Connecting researchers to benefit Australia

26 February 2018

Connecting researchers to benefit Australia

New research collaborations will now get underway to bring tangible outcomes to Australians, including development of 3D-printed materials for the vision impaired, improved grain crop production through better weed control, and innovations in advanced composite paints.

Australian Research Council (ARC) Chief Executive Officer, Professor Sue Thomas, said six successful new research projects totalling $1.9 million were announced today by Minister for Education and Training, Senator the Hon. Simon Birmingham, under the ARC Linkage Projects scheme.  

“The ARC’s Linkage Projects scheme provides support for researchers in our universities to collaborate with other parts of the innovation system, including industry partners,” said Professor Thomas.

“Together with their research and innovation partners, university-based researchers are able to work towards practical solutions to problems and challenges in a ‘real world’ setting.

“These six projects will involve cash and in-kind support of a further $2.9 million from 17 partner organisations, in addition to the Australian Government funding support.”

The six new projects awarded funding today are:

• $301,254 for Dr Michael Morrison at The Flinders University of South Australia—collaborating with the Trustee for the Western Cape Communities Trust; Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation; Napranum Aboriginal Shire Council; and Queensland Museum—to trace historical Indigenous foodways in colonial Cape York Peninsula for greater insight into cultural values and the history of our society.
• $406,665 for Professor Julie Ratcliffe at the University of South Australia—collaborating with Ech Inc; Uniting (NSW, ACT); Uniting Agewell Victoria; Helping Hand Aged Care Inc; Presbyterian Aged Care—to develop a new ‘quality-of-life’ instrument that will improve the care and wellbeing of older Australians.
• $223,507 for Professor Kimbal Marriott at Monash University—collaborating with the Department of Education and Training (Victoria); Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities Inc; Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children; Guide Dogs Victoria; Royal Society for the Blind of South Australia Inc—to investigate the benefits of 3D printed accessible materials for vision-impaired children and adults.
• $350,000 for Associate Professor Xuchuan Jiang at Monash University—collaborating with Rika Technology Co Ltd—to develop innovative techniques to produce new advanced paint composites that will have diverse applications, including self-cleaning paints, and lead to economic growth in the mineral industry.
• $256,551 for Professor Elizabeth Webster at Swinburne University of Technology—collaborating with IP Australia—to create new neural-network machine-learning algorithms to better understand how scientific knowledge progresses and identify new technologies and potential collaborators.
• $358,107 for Professor Stephen Powles at The University of Western Australia—collaborating with Nurafarm Australia Ltd—to better understand trifluralin herbicide resistance in annual ryegrass to improve Australian grain production and soil conservation.

The ARC accepts proposals under the Linkage Projects scheme on a continuous basis—with successful grants announced throughout the year.
More details about all Linkage Projects announced today are available from the ARC website.

Media contact
ARC Stakeholder Relations              
0412 623 056 or communications@arc.gov.au