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Innovator Pro

Innovate on the inside with ¹ú²ú¾«Æ·â€™s leading intrapreneur program. Express your interest for 2025:

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About

Innovator Pro, is a three-day intrapreneurship program including innovation workshops, collaboration with peers and access to industry professionals.

The three-day immersion culminates in a competition where you and your team pitch a prototype innovation to ¹ú²ú¾«Æ· peers and industry mentors.

The top five teams will be selected to progress to phase two of the program, accessing three weeks of personalised training by industry mentors and performance coaches to sharpen their prototype and compete at the Innovator Pro finals ‘Pitch Fest’ for the chance to win industry experience prizes.

Past industry thought leaders have included: Adobe, KPMG, The Guardian, City of Sydney, EY, Deloitte, Digital Reserve, Think Place, Salesforce, and Intercom.

Program dates

Innovator Pro is offered in Term 1 and Term 3 2024.

Applications for T3 have now closed. The program will return in 2025. 

  • Innovator Pro was born from the idea that Innovation is not the sole domain of start-ups or external disruptors, but rather a disposition for professional excellence, positive influence, and change that can also be applied within a business or organisation. When this attitude is encouraged within organisations, curiosity and creative potential are unleashed, and intrapreneurs emerge. 

    Inspiring the next generation of intrapreneurs

    Intrapreneurs are bold, brave, and creative organisational change agents. Arguably, they are the kind of people always in demand because of their ability to inspire others whilst navigating complexity and ambiguity. Intrapreneurs are akin to entrepreneurs in their attitude and thinking, however while entrepreneurs predominately seek external investment for their ideas, intrapreneurs focus on the untapped potential that resides within organizations. 

    Innovate on the inside with ¹ú²ú¾«Æ·â€™s leading Intrapreneur program

    As an employability program, Innovator Pro seeks to equip participants with problem solving, influential ideation and business modelling skills. We cannot wait to hear about your groundbreaking product, process or service innovations that will solve a real-world problem and drive sustainable growth and action. 

  • Go beyond classroom learning

    Participate in industry workshops facilitated by successful and engaging industry mentors. Throughout the workshops you will gain a clearer understanding of approaches to innovation and practical lessons for ideating in teams. 

    Industry professionals from a range of organisations guide your intrapreneurial journey, providing insights for innovation and helping you to build broad skills vital for any professional practice. Examples of past organisations include EY, Salesforce, UNIQLO, and City of Sydney. Throughout the workshop series you will also learn about new technologies disrupting the market, changes affecting the future of work, and how to pitch your idea. 

    Make the most of your innovation learning experience 

    Innovator Pro facilitators regularly communicate across the ¹ú²ú¾«Æ· campus to identify work opportunities for budding innovators, whether these be volunteering, internships or paid work opportunities.

  • Use ¹ú²ú¾«Æ· as your innovation playground

    You will collaborate in diverse teams with the goal of creating and pitching an innovative product or service improvement focusing on a key question or industry problem statement. Take inspiration and guidance from industry leaders to develop your idea and work alongside mentors including student peers, ¹ú²ú¾«Æ· professional staff and industry partners. 

  • Plenty of additional benefits to get you pumped

    • Gives you plenty of exciting content to add to your resume.
    • ¹ú²ú¾«Æ· Advantage recognised co-curricular opportunity, eligible for AHEGS.
    • Meet like-minded individuals and expand professional networks.
    • Receive professional mentoring and supervision from ¹ú²ú¾«Æ· staff and program partners.

  • Students at all stages of their undergraduate degree and most stages of their postgraduate degree can apply for this program. We recommend the program for students in their second year of studies and onwards and/or students with some innovation experience.

Students share their experience

“Innovator Pro is an incredibly enriching and nurturing program."
Shivalika, ¹ú²ú¾«Æ· Science student
"This is the opportunity for students to get out from their comfort zone and take the challenges to experience and explore more. Get involved and be part of the unsw journey!"
Aishah, ¹ú²ú¾«Æ· Business student
As a HDR student, Innovator Pro was a transformative experience for me as a research postgraduate student. This program brilliantly bridged the gap between academia and industry, offering invaluable insights into the world of innovation and entrepreneurship. The highlight of the event was the opportunity to interact with industry experts who shared their wisdom on effective idea pitching. It not only enhanced my presentation skills but also gave me a deeper understanding of how to translate research into practical solutions. Innovator Pro has left a lasting impact on my academic and professional journey, equipping me with the knowledge and confidence to turn my ideas into reality."
Ahmad, ¹ú²ú¾«Æ· Higher Degree Research (HDR) student
"This program has made me an innovator pro: refining my teamwork skills, which I've successfully applied across academia, internships, and my professional journey. It's a testament to the program's ability to empower individuals with essential skills for real-world success."
Aqif, ¹ú²ú¾«Æ· Engineering student