Sessions
The ON Translate 2026 program will feature panel discussions, workshops, practical sessions and networking opportunities designed to support connection, collaboration and real-world translation outcomes.
Turning Ambition into Action: What Needs to Change in Australia’s R&D System Now
A fireside chat with Cathy Foley ASO PSM and Dr Kate Cornick
Time: 10:00 AM – 10:45 PM Venue: The Edge
Moderator: Tennille Eyre
This fireside chat features Cathy Foley ASO PSM, Australia’s Former Chief Scientist and Dr Kate Cornick, Chief Executive Officer of Tech Council of Australia, for a timely conversation on the future of Australia’s R&D and innovation system.
The conversation will also highlight the role of the ON Program as a proven model designed to bridge the gap between research ambition into real-world impact. Together, this session will explore one of Australia’s most urgent innovation challenges: what needs to change across leadership, policy direction, investment and system coordination to better translate Australia’s research strength into action and impact.
Speaking ON: industry engagement, commercialisation, execution and what businesses need to see from Australia’s research system.
Speaking ON: national R&D strategy, policy direction, system reform, and how Australia can better align research investment with long-term innovation outcomes and capability building.
Translating Research Together
Panel speakers: Prof Sharath Sriram, James Bradley and Grace Bird
Moderator: Dr David Ireland
Time: 11:20 AM – 12:20 PM Venue: The Edge
Led by David Ireland, this panel brings together perspectives from across research, industry and innovation to explore how Australia can build a more connected and collaborative research translation ecosystem and strengthen the R&D pipeline.
Featuring Sharath Sriram, Chief Scientist of Western Australia, alongside James Bradley and Grace Bird, the conversation will explore how stronger cross-sector partnerships, aligned national priorities and more coordinated pathways can help turn research excellence into real-world impact.
Guests will walk away with practical insights into successful collaboration, a deeper understanding of Australia’s research translation landscape, and new ideas for turning research into meaningful impact.
AI Adoption, Integration and Impact: Turning complexity to confident decisions
Facilitators: Anthea Roberts – Dragonfly Thinking and Joanne Jacobs
Time: 11:20 AM – 12:20 PM Venue: Zinc
AI is moving quickly, but where is it creating real value? And where are the gaps in Australia’s capability to adopt it effectively? Australia is world-class in pockets, ranking among the best globally for AI research talent, yet it sits lowest on public trust and lags its peers on enterprise deployment. The honest picture is both stories at once, not one.
In this interactive workshop, audience members will go beneath the national headlines: whether AI’s pressure even reaches a given kind of work, which workers and roles gain from it and which lose ground, and why adoption races ahead in some parts of the economy while stalling in others. From there, the session looks ahead to how these forces could shape Australia’s position through to 2035, where the most likely futures are neither a clean win nor a clean loss. Rather than collapsing a complex picture into a single story, it holds competing truths in tension — the discipline behind turning complexity into confident decisions.
The session will feature a live demonstration of Dragonfly Thinking’s AI-powered platform, showcasing how expert-informed, multi-perspective analysis can help decision-makers navigate complexity, test their assumptions and make more confident decisions.
Moderated by digital strategist, company director and ON Program facilitator Joanne Jacobs, this session combines expert perspectives, practical examples and audience discussion to explore the role AI can play in translating knowledge into impact.
Navigating the Support and Funding Landscape
Speaker: Hugo LeMessurier, Dr Olga Hogan, Dr Ruth Park-Jones, Prof Christopher McDevitt
Moderator: Eike Zeller
Time: 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM Venue: The Edge
Designed for researchers, startup teams, founders and early-stage innovators, this session explores the funding, mentoring and support pathways available across Australia’s innovation ecosystem.
The discussion will unpack how to strategically navigate different funding opportunities across stages of growth, while also exploring the importance of boosting private capital flows to support R&D and innovation activities in Australia.
Guests will gain practical guidance on identifying suitable funding pathways for different stages of development, avoiding common pitfalls, and positioning their venture for investment, support and long-term impact.
5 Really Easy Ways to Network (Even If You’d Rather Not!)
Speaker: Laurie Serafini
Time: 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM Venue: Zinc
If the thought of networking makes you want to disappear into the nearest corner, you’re not alone. For many researchers, starting conversations with strangers can feel awkward, forced or completely unnatural. But meaningful professional connections don’t have to come from “working the room” or pretending to be someone you’re not.
In this engaging and highly practical 50-minute workshop, you’ll learn five simple techniques to help you start conversations more naturally, navigate them with confidence, and leave a lasting impression; without the small-talk exhaustion!
Better still, you’ll be able to put the tools into practice straight away at the evening networking session.
Hosted by Laurie Serafini: a high-level communication and business coach and former AFL footballer who has spent over 20 years helping business people have better conversations in high-stakes rooms.
As this is an interactive workshop session, numbers will be capped at 120 pax. Entry will be closed when seats fill on the day, so plan ahead and don’t be late!
ON Accelerate 10 Pitch Showcase
Time: 3:15 PM – 5 PM Venue: The Edge
10 teams from our current ON Accelerate 10 cohort will take to the stage at ON Translate 2026 to present their deep tech ventures – developed from Australian research and designed to transform industries, tackle big challenges and deliver real-world impact. We invite investors, industry leaders, mentors and innovation ecosystem supporters to join us for this celebration.