition to develop practical, low-cost digital tools to help wool producers improve animal health, welfare and productivity.
The 2017 Tech eChallenge Wool Innovation is a collaboration between Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the Entrepreneurship Commercialisation and Innovation Centre (ECIC) at the University of Adelaide.
Working in teams participants come up with an idea, develop and then pitch their product to panels of potential investors in June.
The winning CSU team will receive $5 000 and the runner up $2 500. Those two teams will then take part in the Inter Varsity final in Adelaide, competing for a share of $60 000 in prize money.
Graham Centre Board member and Head of CSU's School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences Professor David Falepau said, "Sheep health and welfare is estimated to cost the Australian sheep industry $2 billion a year in control, prevention and production costs.
"Advances in technology, electronics and software development provides an enormous opportunity to develop practical tools to improve management with spin off benefits for productivity.
"Industry leaders including wool producers themselves, are participating in the Tech eChallenge Wool Innovation.
"For our students it's a huge opportunity to develop their networking and team building skills and to put the knowledge they've learned in their studies at Charles Sturt University into practice. They might even end up in a team with their next employer."
- People interested in taking part by joining an existing team or creating their own, can find out more in a technical workshop on Thursday 20 April and need to register for the challenge by Monday 24 April.
- For further information contact Associate Head of CSU's School of Agriculture and Wine Sciences, Ms Katrina Durham, kdurham@csu.edu.au.