Grants & Opportunities

Planet Chicken: Chemical Entanglements in Asia's Poultry Boom . This project aims to study the effects of Asia’s rapidly expanding chicken meat industry on environmental degradation, social inequality, public health and animal welfare. Agricultural chemicals and veterinary drugs saturate this industry, with little regulation or data on types, quantities and applications. Deploying interdisciplinary methods at key nodes of the chicken value chain in India, Thailand and Vietnam, this study will 1) examine practices and market structures that shape chemical use and 2) uncover chemical presence and socio-ecological impacts. The project intends to expose how toxicity, biodiversity, and health interact with global food systems and to propose interventions for effective governance of factory farming in Asia.. Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4499 - Other Human Society. Lead: Prof Sango Mahanty

Bioinspired photoreceptor and smart neural mimicking technologies. The project aims to address fundamental questions regarding bioinspired artificial photoreceptors and neural-mimicking technologies that precisely mimic light capture abilities of photoreceptors, processing of retinal ganglion cells and functionalities in neurons. This is expected to generate new fundamental and applied knowledge in bioengineered optoelectronic systems. Expected outcomes of the project include new materials with tailored properties at an atomic level for dynamic control of current under different light stimulus wavelengths. This should provide significant benefits such as new advanced materials driven smart architectures that overcome limitations of solid-state systems for next generation of smart technologies. . Scheme: Discovery Projects. Field: 4018 - Nanotechnology. Lead: Prof Sumeet Walia

Federated Omniverse Facilities for Smart Digital Futures. A world-first trans-disciplinary, -domain, and -institutional smart 3D omniverse R&D ecosystem AuVerse will be built in NSW, affiliated with Queensland, and accessible to academia and industry. AuVerse will support cloud-based, reality-virtuality-fused, immersive, interactive and secure future-oriented digital design, development, training and society. In the new era of digital innovation and paradigm shift, AuVerse will substantially boost Australia’s pivotal research leadership and business competitiveness in nurturing new-generation, collaborative and transformative digital R&D and talent pipeline. It will enable large-scale strategic business innovation and transformation including smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0.. Scheme: Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities. Field: 4605 - Data Management and Data Science. Lead: Prof Longbing Cao

AI Assisted Continuous Flow Electrochemistry for Pharmaceutical Manufacture. This project aims to develop new chemical manufacturing processes for pharmaceutical products. In collaboration with Sun Pharma, it will tackle the challenge of replacing expensive and toxic chemicals in industrial reactions, to lower cost of manufacturing and improve its sustainability profile. Central to the realisation of this ambition is the use of electrocatalysis, machine learning and implementation of advanced continuous flow methods. These electricity- and technology-driven reactions will develop new strategies for the generation of important classes of molecules relevant to the Australia’s pharmaceutical sector, as well as their manufacture at industrially relevant scales.. Scheme: Linkage Projects. Field: 3405 - Organic Chemistry. Lead: A/Prof Anastasios Polyzos

Advanced protective coatings for thermal energy management devices. This project aims to develop new nanomaterial coatings and advanced plasma coating technology to address the global issue of e-waste caused by short lifespan thermal energy management devices (TEMDs) used in energy (solar, wind, oil), transport (aerospace, automotive, marine) and industrial (manufacturing, mining) sectors. The project expects to overcome issues of erosion and corrosion of TEMDs and toxic coating methods by developing new nanomaterial coatings and innovative plasma coating technology. This should provide significant benefits such as improved sustainability of TEMDs with improved corrosion resistance and durability, as well as new manufacturing products and processes that have far reaching economic benefits for Australia.. Scheme: Linkage Projects. Field: 4018 - Nanotechnology. Lead: Prof Weiwei Lei

Accelerating pulse breeding using machine learning. Advances in genomics and high throughput phenotyping are generating vast quantities of data that can be applied for crop improvement, however the lack of computational analysis tools and approaches limits the full exploitation of this data. Pulse legumes are currently under utilised in Australian agriculture due to poor adaptation, however they offer significant benefits both for soil improvement and the production of high protein crops. This project will develop machine learning (ML) tools for the analysis of pulse legume crop traits and their association with genomic variation to accelerate the breeding of high performance pulse legumes for Australian growers.. Scheme: Linkage Projects. Field: 3001 - Agricultural Biotechnology. Lead: Prof David Edwards

