Smart Seeds is an annual innovation competition for young professionals focused on solving challenges in the infrastructure industry. It is a unique space where our future leaders can influence the legacy of our current leaders in making a difference.

Led by engineering, architecture, environmental and construction services company GHD, Smart Seeds has draws together participants from a variety of private and public organisations across the water, energy and resources, transportation, property and building, and environment sectors.

Supported by Engineers Australia, Bentley Systems and Innovation Interchange, Smart Seeds 2015 events are getting underway in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and New Zealand with regional supporters including Lend Lease and others.

Smart Seeds participants work in teams mentored by industry leaders to develop ideas to solve infrastructure challenges, particularly around the topics of sustainability and liveability. The teams will then present their concepts to an audience of industry representatives and a panel of judges at a showcase event in each participating region.

Jeremy Stone, group manager innovation at GHD, says: “Participants can look forward to learning new innovation skills that they can use to influence positive change in their workplaces. Skills like creative idea generation techniques, idea assessment, and pitching ideas to win support and progress to delivery.

“Supporters and audiences eagerly await fresh ideas to solve some of our trickiest infrastructure challenges.”

Past winning ideas include a proposal for a floating, rotating bridge to improve pedestrian connectivity in Melbourne’s Victoria Harbour and a concept for temporary pop-up shops, galleries and meeting places to breathe life into disused and vacant urban sites.