This project provides opportunities to be exposed to innovation, build and develop capability and capacity, connect with innovation networks and generate new contacts. These opportunities will demonstrate benefits of being in innovation space for new entrants from fishing and aquaculture through encourage and enabling participation. The project aims to stimulate collaboration and increase the visibility of "getting into innovation", potentially increasing ideas to feed into future investment lanes and possibly more adoption. This includes exposing fresh minds to spark novel ideas who are unaware of opportunities and/or may experience barriers to participate.

The skills and capabilities required to intervene in complex systems need to be developed to capitalise on new systems and processes. This includes mechanisms to engage stakeholders to focus, priorities and invest in capability and capacity development locally and nationally. EvokeAg is a flagship event, focused on showcasing and stimulating innovation through connecting people with each other and to knowledge, information and

$75,000 sponsorship (includes exhibition stand and furniture, printing and 5 x 2024 tickets (2025 & 2026 details tbc) over 3 years
$110,000 bursaries ($6k - conference and side event tickets, flights, accommodation, travel incidentals) - allows for 18 full bursaries over 3 years OR a mixed level of support (e.g. partial bursary, alternative innovation event)

Two levels of bursary will be provided. The main bursary will fund the full attendance costs of emerging leaders (excluding some opt-in activities), with a smaller bursary to support the attendance of existing leaders.

Pre-Conference social gathering and networking:
Conference mentors will create a private social media group with successful applicants to begin introductions and create a casual ‘hub’ for contact and socialising. Mentors will initiate and prompt engagement within the group to build rapport. Closer to the conference, the group will meet online prior for a more formal introduction, led by mentors. In this meeting, attendees will:
-Will briefly introduce themselves (ideally with a recent brag photo/clip) and give an overview of their rec fishing environment, including an example of a conference theme they think they/their area do well and another they see as needing improvement.
-Identify keynote speakers or high-profile conference attendees that they would particularly like to engage with.
-Discuss how they can make the most of the conference, both individually and as a group. This will include developing strategies to maximise group coverage of the conference, means of comparing notes (OneNote etc) and the kind of outputs they think would benefit the broader rec fishing community.
-work with mentors to develop a conference action plan, encompassing all the above discussion.

This will be used by mentors and organizers to frame up attendee activities and help facilitate networking events during the conference.

During conference
Delegates will be tasked broadly with:
-Participating in the program and associated events and meetings (following pre-conference co-development with mentors as above).
-Completing pre-work assigned by mentors to ensure they get the most out of participation.
-Demonstrate initiative to grow their networks by directly engaging key conference delegates.
-Collaboratively recording insights from participation for use in developing key outputs (see Post conference below).
-Develop/extend communications outputs to help those not able to attend the event to understand key insights.

Post conference
Delegates will
-Reflect on pre-conference expectations and goals, and identify future actions for further professional growth.
-Contribute towards development of a shared formal synthesis report, that summarises key insights, opportunities for adoption in an Australian context, and strategic gaps.
-Meet with ARFF/FRDC Research subcommittee to share insights and inform future prioritisation discussions.
-Evaluate results from extension of communication outputs developed and disseminated by the group.