From ideas to impact: Peter Farrell Cup

First published at Shaping Australia Awards by UNSW

Preparing students to thrive in their future careers is a key mission of all universities. At the University of New South Wales, however, the long-running ‘learning through doing’ event – the Peter Farrell Cup (PFC) – is taking that mission to the next level.

The PFC is a competitive idea, four-month innovative teaching program and covers phases from developing a new idea and pitching business ideas to a panel of judges to launching real businesses.  

In 2023, a cohort of 176 budding entrepreneurs across 62 teams through a 4-month journey of hands-on experiential learning, including access to an extensive mentor network and cutting-edge makerspace facilities.

From the 62 teams drawn from across the university, the spotlight ultimately fell on ten finalists, who showcased their groundbreaking ideas to an audience of 382 supporters during the eagerly anticipated finals night.

The PFC awarded cash prizes totaling $30,000 for standout ideas, such as an AI-driven storytelling app for child mental health and AI-powered robotic pets for older people. The diversity in ideas highlighted the program's success in fostering innovation and positive societal impact.