The finalists have been announced for this year's Western Australia Innovator of the Year awards.
Launched in 2006, the program showcases WA's brightest innovators and entrepreneurs, helping them realise the full potential of their innovation.
Applicants were asked to highlight how their new product, technology or service will benefit WA economically, socially or environmentally.
The finalists will compete for awards in six categories, with a total prize pool of $140,000 available to help winners commercialise their innovations.
Rio Tinto is the primary sponsor for this year's awards, with four finalists for the Rio Tinto Emerging Innovation category and another four selected for the Rio Tinto Growth Category.
These eight program finalists are also in the running for the main award, the WA Innovator of the Year - Overall Winner, who will receive a prize of $70,000.
In addition to this, another 12 finalists were selected for the program's three Platinum Awards:
- Wesfarmers Wellbeing Award;
- Business News Great for the State Award; and
- Woodside Oil & Gas Award.
This year's finalists are working on a range of exciting projects, including advanced coronary artery assessment and a rapid test screening system for COVID-19.
They will receive specialist pitch presentation training, including mentoring, digital and social media strategy, to help highlight how their innovation will benefit WA.
The eight program finalists will also be given professional photography and video packages to help market their innovation.
The WA Innovator of the Year awards are funded through the State Government's New Industries Fund, which supports new and emerging businesses to diversify the WA economy and create new jobs and industries.
In 2019, Mining & Process Solutions (MPS) was named WA Innovator of the Year for the development of a non-toxic, biodegradable and reusable liquid to extract certain metals, including gold, silver, copper and nickel, from ore.
MPS used the prize money to build a facility in Perth to demonstrate the technology to Australian gold mining companies.
The company has since expanded its channels to market by establishing partner laboratories and agents in Canada, the United States, South Africa and the Philippines.
This year's winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Wednesday, November 3.
To view the full list of finalists and find out more about the WA Innovator of the Year awards, please visit http://www.wa.gov.au/IOTY
As stated by Innovation and ICT Minister Don Punch:
"These awards provide a platform to support Western Australia's brightest innovators and help them develop the full potential of their ideas.
"This year's finalists demonstrate the business diversity in Western Australia and the enormous potential to create jobs, boost the economy and provide solutions to a range of challenges.
"I'd like to offer my congratulations to everyone who applied for an award and I wish all 16 finalists the best of luck."
Innovator of the Year Finalists:
Rio Tinto Emerging Finalists
Company: Environmental Water Solutions Pty Ltd t/a Complete Home Filtration
Description: PFAS Filter- Attapure
Company: The University of Western Australia
Description: Apricot - Advanced coronary artery assessment
Company: Vision Pharma Pty Ltd
Description: VP-001 and VP-002 to treat inherited retinal diseases
Company: Whole Green Foods
Description: Novel whole-food processing of plant-based ingredients and flavours
Rio Tinto Growth Finalists
Company: Metrolo Pty Ltd t/a Gridcognition
Description: Digital twin for planning and optimising distributed energy projects
Company: Project Match Australia t/a MyPass Global
Description: Digital worker skills passport (MyPass)
Company: Roofus Tools Pty Ltd
Description: Roofus multi-purpose angle square
Company: Terra15 Pty Ltd
Description: Infrastructure monitoring for smart cities and mine sites
Wesfarmers Wellbeing Award Finalists
Company: Environmental Water Solutions Pty Ltd t/a Complete Home Filtration
Description: PFAS Filter- Attapure
Company: The University of Western Australia
Description: Apricot - Advanced coronary artery assessment
Company: VeinTech
Description: VeinWave: Right vein, first time, every time
Company: VitalTrace Pty Ltd
Description: A novel device for monitoring babies during child birth
Business News Great for the State Award Finalists
Company: Avicena Systems Ltd
Description: Ultra-high throughput, accurate, rapid screening system for COVID
Company: Environmental Water Solutions Pty Ltd t/a Complete Home Filtration
Description: PFAS Filter- Attapure
Company: VeinTech
Description: VeinWave: Right vein, first time, every time
Company: Vision Pharma Pty Ltd
Description: VP-001 and VP-002 to treat inherited retinal diseases
Woodside Oil & Gas Award Finalists
Company: Sapien Cyber Ltd
Description: Building Management Systems Cyber Security
Company: 9 Tech Solutions Pty Ltd
Description: NETAS Altilium hydrogen battery energy storage system
Company: iRPM Pty Ltd
Description: Innovative Reservoir Petrophysical Modelling
Company: Courses2Careers Pty Ltd t/a VooGlue
Description: VooGlue App
