Regional Innovation Summit

Imagine tasting wine aged on the seafloor, exploring ancient bush medicines and ocean innovation, and seeing autonomous farm technology in action - all in one place!

Join us in Western Australia’s iconic South West for an experience designed to connect investors, innovators, industry leaders, and government stakeholders with the people and ideas shaping the future of regional innovation.

Pre-Summit Agovor & Datavit Demo — Thursday 12 March (1pm-2.30pm)

Join us at Margaret River Vineyard Estate for a live, on-farm demonstration of cutting-edge agricultural technology. Experience Agovor’s autonomous E-Tractor operating in a real vineyard setting alongside Datavit’s smart data platform, showcasing how robotics, electrification and real-time insights are transforming productivity and sustainability in regional farming. Free registrations, essential to attend.

Pre-Summit Koomal Dreaming Networking Experience — Thursday 12 March (4pm - 7pm)

The Pre-Summit Networking Experience, hosted by Koomal Dreaming on Wadandi Country, offers an immersive and meaningful way to connect ahead of the Regional Innovation Summit. Set at Ngilgi Cave in the South West, this guided cultural experience invites participants to engage with place, story and Country in a setting that reflects the Summit’s focus on sustainability, collaboration and regional leadership.

Led by Wadandi cultural custodians, participants will journey through Ngilgi Cave, learning about the cultural significance of the land, traditional knowledge systems, and the enduring relationship between people, innovation and environment. The experience provides valuable context for the conversations and ideas explored during the Summit.

The evening concludes with a relaxed, bush-inspired sundowner and dinner featuring local flavours and informal networking. Designed to foster genuine connections between investors, founders, researchers and industry leaders, this experience sets a grounded and collaborative tone for the days that follow.

Regional Innovation Summit — Friday 13 March (8.30am - 7pm)

Hosted at the historic Caves House, the Summit is intentionally designed as a roundtable-style gathering, bringing together regional and national changemakers for an interactive day of keynotes, panels, networking, and startup pitches.

Rather than a traditional conference format, participants sit in table groups — eating lunch, sharing expertise, and co-designing tangible, actionable outcomes for the future of WA’s regional innovation ecosystem. This format encourages conversations, connections, and cross-sector collaboration.

The program features keynote insights from Tim Jarvis AM — polar explorer, environmental champion and award-winning filmmaker — sharing lessons on leadership, resilience and sustainability, alongside Richard Beaumont, Founder & CPO of Govor from Agovor, who brings a global perspective on agtech, robotics and regional innovation leadership, complemented by an on-farm robotics demonstration on 12 March (details to be announced).

An interactive futures session facilitated by Jason McFarlane (GreenTech Hub) will invite participants to actively explore the question:
“From the regions, for the world: what greentech moonshots will Western Australia’s regions lead beyond 2040, and how will local innovation, investment and agency unlock new forms of prosperity, capability and influence?”
This hands-on activity is designed to surface bold ideas, shared priorities and practical pathways for regional-led innovation.

The Summit also highlights the power of collaboration between Indigenous knowledge, ecology, biotechnology and creative practice. Neville Poelina will share living Indigenous knowledge and real-world bush medicine applications, alongside Dr Pia Winberg, who will share the journey of Rosanna Angus, a Jawi woman from the Kimberley, and their work developing a marine-based product range. Dr Darren Holland will present groundbreaking research into anticancer compounds from WA’s marine sponges — positioning the South West as a globally significant natural laboratory for biomedical discovery.

Adding a creative dimension to the program, Joe Crossley will speak to Astralprojekt — an immersive light and art installation that transforms biological data and scientific concepts into a powerful sensory experience — exploring how art, science and innovation can intersect to spark new ways of thinking about our future.

Why Attend?

• Connect with founders, investors, researchers, industry experts, and government leaders

• Access on-the-ground insights into WA’s emerging ventures and innovation assets

• Experience uniquely curated regional and cultural experiences

• Collaborate in small-group settings to shape actionable outcomes for the Regional innovation ecosystem

• Be part of the BioInnovation Festival’s commitment to advancing life sciences, technology, and sustainable industries across WA

The Regional Innovation Summit is a BioInnovation Festival Satellite Event, supported by City of Busselton Economic Development Grants, South West Development Commission through the Innovative Industries of the Future (iiF) program, GreenTech Hub, Department of Energy and Economic Diversification through the CONNECT Sustainable Industries program and nbn® Australia. The Caves House Cleanser Sundowner is brought to you by Creative Tech Village.

Tickets for the BioInnovation Festival Conference & Dinner on 11 March and the Investor Breakfast on 12 March can be purchased here: https://events.humanitix.com/2026-bioinnovation-festival-conference