High Quality-of-Experience Real-time Video for Smart Online Shopping. This project aims to develop high quality-of-experience real-time video systems for smart shopping applications by devising new deep-neural-network-enhanced video delivery schemes. It will generate new knowledge of combined AI and network solutions to achieve high-quality and low-latency real-time video delivery, addressing unsatisfactory user experience intrinsically caused by network delay and bandwidth. Fundamental principles and an all-in-one platform will be developed to address research problems and the industrial partner’s practical problems. It will significantly benefit all shopping businesses and their customers in Australia, as well as all other video-related services (e.g., online education, video conferencing, etc.).. Scheme: Linkage Projects. Field: 4611 - Machine Learning. Lead: A/Prof Wei Bao

Upcycling of mixed plastics from bioprocessed municipal solid waste. This project aims to develop a scalable catalytic process that can sustainably upcycle mixed plastics from bioprocessed municipal solid waste into hydrogen and valuable carbon nanotube products. The process will integrate pyrolysis, reforming, and carbon growth technology into a single reactor, enabled by the rational design of multifunctional catalysts. Through computational process simulation and optimization, life cycle analysis, and techno-economic assessment, investment and operational costs at larger scale are anticipated to be greatly reduced. By mitigating mixed waste plastics from going to landfills, the project will also provide significant benefits to clean energy production and advanced material manufacturing in Australia. . Scheme: Linkage Projects. Field: 4016 - Materials Engineering. Lead: Prof Yijiao Jiang

Finding the targets of natural products in complex botanical extracts. Many plants are used for nutritional and traditional medicine purposes and have demonstrated, evidence based effects. However, standard methods to identify single chemical compounds responsible for the observed effects fail as they rely on a single compound having a single target and ignore the overall effects of many interacting compounds on many targets. In this application we propose a new method to simultaneously identify the molecular targets of many compounds in complex plant extracts, along with their subsequent validation by responses in gene expression to the plant extract. This research will revolutionise understanding of the nutritional and medicinal effects of plants and will allow our partners to accelerate commercialisation. . Scheme: Linkage Projects. Field: 3405 - Organic Chemistry. Lead: Prof David Adelson

Enhancing outcomes for young people in out-of-home care who self-place. This project aims to enhance the safety and well-being of young people in out-of-home care who leave formal placements to stay in unapproved locations. The significance lies in the development of new knowledge with this group of young people about their needs and of factors shaping effective responses to them. Expected outcomes include the generation of policies and practices to reduce the drivers of young people leaving approved placements and to address the support and protective needs of young people when staying in unapproved locations. The benefits include improved social and economic inclusion of young people in out-of-home care and reduced socio-economic burdens on health and justice systems associated with placement breakdown. . Scheme: Linkage Projects. Field: 4409 - Social Work. Lead: Dr Jemma Venables

The Intended and Unintended Impact of Policy for Adaptive Policy Management. The project aims to advance knowledge about the intended and unintended consequences of policy on health and well-being. It expects to innovate through new methods and novel data to integrate policy evaluation into the policy cycle in a timely fashion to prevent harm from occurring. It also leverages technology to track policy effects in real time. Expected outcomes of this project include new knowledge and enhanced policy infrastructure using new methods and interdisciplinary approaches. Significant benefits include improvements to: (1) policy management by government departments; (2) the health and wellbeing of the Australians they serve; (3) our Partners' capacity to consult governments on how technology can assist policy management. . Scheme: Linkage Projects. Field: 3801 - Applied Economics. Lead: Dr Anna Zhu

Snails to the rescue! Conservation of Australia’s island invertebrates. This project aims to deliver an exemplar industry network model for conservation on Australia’s islands which are hotspots both of biodiversity and of extinctions. Protecting species on islands is therefore key to securing Australia’s biodiversity. We will secure Norfolk Island's 60 species of land snails via in situ and ex situ conservation with six key industry partners. The project expects to unite conservation actions across research, governments, and industry. Expected outcomes of this project include Norfolk Island emerging as a leader in global conservation. This should provide significant benefits such as a model for conservation that is applicable to thousands of isolated, range-restricted invertebrate species across Australia.. Scheme: Linkage Projects. Field: 4104 - Environmental Management. Lead: A/Prof Kate Umbers

