Hunter iF Secures Major NSW Government Grant to Supercharge Regional Innovation
For Hunter iF, this major grant will directly support the 2026 Hunter Innovation Festival & Regional Roadshow. As the festival enters its 24th year, the funding will help expand its footprint beyond Newcastle, bringing critical conversations and tech-driven activations to industrial and regional heartlands.
The Builders: Who Is Driving the Hunter's New Economy
Every regional transition story eventually has to answer the same question: who is actually doing the work?
In the Hunter, the answer is emerging from a cluster of companies, researchers and institution builders who are, with varying degrees of fanfare, constructing the economic infrastructure of whatever comes next.
The Reckoning: Where the Hunter's Energy Transition Currently Stands
There is a temptation, when writing about the energy transition, to tell a clean story. Coal exits, renewables enter, workers retrain, the future arrives on schedule. It is a tidy narrative. It is also not what is happening in the Hunter.
What is actually happening is more interesting, and more honest.
What Happens When the Playbook Changes
The rules changed. The tools you used to fund your breakthroughs, structure your R&D, and plan your next product just shifted. At the June Innovators Lunch, three speakers made the case for acting now rather than waiting for the dust to settle.
$15 Billion Shakeup for the Hunter
The Federal Government has issued a new, urgent Statement of Expectations to the NRF Corporation. The message is clear: stop acting like a traditional commercial investor, start prioritising national impact over short-term profit, and get capital flowing immediately.
The Weight of the Past: What Coal and Steel Built in the Hunter
This is part 1 of a four-part series on the Hunter Region's economic and cultural transition. The series explores the heritage that shaped the region, the transformation currently underway, the innovators driving it, and the question of what kind of place the Hunter wants to become.
Inside the Ultimate Sandbox
I visited Josh, Nat, and the incredible design and building team at Design Anthology’s Gateshead workshop. The Hunter IF team loves seeing world-class product design and hardware prototyping right here in Newcastle and the Hunter region. Here is how they turn wild ideas into commercial reality.
Capturing the Future at the Hunter New Energy Symposium
The global clean energy race is accelerating, and the Hunter stands at a critical crossroads. We possess the industrial legacy and infrastructure to lead, but ambition isn't enough. To out-deliver the world, we must harness the power of dogged collaboration to execute on our potential.
Beyond the Prompt
Stop waiting for AI to mature and start building with it. Today at Hunter iF, we gathered Newcastle's best tinkerers and makers to do exactly that. We believe in the power of together. Stripping away the sales pitches and theory, we traded ideas, got weird, and shipped real products. Discover the ground truths from the AI coalface and the no-code tools you need to start building today.
Hunter iF Proudly Supports the Launch of WITH
At Hunter iF, we are passionate about driving innovation, fostering collaboration, and empowering the bright minds that make up our local ecosystem. That is why we are absolutely thrilled to support the official launch of WITH (Women in Technology Hunter).
The Ship Isn't Coming. So We're Building Our Own!
The Ship Isn't Coming was the provocation on the door of April's Innovators Lunch. The full argument is both more unsettling and more urgent. Global supply chains are fracturing, Asia's energy appetite is growing, and the Hunter is sitting on assets most regions can only envy. The question is whether we're moving fast enough to build something that doesn't depend on what arrives by sea.
Hunter Innovation Festival Enters New Era: Marnie Davey Appointed 2026 Festival Director
We are thrilled to announce that Marnie Davey has been appointed Festival Director for the 2026 Hunter Innovation Festival.
With 16 years of experience across WesTrac and the Hunter Manufacturing Awards, Marnie brings a unique vision to our 24th year. This isn't just a Newcastle event anymore—we’re taking the conversation on the road to Muswellbrook, Maitland, Lake Macquarie, and Cessnock.
As CEO Zara Crichton puts it: "Innovation happens in our workshops, our mines, and our local businesses." Join us on October 13, 2026, as we spotlight the brilliance across the entire Hunter region.
Horizon Europe 2027
Australia's entry to Horizon Europe in 2027 is the exact accelerator pedal the Hunter region needs to scale our clean energy and health tech globally.
Clustering is the Hunter’s Golden Ticket
The dust is finally settling on the Federal Government’s Strategic Examination of Research and Development Final Report, "Ambitious Australia" (March 2026). While the media focuses on the top-line figures, those of us on the ground in Newcastle and the Hunter see a much more profound shift in the wind. For the Hunter, there is one recommendation that stands above the rest as our roadmap for the next decade - the move toward formal, place-based Industrial Clusters is paramount.
From Deep-Sea to Deep-Tech
The March Hunter iF Innovators Lunch brought together some of the most compelling voices in Australian Blue Tech to ask a simple question: is the Hunter ready to seize this moment?
Hunter iF and Kobalt.io Partner to Secure Regional Innovation
Hunter iF Ltd is proud to announce a strategic partnership with Kobalt.io for the 2026 Innovators Lunch Series. Kobalt.io joins an esteemed group of anchor partners, including the University of Newcastle, Franke Hyland, and NTP Talent, to foster a secure and resilient innovation ecosystem in the Hunter.
From MVP to Mega Round
Hunter iF Innovators Lunch: 80 founders discussed scaling from MVP to global capital, 3ME Tech's wins, investor tips, and how to blow a $50k grant.
A Legacy of Care and Curiosity
In 2024, Dr. Ross Kerridge’s first official act as Lord Mayor was opening our festival. After joining us again in 2025, we now reflect on his immense legacy following his resignation. We send Ross and his family strength in his health battle, he remains a vital part of our innovation community.
Beyond the hard hat
The Hunter is now Australia’s knowledge engine. See why 2026 is the year of Hard-Tech and how we're winning top talent. Don't just watch the future happen.
A Power Move for the Hunter
The Hunter region has long been the powerhouse of New South Wales, and the recent announcement that YZ has successfully managed the grid connection for the Wollar Solar Farm marks a pivotal moment in the region's energy evolution.