In a bold and strategic step to unlock the creative potential within its own organization, the Australian Technology and Information Industry Association (ATIIA) launched its first-ever Internal Innovation Challenge earlier this month. Designed to promote a culture of innovation, inclusivity, and cross-functional collaboration, the initiative has quickly captured the enthusiasm of employees across all levels and departments.
The challenge invites staff to propose groundbreaking ideas—whether process improvements, service enhancements, or bold new initiatives—that can help transform ATIIA’s internal operations, elevate member experience, or contribute to sustainable development goals. Early responses have already exceeded expectations, with a surge of team formations and individual proposals spanning topics such as AI-powered internal workflow tools, green conference protocols, and gamified member engagement platforms.
“The creativity we’ve seen in just the first two weeks is truly inspiring,” remarked Eleanor Shaw, Director of Human Resources. “We’ve received everything from simple but effective automation hacks to fully-fledged platform concepts. It speaks volumes about our team’s capability and passion for shaping the future of ATIIA.”
To ensure a fair and insightful evaluation process, ATIIA has assembled a panel comprising senior executives, innovation specialists, and invited guest judges from industry and academia. All submissions will be assessed based on three key criteria: creativity, feasibility, and potential impact. A shortlist of finalists will be announced in early July, and winning ideas will receive not only formal recognition, but also seed funding, project management support, and technical mentorship to proceed with pilot implementation in Q3.
What makes this challenge particularly noteworthy is its emphasis on inclusion and transparency. There are no restrictions on who can participate—individual contributors, cross-departmental teams, and even interns are encouraged to submit. To further support participation, the HR and Innovation teams have hosted a series of virtual ideation workshops and one-on-one consultation sessions for proposal refinement.
“It’s not just about the final product,” said Ethan Lin, Head of Strategy and Partnerships. “We’re using this challenge as a laboratory for internal dialogue, experimentation, and continuous learning. Whether an idea wins or not, the act of proposing, discussing, and iterating is already making us a stronger, more innovative organization.”
The Internal Innovation Challenge also aligns with ATIIA’s broader 2025–2030 strategic roadmap, which emphasizes internal excellence as a prerequisite for external impact. The initiative reinforces ATIIA’s position not only as a thought leader in Australia’s technology sector, but also as an exemplary employer committed to cultivating creativity and ownership among its workforce.
Staff are reminded that the deadline for submission is June 28, 2025, via the ATIIA Internal Innovation Portal. The top entries will be formally recognized at the July Staff Town Hall, where the Association’s leadership will also announce a new internal innovation fund to support promising ideas on an ongoing basis.
For further details, submission guidelines, and templates, please visit the Innovation Challenge section of the internal portal or reach out to the HR Department.