Developing a Step Change in Bulk Material Handling and Transportation. Every ton of bulk material (Iron Ore, Coal, Copper and Gold Ore, etc) exported from Australia, at some stage, is transported by belt conveyors. This project will deliver a step change improvement to conveying technology and halve the energy used to handle and transport our most valuable export commodities. The new technology merges the benefits of both belt conveying technology and rail to produce a continuous low rolling resistance bulk material transportation system. Advanced models and novel experimental equipment will be developed to model this new innovative system to ensure safe, efficient and reliable design.. Scheme: Mid-Career Industry Fellowships. Field: 4017 - Mechanical Engineering. Lead: Prof Craig Wheeler

Digital Disability Inclusion: design lessons from COVID-19 . This project aims to understand the impact of inclusively designed digital media and communication on Australians with disability. Significant new knowledge about the innovative designs and methodologies developed during the COVID-19 pandemic is expected. Expected outcomes include codesigned digital inclusion protocols, guidelines, and communication strategies. It should benefit people with disability, disability organisations, media and government by creating a roadmap to ensure COVID-19 digital innovations are translated to improve digital inclusion and meet Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-31 priorities. . Scheme: Mid-Career Industry Fellowships. Field: 4701 - Communication and Media Studies. Lead: Prof Kathleen Ellis

Unlocking the potential for winemaking applications of membrane filtration. The methods currently used to achieve clarification and stabilisation of wine are slow, energy intensive, and waste wine. New methods that ‘finish’ wine rapidly, with higher recovery rates, and reduced waste and input costs are therefore needed. This project aims to drive profitability in the Australian wine sector by accelerating the uptake and adoption of membrane filtration as an innovative alternative to unsustainable winemaking practices. A key driver of the success achieved by our wine industry has been the application of modern technology to an otherwise traditional product category. To remain successful, industry requires new knowledge, new technical solutions, and a well-educated workforce – these are key outcomes of this project.. Scheme: Mid-Career Industry Fellowships. Field: 3008 - Horticultural Production. Lead: Prof Kerry Wilkinson

Building public trust in technologies to secure Australia’s water future. This project aims to identify the most workable solutions to the challenge of explaining why new water-related technologies are needed to guarantee the prosperity and health of the Australian community. We expect to understand the key features that drive public trust and acceptance of wastewater monitoring, as well as the purification of recycled water. Both offer important public benefits but carry with them the risk of community backlash. Using leading-edge, economic techniques the project’s outcome will be the development of the first tool for predicting public trust in water technologies. Expected benefits from the project include more affordable and sustainable urban water supplies and protection of community health and wellbeing.. Scheme: Mid-Career Industry Fellowships. Field: 3801 - Applied Economics. Lead: Dr Bethany Cooper

Designing innovative, eco-friendly materials for renewable energy storage. This project will advance Australian’s energy storage capability by developing safe, eco-friendly, and affordable materials for battery technology. The project addresses a significant gap in battery materials for Australia by delivering high-performance materials that excel in harsh conditions, including high temperatures, while delivering significant energy storage capacity and rapid discharge capabilities. The expected outcomes include developing new batteries that reduce environmental impact and avoid the use of expensive and exotic metals, that can be better utilized for energy storage under Australian conditions. This will provide significant benefits to the renewable energy sector and contribute to Australia’s transition to net zero.. Scheme: Early Career Industry Fellowships. Field: 4004 - Chemical Engineering. Lead: Dr Faezeh Makhlooghiazad

New methods to protect honey bees from Varroa destructor mites. The most destructive pest of the honey bee is the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. This pest arrived in Australia in 2022 and eradication efforts failed in September 2023. We must now manage this pest if Australia’s honey bee industries are to survive. The aim of this project is to develop a new chemical free mite control method. In collaboration with two beekeeping companies this project will exploit a specific sensitivity of the mite to heat to create a heat based control method for commercial hives. The outcome will be a new robust method for mite control to enhance bee hive health and management. This will benefit sustainable apiculture in Australia which is vital for both pollination of food crops and honey production.. Scheme: Early Career Industry Fellowships. Field: 3003 - Animal Production. Lead: Dr Théotime Colin

Developing open energy system modelling to drive rapid decarbonisation. Abundant renewable and natural resources present a unique opportunity for Australia to become an economic superpower, as the global economy decarbonises. There is an urgent need for comprehensive modelling tools capable of providing the analytic insights necessary for decision makers across Australian policy and industry to realise this opportunity. This project will provide this in partnership with The Superpower Institute, a non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting Australia’s energy transition. Through producing models for exploring transition pathways, and authoritative analysis on these, this project aims to help decision makers in Australia maximise the economic opportunities presented by realising rapid decarbonisation. . Scheme: Early Career Industry Fellowships. Field: 4008 - Electrical Engineering. Lead: Dr Dylan McConnell

