Can you help solve the Queensland housing crisis?

Imagine being part of creating an innovative idea to help solve the housing crisis in Queensland! That’s exactly what Q Shelter and UQ Ventures are offering organisations and individuals from the housing and homelessness sector as part of this year’s Industry Challenge.

About the UQ Industry Challenge

Once a year, UQ students across all disciplines are encouraged to join UQ Ventures’ Industry Challenge to work with our innovation partners to develop a ground-breaking solution to a real-world challenge.?This year’s problem is centred around themes and projects that might help solve the homelessness and the housing crisis in Queensland.

The Industry Challenge is highly publicised and released across the UQ community, inviting high-achieving, motivated student teams to pose new, innovative, and viable solutions to an identified challenge.

Past problem themes and industry partners include:?

• Water scarcity with WaterStart and water utilities
• Renewable Energy Transition with Dow Centre
• Food waste and food scarcity with OzHarvest

2023 Challenge

This year’s Challenge will be delivered across four weekly sessions (in person, online and recorded) from August to October by UQ Ventures facilitators and academics from relevant faculties. Participants will be guided through practical, hands-on initiatives to deconstruct, conceptualise, innovate, and solve the problem mentioned above. Following a rigorous selection process, five promising teams will be selected to pitch their idea in front of a panel judges and an audience of university students, alumni and staff, as well as industry and ecosystem leaders.

As an innovation partner, along with lead partner Q Shelter , you will be invited to co-design and deliver the Challenge, to nominate speakers, mentors and a judge for the pitch event. Guest speakers and mentors from industry and government will be invited to participate to broaden out the opportunities within the theme and allow for multidisciplinary participation. The Challenge will end with a pitch day where teams will present their solutions to a judging panel.

We are seeking up to four (4) more partners to help us pull of a great event in partnership with the UQ Ventures team.

If you’d like to support us with this year’s Challenge, make a financial contribution and contribute to prizes, or in-kind support, or even mentoring, then please message me direct on LinkedIn or send me an expression of interest at Q Shelter ([email protected]).

Please reach out directly if you have any questions.

Jackson Hills

Policy & Strategic Engagement Manager

Q Shelter