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BE PART OF MELBOURNE CONNECT INNOVATION WEEK 2026

Festival dates: 7 - 11 September 2026

Innovation Week is Melbourne Connect’s annual flagship festival.

The week celebrates our innovation ecosystem and the convergence of organisations and institutions leveraging research and emerging technologies to disrupt and transform our society. Innovation Week showcases the precinct’s – and the University’s – convening power, and is a demonstration of the intellectual and physical outputs of the University and its partners. 
Melbourne Connect invites colleagues and partners from across the precinct and the University to participate — across HASS to STEM and everything in-between.

Innovation Week 2025: Key Insights

42 activities  |  35+ partners  |  5000 registrations  |  3000 attendances  |  1750+ leads created for partners | 500,000 total social media impressions  |  7250 engagements via paid advertising  |  60,000+ webpage views

Event Submissions Details: 

Submissions open from Thursday 23 April to Friday 12 June.

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Goals of Innovation Week

The goals of Innovation Week are to:
•  Promote participating partners.
•  Showcase innovation outputs and impacts (ideas, research, tech, social benefit, etc).
•  Demonstrate our convening power.

Festival Events & Activities

The festival hub is at Melbourne Connect – but we welcome programming in venues across the University of Melbourne (and beyond). The week hosts 40+ activities – from orations, pitches and panels to workshops, exhibitions and speed-dating. We are only limited by your creativity.

Why get involved?

•  No venue or AV costs (For events held at Melbourne Connect).
•  Leverage extensive mar comms efforts & spend.
•  Events in Forum and Launchpad filmed & streamed.
•  Professional AV and Venue assistance.
•  Registration managed for you – all data shared.
•  Grow your audience! Strength in numbers.
•  Collaborate & connect with colleagues & partners. 

Event Submission Form
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Key Dates and Timeline

● 12 June 2026 | Event Submission

● 13 July 2026 | Event Title, Description and Banner Image

● 20 July 2026 | Speaker Details Confirmation

● 23 July 2026 | 2:30pm-3:30pm (AEST) | Mandatory Partner Meeting:

    In-person Location: Meeting Room M03, Level M, Melbourne Connect, 700 Swanston St, Carlton, VIC - 3053 
    Zoom Meeting ID: 84854218062 | Password: 630157

    Join the Zoom Meeting↗

● 27 July 2026 | Event Content Approval 

● 7 August 2026 | AV Production and Logistics Requirements

22 August 2026 | Catering Requirements (Atlantic Group) 

 

Innovation Week Program Team

Steve Grimwade

Head of Activations and Events Melbourne Connect

Sharon Lee

Program Coordinator, ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Melbourne Connect