In summary

  • In a collaboration with City of Boroondara Council, students have been tasked with solving local issues using science 
  • Students created posters to visually communicate their solutions and were given the opportunity to pitch their ideas to Boroondara council members 
  • The annual Social Innovation Challenge - Science in Society event gives students a valuable and unique Work Integrated Learning experience 

Swinburne University of Technology and City of Boroondara Council have collaborated to propose several challenges to Bachelor of Science students – asking how can science solve issues the council faces to make a positive impact on the community?  

In 2024, over 120 students participated in the annual Social Innovation Challenge event, creating solutions for the council through a scientific lens and using their knowledge in biotech, chemistry, environmental science, maths, data analysis, engineering and software engineering.  

Valuable work experience

The collaboration offers students a unique Work Integrated Learning experience, to not only pitch their solutions directly to Council members, but also to potentially see their ideas come to life.  

Swinburne students had a pool of twelve challenges to tackle, including how the council could use generative AI to improve how their organisation works, how to reduce quality items from ending up in hard waste, and how the council might better support social connections between men in the community to improve their mental health.  

Producing posters to visually communicate their proposed solutions, students had the opportunity to pitch directly to Council officers at a two-day presentation event hosted at the Hawthorn Arts Centre.  

Though many students were nervous before the event, they quickly found confidence when Council staff started talking to them and asking questions about their project solution.  

The students expressed how talking to Council members was invaluable for their projects, receiving constructive feedback and discussing how their ideas align with City of Boroondara Council’s roles and objectives for the community.  

Swinburne biotechnology lecturer Dr Vito Butardo,  says the event facilitates connections between science and local industry. 

“It’s a fantastic chance to witness the intersection of scientific knowledge and industry problem-solving in action,” Dr Butardo says. 

City of Boroondara Partnerships and Grant Specialist Adam Cummings said the students’ annual poster presentation underpins a valuable collaboration between Swinburne and City of Boroondara.

“The Social Innovation Challenge event provides a unique opportunity to engage directly with the younger members of our community while fostering collaboration across departments, breaking down silos, and accessing some of the brightest minds in the country,” Adam Cummings says.  

“It’s always exciting to see the creative solutions that students come up with and how they apply their skills to tackle real-world problems.”

Now in its second year, the Social Innovation Challenge is one of several initiatives by Swinburne in partnership with the City of Boroondara Council that combines student innovation, knowledge sharing and local industry collaboration. 

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