NEWCASTLE · Years 7–12 · MONDAY, 11 May
NEWCASTLE
INNOVATION SUMMIT
A one-day STEM and entrepreneurship summit where secondary school students form teams, build startups and discover what they’re truly capable of.
ABOUT
THE SUMMIT
The Newcastle Innovation Summit is a one-day, high-energy event designed to ignite the entrepreneurial spirit in secondary school students – giving them the skills, mindset, and network to turn bold ideas into reality.
Throughout the day, students will work in teams to build their own startup concepts from the ground up, developing critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration skills that go far beyond the classroom. Facilitated by Forbes 30 Under 30 entrepreneurs and internationally-trained young leaders, students will leave believing in their power to innovate and create real change.
A DAY IN THE LIFE
8:45am Doors Open
9:15am Welcome to the Innovation Summit
An energising kick-off that sets the tone for the day – your facilitators, Forbes 30 Under 30 entrepreneurs and young leaders, open by sharing the moments that defined their journeys: the risks, the failures, the breakthroughs. From the very first minute, this session is designed to get you thinking, talking and seeing yourself differently.
9:30am The Innovator Mindset
What does it really take to think like an innovator? This session unpacks the mindset that sits behind every great idea – exploring how the world’s boldest problem-solvers approach challenges differently, and how you can too.
Students will leave this session with practical tools they can apply immediately, both inside and outside the classroom.
11:00am Break
A chance to recharge and keep the conversation going. Students are encouraged to connect with facilitators, swap ideas with peers from other schools and reflect on what’s already shifted in how they see themselves as innovators.
11:15am Team Challenge
This is where the day shifts into another gear. Students are placed into teams and thrown headfirst into a challenge that demands creativity, communication and the ability to think on their feet.
By the end of this session, students will have built something together, and discovered what they’re truly capable of when they back themselves and each other.
Being a Changemaker
What does it actually mean to create change in your community?
This session helps students identify real-world problems worth solving, moving beyond surface-level thinking to scope challenges that genuinely matter to the people around them. Students walk away with a sharper lens on the world – one that turns everyday frustrations into opportunities and passive observers into active problem-solvers.
The Idea Factory
Great ideas don’t come from nowhere, they come from a process. Students explore how to generate, stretch and refine concepts, learning how to move from “what if” to “here’s how” with creativity and purpose.
Through rapid-fire exercises and collaborative techniques, students discover that ideation is a skill they can practise, improve and take with them into every challenge they face.
Design Thinking in Action
Used by the world’s leading innovators and companies, design thinking is a human-centred framework for solving problems in ways that actually work.
Students get a practical, hands-on introduction to a tool they’ll use long after today. By working through real scenarios together, students begin to see problems differently, starting with people, not solutions, and building with empathy at the core.
1:30pm Ideas to Impact
Students take everything from the morning and push it further – refining their concepts, stress-testing their thinking and shaping their ideas into something real.
Facilitators move through the room offering guidance, challenging assumptions and helping teams uncover angles they hadn’t considered. It’s collaborative, it’s energising, and it’s where we explore how what students have built today can create genuine impact in their school or community.
The Pitch
Every great idea deserves to be heard. Teams bring it all together and present their concept to the room – practising how to communicate with clarity, confidence and conviction. This is one of the most powerful moments of the day, and often the one students remember most.
2:15pm Wrap Up & Next Steps
The facilitators bring the day to a close — celebrating what’s been built, reflecting on how far everyone has come and sharing what comes next. Every student leaves with access to the free 6-week program to take their idea from today into reality.
2:30pm Event Concludes
What does it actually mean to create change in your community?
This session helps students identify real-world problems worth solving, moving beyond surface-level thinking to scope challenges that genuinely matter to the people around them. Students walk away with a sharper lens on the world – one that turns everyday frustrations into opportunities and passive observers into active problem-solvers.
WANT TO SEE IT
FOR YOURSELF?
BEYOND
THE DAY
Every participant gets exclusive access to a free 6-week program where they’ll take their idea from concept to reality, continuing the journey long after the day is done. Guided by mentors and young leaders, students will refine, build and pitch their concept to a real audience with the tools and support to make it happen.
READY TO
INNOVATE?
Register your expression of interest now — no payment required.
You’ll get first access to tickets and all event updates as details are confirmed.