GRAVITY Challenge 02 finalists announced
Media Release
23 September 2020: Twenty-six innovators have been officially announced as the finalists in the Gravity Challenge 02, Australia’s premier space technology innovation program.
Space sector leaders from around the world attended a virtual event last night where each Challenger announced the finalists for their Challenge. South Australian Premier, Steven Marshall, also spoke at the event, speaking on the importance of nurturing Australia’s space capabilities to make for a prosperous future.
Gravity Challenge 02 had a 350 percent increase of entries from Gravity 01, with the finalists making up an eclectic group from a range of different backgrounds including environmental, health and agricultural industries. **Full table of finalists below
Gravity 02 has evolved to include the UK, allowing all Challengers and Innovators to collaborate across both countries, regardless of geographic location. The expansion marks a pivotal moment for the Gravity Challenge program and space technology innovation as a whole, allowing international collaboration to help solve some of the world’s most pressing problems.
Deloitte Australia Space Co-Leader, Steve Rayment, said: “We are thrilled to see such bright and diverse talent helping us solve real-world issues with their innovative minds. Having the expanded network of UK innovators in the mix this year really bolsters our program and takes it to the next level. It is also encouraging to see a significant increase of entries this year, demonstrating the growing momentum we are generating for Australia and the UK’s space technology industry.”
Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Health Commissioner, Prof. Paddy Phillips, said: “CEIH is proud to partner with SA Health to be one of the first health systems in the world to challenge innovators across Australia and the UK to look to space to create better healthcare. By combining geospatial intelligence with more traditional healthcare data sources, we fundamentally believe we can help identify and prevent the next pandemic. Our approach is to seek new perspectives and solutions to complex challenges. Gravity 02 has allowed us to do that in a collaborative new way. By connecting brilliant people from both inside and outside healthcare, we’ll unleash innovation to solve problems that would have been impossible otherwise”.
Gravity Challenge Ambassador, Flavia Tata Nardini, said: “I am very proud to be part of this globally-important program which aims to solve some of the world’s most fantastic problems. I am a strong believer that collaboration is the key to success, so it’s so wonderful to see our program living and breathing this principle with all of our new partnerships in the UK.”
What’s next?
Finalists will now go into the Accelerate phase (more info on phases below) where they will collaborate with their challenge provider to further refine their solution, test their hypothesis and prepare their final proposal due end of October.
About the Gravity Challenge 02
The Gravity Challenge brings together Challengers (businesses, government agencies and universities) and Innovators (start-ups, entrepreneurs and SMEs) to collaborate and create solutions to some of society’s biggest challenges. Space technology can have significant economic benefits on both the Australian and UK economies, from job creation to large-scale commercialisation.
In 2020, Challengers and Innovators can come from either Australia or the UK and all Challengers and Innovators will be able to work together to create new solutions, regardless of geographic location.
The Gravity Challenge runs across a nine-month duration incorporating 4 phases. Recruitment, Pitch, Accelerate and Scale.
The winners of Gravity Challenge 02 will be announced on 24 November 2020.
The Gravity Challenge 02 will focus on the following industry sectors:
Mining and Energy Resources
Defence, Security & Military
Agriculture & Meteorology
Banking & Insurance
Telecommunications & Connectivity
Health & Life Sciences
Transportation, Logistics & Smart Cities
Travel & Tourism
For more information on the Gravity Challenge program, visit: https://gravitychallenge.space/
NB: See our media releases and research at deloitte.com.au
**Full list of finalists
Aquaculture Stewardship Council - Pond Level
How can we remotely automate the identification of shrimp ponds within a farm boundary, and categorise their production and quality status?
Sea Warden, UK
Picterra, UK
Deep Planet, UK
Agri-TechE and Agrimetrics - Sustainable Agriculture
Can we identify new ways that satellite, positioning and communication technologies can enable farmers to measure and verify sustainability metrics such as carbon and habitat change?
Deep Planet, UK
Super-Sharp Space Systems, UK
UK Hydrographic Office - Coastal Elevation
Is it possible to develop an elevation model of the coastal marine environment, depicting ‘change over time’, using machine analysis of satellite imagery?
CSTP/MAPIZY Team, AU & UK
UK Hydrographic Office - Mangroves & Sea Grass
How can we create a way for local and national authorities to track coverage and carbon storage of mangroves and seagrass, to verify their health status and open the door for carbon trading?
Mantle Labs, UK
Ecocene BlueTech, AUS
Treeconomy, UK
Bardsley - Change the Carbon System
Starting with orchard systems, how does one remotely measure and monitor carbon accurately?
ggis-team, UK
Treeconomy, UK
Bardsley – Microclimates
How can we bridge the link between regional weather measures (and forecasts) and local microclimates – starting with agricultural orchard systems?
Weather Logistics, UK
Frazer-Nash Consultancy, AUS
CropSafe, UK
Meniscus, UK
Marine Stewardship Council
Can we remotely and independently monitor and verify spatial compliance to sustainable fishing practices, and create an affordable, accessible solution for small scale fishers?
FisherSpotter, AUS
AMTD Electronics, AUS
OZ Minerals
How can we use innovative technologies to visualise and trace products and their social and environmental characteristics within our global supply network?
Minviro/4EI, UK
Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Health (CEIH)
How can we use geospatial data to identify the outbreak of diseases as soon as they occur to prepare an appropriate response?
Geospatial Intelligence Pty Ltd, AUS
SA Water 1
How can we identify underground water leaks in a timely manner to generate automated workflows to assess damage and impacts to customers and water loss?
Spottitt, UK
SA Water 2
How can we optimise water use and improve irrigation management using datasets and communicate this information to our customers to change behaviour and promote smart water use?
Deep Planet, UK
Waterwise, AUS
NT Health
How can space technologies assist in providing safety and security to people working in remote locations?
Pinpoint Tracker, UK
Imperial Sim, UK
Sydney Water
How can we rethink the current linear water economy into a sustainable circular economy, embracing digital innovation and environment advancement?
Arup + IBM + UTS #1, AUS
Arup + IBM + UTS #2, AUS
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For further information:
Billy Briggs
Corporate Affairs
M: +61 474 697 235
E: bibriggs@deloitte.com.au
Steve Rayment
Deloitte Australia Space Co-Leader
E: srayment@deloitte.com.au
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