UHACK competition to be held this month

Held simultaneously across Hobart, Burnie and Launceston, the three-day event challenges teams to pitch original ideas.

Once they develop a software application or digital device, entrants must then come up with a business plan and pitch video to present to a panel of industry-leading judges.

The ideas need to be aligned with the university’s five research themes; environment, resources and sustainability; creativity, culture and society, better health; marine, Antarctic and maritime; and data, knowledge and decisions.

This marks the third year of the event and the second year it has been in all three locations.

University of Tasmania chief information officer Jeff Murray said it was only the beginning for the successful teams.

“One of the reasons why it has grown each year is because we put a lot of effort into helping the teams launch their ideas,” he said.

“We have had three teams from 2017 move into the start-up phase through looking at a unique range of problems taken from the university research themes.”

Last year’s winning team, The Control Freaks, comprised of two home-schooled families from the North-West who developed an app which assists dairy farmers through monitoring a travelling irrigator.

Team representative Nathan Kelly credited UHACK with giving the team the confidence to branch out into other areas.

“While our irrigation app is still in the development stage, we have been working on another tech solution which is now in the medical marketplace,” he said.

“It’s been a perfect storm of opportunity, of which UHACK was the catalyst and the inspiration.”

This year’s teams will be vying for a share of $24000 to put towards their ideas, including a $6000 cash first prize.

UHACK will commence on Friday, July 13, and finish on Sunday, July 17.

The competition has an open and student division.

For more information about the event, or to register, go to www.utas.edu.au/uhack.