Innovative Strategies for Crafting Precision Kinase Inhibitors. Protein kinases are key regulators of cellular signaling, playing a pivotal role in diverse biological processes. However, most protein kinase inhibitors target a common binding site, leading to undesired effects on other kinases. This project aims to create highly selective protein kinase inhibitors by using structural biology to pinpoint unique interactions in the peptide-binding site. Using medicinal chemistry, we will enhance kinase selectivity of existing potent but non-selective inhibitors, and will validate their cellular pharmacology. Our innovative approach will be broadly applicable to diverse protein kinases of interest to academia and industry, and in the future will support the development of new drugs by Australian companies.. Scheme: Linkage Projects. Field: 3404 - Medicinal and Biomolecular Chemistry. Lead: Prof Spencer Williams

Multifunctional Structural FRP Panels Incorporating Recycled Plastic Waste. The project aims to develop fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP)-based structural panels that incorporate recycled plastic composite (RPC). This project expects to identify the manufacturing processes to innovate RPC as a construction material. Sustainable panel systems will develop by utilising RPC and/or stiffeners as the inner core with a strong outer made from FRP. The expected outcomes include innovative RPC, experimental validation, numerical optimisation, design guidelines and field investigation for the panel system to adopt this new panel technology. The panel systems will increase our plastic recycling capacity in Australia. The RPC and panel systems present a step change in construction technology and sustainable infrastructure.. Scheme: Linkage Projects. Field: 4005 - Civil Engineering. Lead: Prof Scott Smith

ARC Research Hub for Molecular Biosensors at Point-of-Use (MOBIUS). The Hub’s primary goal is to accelerate the growth of Australia's emerging biosensing industry. It aims to bridge the gap between university research and industry, while also nurturing future leaders in the field. This initiative will significantly enhance the Australian biotechnology sector, focusing on increasing production capacity and establishing new sovereign capability. Traditionally limited to healthcare, point-of-need biosensing technologies will now find uses in agriculture, food production, defence, biosecurity, and environmental protection. This expansion is expected to yield significant economic advantages and societal benefits through the accessibility of new, transformative technologies across key employment areas. . Scheme: Industrial Transformation Research Hubs. Field: 3401 - Analytical Chemistry. Lead: Prof Conor Hogan

Cat management guided by Country. The project aims to understand the seasonal variation in feral cat ecology and management effectiveness on the Tiwi Islands—where cats are rapidly eroding biodiversity values. Working with Tiwi Traditional Owners, the project plans to deeply embed Indigenous perspectives in the design and implementation of a cat management program. The project expects to deliver new knowledge of feral cat ecology and management effectiveness, and provide a framework for planning, communicating and evaluating management that is culturally meaningful to Indigenous managers. This should improve the uptake, effectiveness and longevity of feral animal management—and therefore enhance biodiversity conservation—on Indigenous lands.. Scheme: Linkage Projects. Field: 4102 - Ecological Applications. Lead: Prof Brett Murphy

Identifying sources of contaminants of concern entering Australian sewers. This project aims to identify and quantify sources of contaminants of concern entering Australian sewer systems by mapping industrial inputs into catchments. A world-first systematic sampling and archiving program will be established for trade waste, combined with an ongoing analytical program to profile chemical contaminants linked to industry. The project will also determine baselines for domestic inputs and associated chemical fingerprints. Comparing domestic and industrial inputs will aid in identifying the main polluters in a catchment that is critical to designing the best source control options. This forms the basis for effectively reducing releases of chemical contaminants into wastewater treatment plants and receiving environments.. Scheme: Linkage Projects. Field: 4011 - Environmental Engineering. Lead: Prof Jochen Mueller

Transforming incident investigation in safety-critical industries. Psychosocial risks are ever-present in safety-critical industries, impacting physical and psychological safety and inhibiting organisational learning. This novel project will characterise investigation trauma as a new and insidious class of hazard, and identify ways to tackle investigations in safety-critical industries that would lead to improved safety and less traumatisation. Outcomes of this interdisciplinary project will provide government and decision-makers with evidence to support uptake of strategies that promote both physical and psychosocial safety. It will provide significant benefits for the many working Australians who start their day fearful of incidents and end it fearful of investigation if something goes wrong.. Scheme: ARC Future Fellowships. Field: 5201 - Applied and Developmental Psychology. Lead: Prof Anjum Naweed