Another year in this hybrid world has passed and we would like to take a moment to recognise the thousands of Victorians who connected and exchanged ideas as part of the Digital Innovation Futures initiative. Thanks to everyone who took part in DIF this year. Together we delivered 45 weekly event alerts, 70 news articles, 245 festival events, 366 social posts reaching an audience of 20,000 via 38,000 event views, 68,000 video views and 75,000 social media impressions!The DIF team wishes you all a cyber-safe holiday and a happy new year. Save the date for the DIF2023 Festival The Digital Innovation Futures initiative will continue to showcase Victoria's tech industry and connect our digital innovators throughout 2023 and 2024. The DIF Festival 2023 will run from 23 August to 6 September across metro and regional Victoria. Read more in the DIF News. We look forward to offering DIF Community Calls which will kick off in February. In the meantime, if you’re keen to let us know what you are planning, you can submit an expression of interest now. Submit your EOI now In 2022, the DIF News featured award-winning leaders, digital trends, and opportunities from across Victoria’s tech ecosystem. See the latest stories below or read some of the 70 articles from 2022. StartSpace Scholarships announced State Library Victoria’s startup support service StartSpace has announced the recipients of the 2023 Lisa Ring and Family Scholarships program. Melbourne is an ANZ EdTech hub Victorian EdTech companies account for more than a third of the EdTech companies in the HolonIQ Australia and New Zealand EdTech 50. Pause Awards 2022 The annual business awards programme for ambitious and forward-thinking companies, Pause Awards has announced 50 bold winners for 2022. Start-up Gippsland keep connecting local entrepreneurs Start-up Gippsland recently received funding from LaunchVic to deliver the Start-Up Gippsland Ecosystem Activation Program. Got a story? Drop us a line! Shout out to the team behind the scenes The DIF Digital Marketing team was boosted by the talented Digital Jobs participants Michelle Bary (far left), Soo Ho Han (second from left) and Robert Piccolo (not pictured). Enjoying a rare moment in the sun, they were joined by Kelly Hutchinson (second from right) and Bayden McDonald (far right) from the Victorian Government. Thank you for #MakingtheDIF and we wish you well on your career journey. The Australian Sports Technologies Network has been accelerating sports tech for 10 years. Victoria is home to 44 per cent of Australia's sportstech companies including a 'super cluster' at the Australian Sports Innovation Centre for Excellence (ASICE) launched in Cremorne in March 2022. You can catch up on their DIF on Demand sessions below to learn more about the opportunities of this emerging sector which generates $2.72 billion annually in Australia. DIF2022 Women in Sportstech Panel As part of ASTN's Future Trends in Sportstech this webinar provides industry insight with Bianca Keel from Sportradar; Iris Cordoba, GSIC; Tod Bergstrom, University of Washington; Jasmine Lim, ASTN and moderated by Emma Sherry, Swinburne University. Watch on-demand now! Future of Sports in the Digital Age This ASTN Masterclass provides insights into how technologies are changing sports in the digital age. Featuring the TSG Hoffenheim Case Study from Harvard Business School, it exemplifies how technological innovations are used in football practice. Watch on-demand now!
Dr Pip Karoly Image: University of Melbourne University of Melbourne researcher and Seer Medical data scientist Dr Pip Karoly has received the Prize for New Innovators in the 2022 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science. The prestigious award recognises Dr Karoly’s breakthrough scientific research into epilepsy and the development and commercialisation of a seizure risk forecasting app that allows people living with epilepsy to track their likelihood of having a seizure across hourly, daily or monthly timescales. By allowing people with epilepsy to monitor and manage seizures at home, the app has the potential to greatly improve quality of life, autonomy and productivity for millions of people around the world living with uncontrolled seizures. Dr Karoly said not knowing when a seizure will happen can cause a lot of anxiety and risk for people. “The unpredictability of epileptic seizures exposes people with epilepsy to potential physical harm and restricts day-to-day activities. It can also impact significantly on mental well-being. Giving people with epilepsy the ability to understand their risk of having a seizure within a given period means they can better plan their activities around their seizure risk. Many find the app helpful to manage their anxiety and day-to-day life,” Dr Karoly said. “The seizure risk forecasting feature on the Seer app is based on my research into long-term cycles of seizure likelihood, which affect most people with epilepsy and are unique to their seizures. The next step will be to run clinical trials of seizure risk forecasting in Australia and the US to understand how to target this technology to best help people with epilepsy. A really rewarding part of my work is being able to span from research through to clinical translation, and work directly with the users of this technology.” “The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science are a wonderful way to show Australians how science and discovery can bridge into innovation and real-world application. To be recognised in the Prizes is overwhelming and a huge honour that will really mean a lot for my career as a scientist. The Prize for New Innovators will give me opportunities to build new collaborations and really grow my research into understanding the human brain.” Dean of the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Engineering and IT, Professor Mark Cassidy, congratulated Dr Karoly on receiving the prestigious award. “Pip has made outstanding contributions to the University of Melbourne and to the science community more broadly. Her work with Seer has changed the lives of many people living with epilepsy,” Professor Cassidy said. “We are extremely proud of Pip, her achievements, and this recognition as part of the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science.” Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder of Seer Medical Professor Mark Cook also celebrated Dr Karoly’s dedication to patients and clinical translation. “Over the past decade I have witnessed Dr Karoly grow from a research assistant into a formidable leader, world-class orator and thought leader across neuroscience, academia and industry. Throughout her career Pip has demonstrated unwavering commitment to clinical translation taking time to understand the patient, their needs and the immediate clinical impact,” Professor Cook said. “Dr Karoly’s breadth of clinical, commercial and academic acumen have enabled her outstanding scientific and technological achievements in seizure forecasting, leading to direct medical, economic and research benefits.” The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science are Australia’s most prestigious awards for outstanding achievements in scientific research, research-based innovation and excellence in science teaching. The Prizes are presented to researchers who have made a significant contribution to the nation’s scientific and commercialisation capabilities, to science teaching, and to the country’s social and economic wellbeing. Originally published by the University of Melbourne on 22 November 2022: Prime Minister's Prize for innovative epilepsy scientist