Today, Australian Research Council (ARC) Chief Executive Officer, Ms Judi Zielke PSM, announced the award of $24 million for 25 Mid-Career Industry Fellowships under the Industry Fellowships Program.
The Mid-Career Industry Fellowships scheme will help solve industry-defined challenges using the expertise and skills of researchers from both universities and industry.
Ms Zielke said the program supports industry-based researchers to partner with a university and university-based researchers to partner with a key industry partner - a company, government entity, or not-for-profit. The aim is to support mid-career researchers from both universities and industry to translate and transfer their research skills and knowledge into real world applications to deliver significant, actionable outcomes for industry partners, end-users, and the Australian community.
"For example, one of the ARC's fellowships awarded today will assist Australia's not-for-profit sector in aligning services for the disadvantaged more appropriately and at the right time for their clients. Another will build capacity in urban stormwater reuse to future-proof water supplies and reduce the demand on Australia's river system particularly during drought," said Ms. Zielke.
Awarded ARC Mid-Career Industry Fellowships include:
The University of New South Wales ($865,628): to improve Australia's resilience of water supplies by building capacity to reuse stormwater that is safe and fit for purpose at scale.
Western Sydney University ($1,043,792): to address the major knowledge gap around the distribution and migratory flyways of bogong moths. Bogong moths are of profound cultural, ecological, and economic importance to Australians.
The University of Queensland ($1,089,296): to provide knowledge and resources for the not-for-profit sector to help address barriers creating disadvantage by accessing the right services at the right time for their client's needs.
Monash University ($862,952): to produce enduring and usable Australian Indigenous language educational tools and resources that are of benefit to Indigenous communities, and other Australians.
The University of Western Australia ($1,049,904): to develop new cost-efficient, and sustainable fungal technologies to produce a range of high-value products such as pharmaceutical drugs, biopesticides, fine chemicals, and specialised food and health ingredients.
Additionally, as outlined in the ARC Strategy 2022-2025, the ARC is increasing engagement with researchers. As a result of listening to their needs, the ARC is trialling a new process under the Industry Fellowships Scheme by providing unsuccessful applicants with extra details about their results.
