Event Preview
GRX26 heads west with a sharper focus on action
GRX26 brings together global resource leaders in Perth to focus on practical innovation across the mining value chain
5 - 7 May 2026
Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre
www.grx.au
Main image credit: Hadean
GRX26, delivered by Austmine and AusIMM, builds on its Brisbane debut by tightening its focus to be less about innovation in theory, and putting more attention on what’s actually being deployed, scaled and paid for.
That shift shows up immediately in the speaker line-up. Former foreign minister Julie Bishop will discuss resource diplomacy at a time when critical minerals are as much about geopolitics as geology. Jason Crusan — formerly of NASA and now leading AROSE — brings a space-industry lens, showing how lunar extraction concepts are already feeding back into terrestrial mining.
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Across the three days, the program moves deliberately across the value chain, from AI-led exploration through to net zero mine development and the realities of getting product to market. Case studies such as Bellevue Gold’s push toward a net zero operation, alongside insights into Indigenous partnership models from companies like BHP and Byrnecut, keep the discussion anchored in the lived experiences within our industry.
IT²EC 2023 committee chair, Sanjay Khetia, said that across the conference, the emphasis will be on informed discussion on these topics, rather than simply the presentation of findings.
“We want to get down to the ‘so what’ level on these topics, which will be delivered by a greater focus on panel sessions, where discussion will inform not only what is happening in the training and simulation world, but how we respond to what is occurring, and what solutions we can deliver to support that response,” he said. “We do that by drawing in the multi-domain elements as reflected by the three conference pillars of Technologies and Architectures, Human Performance and Emerging Solutions.”
All of these different facets must be considered in order to adapt the way training is delivered for today’s battlefield.
“When assessing the delivery of training for a particular scenario - whatever it may be - we need to understand who we are training, what they are being trained for, and to what level,” Khetia said. “The level of fidelity required, the human factors that influence the individual being trained, and the technologies available to deliver the capability required – how to understand and adapt to these issues and formulate effective solutions, these are the core critical issues we aim to work through at IT²EC 2023.”
A format designed to get answers
GRX26 is also experimenting with how these conversations happen.
“Collaborative Conversations” will put miners, METS providers, investors and policymakers in the same room to work through specific challenges, then ask them to commit to tangible actions within 30 days. Meanwhile, “Fireside Chats” flip the usual panel dynamic, handing more control to the audience and steering discussion towards the questions people actually want answered.
Global Open Innovation Colab
GRX’s Global Open Innovation Colab challenge is a live accelerator built around one of the industry’s more stubborn problems: how to move from discovery to production faster, cheaper and with less environmental cost.
Following a highly competitive international application process, six companies have been selected to advance to the final stage of the challenge: ELEMISSION (Canada); DUNDEE Sustainable Technologies (Canada); IBT Robotic Systems (OptiClino, Australia); WIDMO (Poland); Ñandú (Chile) and Acceleware (Canada).
These finalists now enter a short, intensive runway — mentoring, pitch development and industry exposure — before presenting live on 7 May.
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The brief was left deliberately broad to attract creative solutions that span everything from AI-driven geological modelling and subsurface imaging to low-impact drilling and more integrated decision-making platforms. The common thread is around practicality: ideas will be judged not just on technical merit, but on whether they can actually be deployed at scale.
During the live pitch session, finalists will present directly to a room of operators, investors and potential partners, with the audience voting on the winner. The winner will receive A$10,000, in addition to the invaluable exposure across international partner networks and potential entry into the growing Latin American markets.
What else is on at GRX?
Around the core program, GRX26 keeps its broader ecosystem intact. There’s The Spark opening night, a Women in STEM Breakfast, executive roundtables and the AEMEE First Nations Innovation Hub, alongside more than 150 exhibitors and the Industry Awards Dinner.
At a time when the resources sector is under pressure, from supply chain demands to decarbonisation targets, the conversation is shifting from what innovation looks like, to how quickly it can be applied to solve problems.
For three days in Perth, GRX will put the right people in the room to start working on it.
To view the full program and register, visit www.grx.au
