The Grand Challenge will bring together multidisciplinary minds from across our community to explore solutions around one of the more perplexing problems of our time.

Over $50,000 in funding is available to teams who submit the most innovative proposals addressing the challenge of controlling mosquitoes. Participants will be supported with a range of events and workshops to help ensure their proposal has the best chance of securing funding.

The Grand Challenge is a great way to meet new people, be exposed to fresh ideas, learn new skills and build creative, original work while having real-world impact. Great ideas come from everywhere, so no matter your background or experience you’ve got everything to gain by participating.

About the Challenge

There are two problem statements to this Challenge. Proposals should include responses to one or both of the following questions:

• How might we reduce the health risks that certain species of mosquitoes pose to humans?
• How might we lessen the nuisance factor imposed by urban and invading mosquito populations?

All proposals are required to be socially and environmentally responsible and work towards the benefit of either local or global communities. Interdisciplinary teamwork is encouraged. It’s a complex challenge so participants are recommended to identify a potential ‘step along the way’ that works to achieve the ultimate outcome of controlling mosquitoes.

Why mosquitoes

In the warmer months, mosquitoes can be a major annoyance in Australia, and staff and students would love to find ways to reduce their number. In some parts of the world, mosquitoes pose a major health risk as they carry diseases like malaria, dengue and Zika virus. This makes the mosquito the most dangerous animal on the planet. But there are hundreds of species of mosquito and most are neither a nuisance nor a threat to humans and in fact, are an important part of the wetland ecosystem.

Key dates

Mon 21 Sep Submissions open

Mon 19 Oct How to Pitch at Idea Workshop (optional) 

Sun 25 Oct, 11:59PM AEDT, Submissions close. All team members must be registered here.

Tue 27 Oct, Applications reviewed, funded projects notified

Thu 5 Nov, Pitch Competition via Hopin

9-11 Dec, Navigator for finalists (optional)

Feb-Apr 2021, Validator for finalists (optional)

3 May 2021, Final reports from finalists due

$55,000 in prizes

• Preliminary discovery
  Demonstrated progress the team has achieved during the application window.
• Clarity of Problem
  Ability to describe well the part of the problem the team is looking solve.
• Vision / Solution
  Exciting, innovative and unique aspects of the proposal.
• End-user / Customer / Beneficiary
  Demonstrated understanding of the end-user and/or paying customer and the benefits of the proposed solution or research for them.
• Testability
  Shows a clear, logical and thoughtful description of up to three hypotheses to be tested and potential results that will be produced.
• Expected Outcomes
  Describes with clarity what the expected minimum viable product will look like or how the minimum viable experiment will be performed within budget and the 6-month timeframe allocated, including what value and/or learnings are planned to be achieved.
• Action Plan
  Clearly articulates next steps and how the funding will be used.
• Team
  Demonstrates the uniqueness of the team to tackle the challenge and their commitment to their proposal.