The Grand Challenge will bring together multidisciplinary minds from across our community to explore solutions around one of the more perplexing problems of our time.

A combined $50,000 in funding is available to teams who submit the most innovative proposals addressing the challenge of controlling mosquitoes. Participants will be supported with a range of events and workshops to help ensure their proposal has the best chance of securing funding.

The Grand Challenge is a great way to meet new people, be exposed to fresh ideas, learn new skills and build creative, original work while having real-world impact. Great ideas come from everywhere, so no matter your background or experience you’ve got everything to gain by participating.

About the Challenge

There are two problem statements to this Challenge. Proposals should include responses to one or both of the following questions:

• How might we reduce the health risks that certain species of mosquitoes pose to humans?
• How might we lessen the nuisance factor imposed by urban and invading mosquito populations?

All proposals are required to be socially and environmentally responsible and work towards the benefit of either local or global communities. Interdisciplinary teamwork is encouraged. It’s a complex challenge so participants are recommended to identify a potential ‘step along the way’ that works to achieve the ultimate outcome of controlling mosquitoes.

Why mosquitoes

In the warmer months, mosquitoes can be a major annoyance in Australia, and staff and students would love to find ways to reduce their number. In some parts of the world, mosquitoes pose a major health risk as they carry diseases like malaria, dengue and Zika virus. This makes the mosquito the most dangerous animal on the planet. But there are hundreds of species of mosquito and most are neither a nuisance nor a threat to humans and in fact, are an important part of the wetland ecosystem.

Key dates

Mon 29 Jul Registrations open

Tue 20 Aug Team Formation Mixer, Brennan Room, Callaghan campus

Wed 21 Aug Team Formation Mixer, Room AB212, Ourimbah campus

Thu 22 Aug Registrations close

Wed 21 - Wed 28 Online and face-to-face proposal consultations (free event)

Tue 27-Wed 28 Design Spring workshops (free event)

Tue 27, 5:30PM Mosquito Expert Panel (free event)

Thu 29 Aug, 11AM Project applications deadline via DevPost

Thu 29 Aug, Applications reviewed, funded projects advised, pitch finalists notified

Fri 30 Aug 9AM-1PM, Demo Day, Brennan Room, Callaghan campus (for all teams)

Fri 30 Aug 1-2:30PM, Pitch Competition, Godfrey Tanner Bar, Callaghan campus

Mon 2 Mar 2020, Progress short report due 

$50,000 in prizes

• Preliminary discovery
  Demonstrated progress the team has achieved during the application window.
• Clarity of Problem
  Ability to describe well the part of the problem the team is looking solve.
• Vision / Solution
  Exciting, innovative and unique aspects of the proposal.
• End-user / Customer
  Demonstrated understanding of the end-user and/or paying customer and the benefits of the proposed solution or research for them.
• Testability
  Shows a clear, logical and thoughtful description of up to three hypotheses to be tested and potential results that will be produced.
• Outcomes
  Describes with clarity what the expected minimum viable product will look like or how the minimum viable experiment will be performed within budget and the 6-month time-frame allocated, including what value and/or learnings are planned to be achieved.
• Action plan
  Clearly articulates next steps and how the funding will be used.
• Team
  Demonstrates the uniqueness of the team to tackle the challenge and their commitment to their proposal.