Making innovation take flight
In a world brimming with talent and competition, it’s vital to have the skills and knowledge to bring bright ideas off the table and into the wider world.
But getting those ideas off the canvas can be harder than it seems. Industry connections, communication skills and networking play a vital role in getting ideas and research off the ground. Just where can someone go to make this happen?
Enter Impact 10X.
Impact10X is a multi-campus initiative developed through the Graduate Research School located at JCU’s state-of-the-art Ideas Lab in Cairns, and deployed across Townsville and Singapore campuses - with Brisbane sending candidates too. The Impact 10X initiative provides an environment where ideas are tested, refined, and accelerated toward commercial success.
Relaunched in 2025 by Dr Samantha Horseman, HDR Innovation & Industry Lead and Mindesigns (JCU Founders-in-Residence Portfolio Company), Impact 10x is supported by JCU and the Queensland Government’s Regional Enabler Program.
How does impact 10X work?
In a nutshell, the program has a connected innovation value chain approach, which means you can connect, collaborate, and create to take your great idea off the canvas to reality. The first stage “connect” is the Connectivity Café, which hosts interactive and dynamic sessions on deep-tech, AI and innovative technologies of the future that serve as the entry point to the Impact10X ecosystem. They help participants connect with peers, share ideas, and gain immediate value through discussions, panels, and networking.
Following Connectivity Café is the “collaborate” AI Simulator, a three-day immersive program that provides hands-on support to test concepts and identify the next practical steps through gamification of a $100K virtual bank fund. This stage creates collaboration with expertise to validate their ideas, refine their business models, and gain confidence to move forward and attract funding opportunities
After this is the “create” Venture Builder stage, which is for researchers and entrepreneurs who have demonstrated strong potential and validated their ideas towards investment readiness. Participants receive tailored mentorship, access to key resources, and expert guidance to refine their strategies, build sustainable business models, and prepare for growth and investment.
Impact 10X has exceeded all expectations, with over 1000 participants involved with Connectivity Café - from a projected 400 – and 82 applications made for the AI Simulator: far more than the projected 30.
The goal for the Venture Builder stage was to have five applications, but that number has now reached 20.
“It made me think big”
JCU IT lecturer Dr Kranthi Addanki has participated in the Impact 10X AI Simulator twice, and has now created her own startup, Digital Twin Student, in the JCU Founders-in-Residence Portfolio.
Dr Addanki is developing an AI-powered “digital twin” to personalise and improve the learning experience for university students. Her research focuses on connecting currently isolated university systems - like enrolment and learning platforms - so educators can better understand and support each student. This enhances the student’s experience and success.
She’s creating a machine learning model that tracks student engagement and provides educators with real-time insights. The goal is to build a system that motivates students with personalised feedback, reduces dropout rates, and combines human connection with advanced technology - much like a “fitness tracker” for learning.
“Impact 10X sensitised me to the value of my research in terms of economic and social benefits - to the community and to the world,” Dr Addanki says.
“It made me think about what I can do from my research, that it’s not something that should remain in my lab or my university. I started to think about that big picture. That’s what I got from participating in Impact 10X.”
From idea to industry
Dr Addanki went on to win a $5,000 prize for her digital twin student project through CSIRO’s ON Prime program in 2024. Today, she's a Founder in Residence at the JCU Ideas Lab — continuing her innovation journey and collaborating with partners in the educational technology (edTech) sector.
The team is also working closely with the PhD@Work initiative at JCU, alongside Dr Samantha Horseman and Professor Stephan Riek, developing new AI and deep tech solutions to advance the PhD candidate experience within industry-based research. This specific example shows how impact10X is contributing to job creation and economic development for regional Queensland.
Other notable success stories to emerge from Impact 10X include Celsi, an innovative temperature monitoring service created by Albert Jindra that now has major clients over 40 locations, and DermX, a skin lesion device and phone app developed by IT graduate Sachh Moka to detect benign and malignant skin lesions.
It doesn't stop there.
PhD@Work candidate Adam Cropp leads a fleet of underwater robots off Green Island called Teleportal streaming - via a web browser - that allows anyone one in the world to experience the Great Barrier Reef from their phone or desktop. Adam is the first lucky researchers selected for our first round of JCU Alumni Angels Fund.
You can learn more about the JCU Founders-in-Residence Portfolio here.
Building a community of innovators
Impact 10X continues to accelerate and the program now has a focus on long-term sustainability and scalability. The next phase aims to commercialise the program, ensuring it can expand its reach and attract participation across the ecosystem
This growth and scale will ensure that North Queensland has a connected, collaborative and creative community of founders, mentors and researchers who are redefining what’s possible for now and the future..
It doesn’t matter where you are along your innovation journey - whether you’re an undergraduate with a spark of an idea or a researcher ready to commercialise your findings - Impact 10X gives you the tools, support, and ecosystem to make it happen.
Visit the Impact 10X Site to reach out and explore upcoming events and opportunities
If you are interested in becoming a JCU Founder-in-Residence, submit your expression of interest here.
If you have an innovative research project or prototype and have met significant roadblocks, don’t despair. Learn more about the Alumni Angels Innovation Fund here, and send an expression of interest to innovation@jcu.edu.au.