Bridging The Gap From Discovery To Care
Keynote · 11:30am – 12:00pm · Learn stage
Too much world-class health research stays in the lab. Jennifer Holland knows what it takes to move it further — she's spent 15 years building and commercialising medical devices, from inventing Throat Scope to taking products through Shark Tank and into global markets.
Now leading research translation at HMRI, she shares practical lessons on closing the gap between discovery and real-world use. Expect a clear-eyed look at what actually works when turning regional health research into products, systems and care that reach patients.
Speaker: Jennifer Holland, Head of Research Translation, Hunter Medical Research Institute
Deep Tech Lands In The Hunter
What does it take to turn world-class aerospace and deep-tech expertise into real outcomes for a region?
After 27 years at Boeing leading global technology strategy, research partnerships and advanced manufacturing initiatives, Dr Bill Lyons is now focused on the Hunter. In this keynote he shares practical lessons from building industry–university collaborations at scale — and how those lessons can accelerate local capability in aerospace, advanced manufacturing, energy and beyond.
A clear-eyed look at how deep tech moves from global labs to regional impact.
Ancestral Knowledge Meets Modern AI
What happens when tens of thousands of years of Indigenous knowledge systems meet artificial intelligence? In this session, Nathan Towney explores how ancestral ways of knowing — connection to Country, relational thinking, and deep observation — can shape more grounded, ethical and useful AI.
Rather than treating AI as purely technical, he looks at the opportunity (and responsibility) of building systems that listen to place, people and long-term thinking. A timely conversation for anyone interested in innovation that is both future-facing and culturally grounded.
New Steel Age Forged in Newcastle
Steelmaking is returning to Newcastle — and with it, a new chapter for Australian industry.
In this keynote, Professor Ross Garnaut shares why Greensteel Australia's all-electric mill on the historic Mayfield site represents more than a single project. It is a practical demonstration of how the Hunter can lead a new steel age: combining renewable energy, advanced manufacturing capability, and sovereign industrial investment.
Expect a clear-eyed view of the economic and industrial opportunity, the role of the region in Australia's energy transition, and what it will take to turn ambition into durable, high-value industry.