The Macquarie University Incubator hosted the Macquarie Park Innovation District (MPID) Transport Hackathon during November which brought together industry, entrepreneurs, students and researchers to enable greater mobility and connectivity for Macquarie Park.

The shared hurdle of the impending railway shutdown was the catalyst for MPID to come together and leverage the strength of the network to look at solutions to benefit Macquarie Park, both now and in the future.

A unique and multi-pronged approach

In the lead up to the November Hackathon, the MPID network conducted two key initiatives to engage the partner network and wider community:

IdeaHack – 6 October, hosted by Konica Minolta

38 representatives from MPID partner organisations (including six Macquarie University students) participated in the IdeaHack, which was an ideation session to think big about potential solutions to improve mobility and connectivity across Macquarie Park Innovation District (MPID).

Online survey – 9-31 October

Nearly 400 employees, students and residents of Macquarie Park completed a survey which determined the Hackathon challenge questions

Hackathon – 2-3 November

The two-day hack saw an equal mix of professionals and Macquarie University students working together in the time-intensive format to build solutions.

Teams of ‘hackers’ (programmers and developers), ‘hustlers’ (business and marketing) and hipsters (design – User Experience and User Interface) were tasked with choosing one of the following challenge questions:

Challenge 1: Travel Alternatives

Help improve traffic flow and mobility to-and-around Mac Park

Challenge 2:  I ❤ Mac Park

Help improve the ambience, vibrancy and connectivity of people throughout Mac Park

Prizes on offer included:

• Challenge winners – total $5,000 cash prize pool courtesy of MPID
• Best mobility solution – $1000 bonus cash prize courtesy of ORIX.
• Rapid validation coaching with BlueChilli
• Outstanding student award – An internship with Konica Minolta for an outstanding student identified during the Hackathon
• Active Travel Award – Award-winning cycling suit from Optus for best solution to encourage active travel
• Spot prizes – Vouchers and giveaways courtesy of Macquarie Centre

Check out the video here:

The hack produced solutions ranging from bike-sharing apps, sustainable food-truck platforms, district engagement portals, active travel platforms to a peak-shifting app for organisations which enables individuals to optimise their commute time and improve information flow around ‘in-office’ hours.

Three teams have been chosen for a six-week mentoring and project validation course with BlueChilli – entrepreneurial facilitator – with the option to then make a formal application to join the Macquarie University Incubator.