- 90 global participants from MIT's two-year regional entrepreneurship acceleration program (REAP) will spend the week in Perth
- Cohort members include a team from WA, and teams from other regions across the globe
- MIT Professors, staff members and selected US startups will be attending
In a one-off week-long series of events, around 90 global participants will be visiting Perth, and parts of regional Western Australia as part of Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program (REAP).
An initiative of the MIT Sloan School of Management in Boston, the two-year program takes a cohort of representatives from a regional centre or city through a series of workshops, practical cases and analysis of their own innovative ecosystems to identify gaps and opportunities for development.
WA has a team in cohort 9 of the MIT REAP program alongside Hungary, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and four US capital cities which include: Kansas City, Omaha, Des Moines and St Louis.
Last year, WA won the right to host the third (of four) workshop series, and associated events.
The WA Government supported Team WA's bid to enter the program which was funded by Rio Tinto and Woodside, and includes representatives from the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation, City of Perth, Rio Tinto, Woodside, Spacecubed, West Tech Fest, Centre for Entrepreneurial Research and Innovation, Australian Venture Consultants, Malka Foundation and Curtin University.
Other activities, talks and public events over the week showcasing innovation include the Launch of Blak Angels, a First Nations angel investing group, the launch of the City of Fremantle Innovation Strategy, MIT Perth Symposium and a visit to Rio Tinto's 'mine of the future' at the Gudai Darri mine site near Newman.
The ideas and knowledge generated by this initiative will also help support the resources sector as it works towards decarbonising operations.
This will further cement WA's position as a leader in research and the development of new products and technologies assisting the diversification of the economy and job creation.
As stated by Innovation and the Digital Economy Minister Stephen Dawson:
"The Cook Government is pleased to support Team WA's role in fostering innovation worldwide through the dynamic MIT REAP initiative.
"This program aligns with the WA Government's Innovation and Diversify WA strategies and the New Industries Fund (NIF) which has recently been boosted with an additional $9.1 million over the next two years.
"Investing in initiatives that fuel ideas and solutions leads to the development of new sectors which goes towards diversifying the WA economy and creating jobs for Western Australians in the future."
