The first annual IDEATE Summit was held in Canberra, on the Australian National University campus, on Monday 1 and Tuesday 2 September 2025 in the Birch Innovation Space in Building #35. The schedule is still online, if you’d like to see what we discussed.
The second IDEATE Summit will be held in Melbourne, on the RMIT campus in the city, on Tuesday 1 and Wednesday 2 September 2026.
Subscribe to our extremely irregular newsletter to hear news of the dates and locations for the 2026 Summit once they’re decided!
Each year, the Summit brings together leaders from universities teaching technology courses like computer science and engineering, such as:
- heads of schools or colleges;
- deans or associate deans of education; and
- diversity, equity and inclusion leaders.
Leaders from industry partners also join us at the Summit. Industry engagement helps shape the way courses — especially introductory courses — are modified to be more inclusive, and develop the skills graduates need to succeed in their professional careers.
The Summit is an opportunity to work together on:
- understanding the current state of diversity in university technology courses;
- sharing lessons learned and putting success stories into context for initiatives across universities; and
- collaborating on ways to overcome barriers to inclusive learning, or to recruiting greater diversity among students and staff.
As the program grows, these Summits form the basis for developing online resources that help Australian universities meet their commitments, and increase the pipeline of skilled, diverse technology professionals in industry.
Summit Program
The 2026 Summit will focus on how we can improve first year computer science and software engineering courses. We want students to succeed in their studies, have a great experience, and stay on track to graduate with a digital tech major.
Rather than a traditional presentation followed by Q&A, most sessions will be workshops or labs, engaging attendees in actively working together on solutions that achieve our shared goals.
Reception event
A networking event will be held on Tuesday 1 September 2026 at the end of the day’s sessions.
Talk with colleagues about what has sparked your interest in the day’s sessions over canapés and mocktails.
VIP dinner
Steering Committee members, heads of school or college at partner universities, and nominated representatives from industry partners will be invited to a VIP dinner on Monday 31 August 2026.