The Honourable Leeanne Enoch MP

Minster for Environment and the Great Barrier Reef

Minister for Science and Minister for the Arts

Paul MartynDeputy Director-General, Innovation

Department of Innovation, Tourism Industry Development and the Commonwealth Games

Advance Queensland

Small Business Innovation Research

Information Exchange day

Disruption

Globalisation

Uncertainty

Advance Queensland:

Innovation = Economic Growth = Jobs

Advance Queensland

$513 million | Whole-of-government | Built with stakeholders

2000+ innovators

driving 9000+ jobs

2nd highest number of

startups in Australia$132 million

leveraged

SO FAR:

Advance Queensland

The Small Business Innovation Research program

• Funding provided by Queensland Government to support innovators solving

complex challenges

• The coral abundance challenge is also being supported by the Australian

Government

• Applicants can apply for a share of up to $1 million which is available for the

Feasibility stage

• A further $1 million is available to develop the best solutions through the

Proof of Concept stage

SBIR Program

SBIR Timeframes

• 16 January – Applications Opened

• 8 February – Information Exchange Day

• 6 March – Applications close: 2.00pm (AEST)

• Mid/Late April - Solution presentation day

• May/June - Feasibility Stage Commences: up to 6 months

• January/February - Proof on Concept Stage Commences: up to 12 months

Please note timeframes are indicative only and may be subject to change

Intellectual Property

You, the innovator, will own any IP created

Collaboration and Networking

• Space dedicated on Advance Queensland website to act as networking catalyst

• https://advance.qld.gov.au/small-business/sbir/challenges/boosting-coral-abundance-gbr-challenge/partners.aspx

• Voluntary – enter your details

• Opportunity today after Q & A session to network

Application Submissions

• Applications close 2.00pm AEST, Tuesday 6 March 2018

• Applications are submitted via the ‘Apply now’ box, located at the bottom of

the challenge page: https://advance.qld.gov.au/small-

business/sbir/challenges/boosting-coral-abundance-gbr-challenge.aspx

• Eligible applications will be assessed by an evaluation panel formed by the

Department of Environment and Science and the Australian Department of

the Environment and Energy

A lot done, a lot more to do

“The future belongs to those who see it coming”

David Bowie

Elisa Nichols

Executive Director, Office of the Great Barrier Reef, Department of Environment and Science

Advance Queensland

Small Business Innovation Research

Information Exchange day

• Covering an area of 344,000 Km², the Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system

• In 1981 the Reef was listed on the World Heritage Register on the basis of its Outstanding Universal Value.

• The Reef contains the greatest species diversity of any World Heritage Area on Earth, including:

- 56% of the world’s hard coral species

- 33% of the world’s soft coral and sea fan species

- 6 of the world’s 7 species of marine turtles

- 13% of the world’s species of starfish, sea urchins and cucumbers

• The contribution of the Reef to the Queensland economy is estimated to be close to $6 billion a year, generating over 69,000 jobs.

Photo courtesy of Tourism Queensland

The Great Barrier Reef

• The Reef 2050 Plan is the Australian and Queensland Government’s overarching framework for protecting and managing the Great Barrier Reef.

• The vision of the plan is to ensure the Great Barrier Reef continues to improve on its Outstanding Universal Value every decade between now and 2050 to be a natural wonder for each successive generation to come.

• The Australian and Queensland Governments invest millions of dollars each year implementing the plan through protecting biodiversity, managing ecosystem health and improving water quality from land based run-off.

• Developing ecosystem resilience in the face of a variable and changing climate is a key principle of the plan.

