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THIS year's Bendigo Inventor Awards will aim to bring global recognition to the city in the emergency service sector, the new chair says.
Entrants will be required to develop inventions and innovations that help with challenges faced by emergency service personnel in Australia and globally.
Paul Chapman said he wanted Bendigo to be known as a "centre of excellence" for innovation and inventions when it came to the emergency service sector, whether it be police, firies, paramedics or disaster relief.
Mr Chapman said the reason for the new slant was to create a point of difference.
"Inventor and innovation awards often cover a broad sector or a number of different categories for example, agriculture, sustainability, environmental and manufacturing," he said.
"What we wanted and what we decided was to hang our hat on one thing alone. Something that was relevant to the region, something that people could easily connect with and would like to be associated with."
The awards continue to attract strong interest, with 85 entries in last year's competition.
Mr Chapman said an entry into last year's awards prevented motorists from locking their vehicles while there was life form inside, whether it be a human or animal.
The concept was designed by Girton Grammar School student Xavier Dole. He said it was a perfect example of what the BIA was looking for.
"If you think about it that's an emergency service situation. Not long after his idea we have seen tragic events where people have perished in cars, not willingly but just accidents," he said.
Mr Chapman encouraged prospective entrants to put on their thinking caps.
"People all around the world want to make things, make things better and do things in better ways. People in businesses and organisations see shortcomings in their workplaces," he said.
"Let's take firefighter, they know they would like to do things better if they had a better product. Things could be done more quickly, some things could be done with less people involved.
"It's all about continually improving people's jobs so we can deliver better health outcomes and save people's lives. Everybody is connected."
For more information about the awards, visit www.bendigo.vic.gov.au