UNSW Ignite

Step inside an immersive 3D bushfire simulation at UNSW Ignite during the 2026 Enlighten Festival, and discover how UNSW's cutting-edge research is helping firefighters and emergency services fight extreme bushfires, and making our communities safer and more resilient.

UNSW Ignite will feature iCinema's iFire 1.0, an innovative bushfire simulation that allows participants to experience what a bushfire looks, feels, and sounds like from the inside. Users can control variables like wind and rainfall to see how real-world conditions affect bushfire behaviour and affect firefighters' decisions.

Chat with experts from UNSW Canberra’s Bushfire Research Group, who are leading advances in understanding how fires ignite, spread, and intensify. You’ll also have the opportunity to speak directly with ACT Emergency Services Agency firefighters and emergency responders, who will be on hand to share real-world insights into bushfire response, preparedness, and community safety and to answer your questions about how emergencies are managed when disaster strikes.

Do not miss this chance to explore the intersection of cutting-edge research, immersive technology and real-world impact, right in the heart of Canberra!

Why attend? 

• Experience the future of bushfire response in a cutting-edge, 20-minute immersive iFire showcase. 

• Connect with the UNSW researchers and industry leaders shaping Australia’s security and resilience agenda.

The iFire program is financially supported under the Australian Research Council’s Laureate funding scheme.