Photo courtesy of Tourism Queensland

Reef 2050 Plan

Photo courtesy of Tourism Queensland

Au

stra

lian

Go

vern

me

nt

Coastal and Catchment Area Marine Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975

Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976

Environment Protection (Sea Dumping) Act 1981Sea Installations Act 1967Protection of the Sea ( Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Act 1983

Native Title Act 1993Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

Qu

ee

nsl

and

Go

vern

me

nt

Vegetation Management Act 1999 Fisheries Act 1994

Water Act 2000 Marine Parks Act 2004Wet Tropics World Heritage Protection and Management Act 1993

Maritime Safety Queensland Act 2002

Local Government Act 2009 Transport Operations (Marine Pollution) Act 1995

Coastal Protection and Management Act 1995Economic Development Act 2012Environmental Protection Act 1994Nature Conservation Act 1992State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971

Planning Act 2016Transport Infrastructure Act 1994Sustainable Ports Development Act 2015Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003Torres Strait Islander Cultural Heritage Act 2003

Coastline Three nautical miles

---Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area ---

Source: http://environment.gov.au/marine/gbr/publications/reef-2050-long-term-sustainability-plan

Relevant Legislation

• Climate change remains the greatest threat to the long term survival of the Reef, with a global response required in order to make the necessary reductions in carbon emissions.

• Preserving and making the Reef more resilient is important to ensure it has every chance of surviving well into the future while carbon emissions are adequately addressed globally.

• The Challenge is about identifying a ‘step change’ that will supplement the good work that is already being done and to help to address the immediate need facing the Reef.

Big Picture

• Scale of coral cover decline in the northern GBR since 2013 is unprecedented, due to mortality caused by severe cyclones, an ongoing crown-of-thorns starfish outbreak and severe coral bleaching events of 2016.

• Coral bleaching occurs when the coral is stressed in particular by unusually warm water. In some conditions coral can survive bleaching, though if conditions persist the corals eventually die.

• In 2016 an estimated 29% of shallow water corals across the GBR was lost as a result of bleaching.

• The outcome of intense coral bleaching in 2017 which impacted the central region of the Reef is not yet fully known.

Key Issues

The challenge is to quickly restore ecological functions provided by the Great Barrier Reef

through cost effective methods which protect corals exposed to extreme temperatures and

encourage the recovery of damaged reefs after heat wave and storm conditions.

The basis of this challenge is to develop solutions which support the protection, regeneration

and recovery of coral populations on the Great Barrier Reef.

Photo courtesy of Tourism Queensland

The Challenge

New, innovative methods to achieve one or more of the following outcomes to improve coral abundance:

1. Address the impacts of coral bleaching. Examples include:

- reduce the exposure of coral to physical stressors that cause coral bleaching

- build the resilience of corals to allow them to ‘bounce back’ following bleaching events

2. Enhance coral recruitment. Examples include:

- boosting the success of coral larvae and/or transplanted and cultivated corals settling and surviving

- promoting the settlement of coral larvae

- stabilising dead coral rubble generated by recent bleaching or cyclone impacts in order to enhance coral settlement and re-growth of reef corals.

Photo courtesy of Tourism Queensland

Outcomes Sought

Photo courtesy of Tourism Queensland

• Feasibility study of up to 6 months for selected applicants.

• Proof of concept stage of up to 12 months for applicants with a solution that shows promise during the feasibility study.

• On reef trials to occur as part of both phases where applicable.

• Permits from relevant agencies will need to be sought before trials can commence.

• Successful solutions may be procured by Government for expanded application and may be applicable to Reef systems in other parts of the world.

Trialling of Solutions

Applications close 6th March 2018 at 2:00pm AEST

Best of Luck!!

Photo courtesy of Tourism Queensland

Q & A SessionPanel Members:

• Ove Hoegh-Guldberg (Reef 2050

Independent Expert Panel)

• Kirstin Dobbs (Great Barrier Reef

Marine Park Authority)

• Mel Cowlishaw (Great Barrier Reef

Marine Park Authority)

• Will Howard (Department of the

Environment and Energy)

• Paulina Kaniewska (Department of

Environment and Science)

• Danielle Stewart (Department of

Agriculture and Fisheries)

Please note: We will attempt to answer all questions

within the allotted Q&A time slot, however any

questions which aren’t answered on the day can be

emailed to SBIR@dsiti.qld.gov.au whom will work

with the challenge owner to provide an answer.

Any question submitted via the livestream will be

electronically captured, reviewed post event and

answered if not already covered within the Q&A

session.

Livestream questions and answers will be provided

on the challenge page found at:

https://advance.qld.gov.au/small-

business/sbir/challenges/boosting-coral-abundance-

gbr-challenge.aspx