2021-03-09 Planning & Environment Committee Meeting Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                         9 MARCH 2021


The FireTech Connect program has built up a cohort of over 50 cutting-edge technology companies
along with a world-class mentoring panel, network of fire industry experts and corporate partners.
The program identifies and connects promising companies in the fire technologies space and
provides them with commercialisation support to assist them with sales, marketing and strategy
capabilities.
In November 2020, the Hub hosted the Firetech 2020 Summit - a virtual conference/expo at which
Firetech Connect member companies could showcase their products and services to a network of
local councils around Australia.
In December 2020, the Digital Hub was awarded a grant of almost $2m to develop a FireTech Lab
in Noosa, within which promising bushfire-resilience technologies can be trialled, demonstrated
and accelerated into active duty to protect Australia’s regional communities.
The FireTech Lab has two key components:
       A Data Lab where solutions for prediction, detection, analysis, co-ordination &
        communication can be trialled & showcased. These capabilities will be housed in the Hub’s
        phase 2 expansion into the current Peregian Beach Community House; and
       A Bushland Lab where new physical solutions (e.g. drones, robots, IOT sensors) can be
        safely, quickly and legitimately trialled, demonstrated and assessed in specially-designated
        zones with the support of partner authorities.
These projects commence in April 2021 and are slated for completion in mid to late 2022.
Talent Development Program
The Digital Hub has expanded its range of talent development programs, offering adults and kids
numerous opportunities to build their digital skills. Now entering its 3rd year, the program has
helped to develop a number of young digital stars who now pass on the skills they’ve learnt to a
growing cohort of budding engineers, coders, roboticists and data scientists.
This program comprises:
       Holiday programs - 7 workshops in September holidays, total of 168 attendees (primary
        and high school students)
       Cadetship - AI Cadetship launched in July 2020 with 20 of the region’s best Maths students
        in the first cohort (Term 3&4 2020) learning Python programming, intro to neural networks.
        A design cadetship for talented artists will commence in term 2 2021.
       Mentoring - ongoing mentoring of young talent, helping facilitate work experience /
        internships / paid to teach holiday workshops, part-time work with local companies,
        references to support University scholarship applications.
       Talent retention - Hub mentees have gained part-time work / consultancies, full-time
        positions with a number of locally-based businesses including Helitak, Radaro and Provectus
        Algae.
This program has included the following activities over the last 6 months:

    Activity                         Date                Audience                           Attendees

    Inventors Club                   Weekly              Girls and boys - ages 10-14        20

    Girls Gamers (Minecraft)         Weekly              Girls only - 13 and under          25

    Robotics (Royal Robotics)        Sept ‘20 holidays   Girls and boys aged 8-14           20

    3D design and printing (Fusion   Sept ‘20 holidays   Girls and boys ages 7+             10
    360)



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