More than $64.8 million in funding has been awarded to 8 new Australian Research Council (ARC) Industrial Transformation Training Centres and 5 new ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hubs to mentor and train Australia's next generation of research professionals, and to support partnerships between universities and industry that will generate real-world outcomes that are vital to Australia's economic growth.
Announcing the funding, ARC Chief Executive Officer Ms Judi Zielke PSM said that the funding, awarded under the ARC's Industrial Transformation Research Program, will provide innovative research benefits, new products and commercial opportunities for Australia.
"These new ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centres and Research Hubs will allow Australia's best researchers to engage with critical industry partners to address current and future challenges faced by industrial sectors," Ms Zielke said.
"They will also facilitate outstanding Higher Degree by Research and Postdoctoral training to equip an industry-ready workforce, strengthening Australia's wider research capability nationally and internationally."
Universities and industry organisations will also provide over $227 million in additional funding for the new ARC Training Centres, as well as over $78 million for the new ARC Research Hubs, which will help increase collaboration between innovative researchers and industries vital to Australia's social and economic future.
These contributions will allow researchers and students to access the latest technology, facilities, and to collaborate with leading industry experts to develop transformative solutions across government in Industrial Transformation Priority areas, such as Recycling and Clean Energy, and Advanced Manufacturing.
The 8 new ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centres commencing in 2023 are:
- ARC Training Centre for Automated Vehicles in Rural and Remote Regions ($5m): Led by Professor Sebastien Glaser, Queensland University of Technology
- ARC Training Centre for Whole Life Design of Carbon Neutral Infrastructure ($5m): Led by Professor Chun-Qing Li, RMIT University
- ARC Training Centre in Predictive Breeding for Agricultural Futures ($5m): Led by Professor Lee Hickey, The University of Queensland
- ARC Training Centre in Plant Biosecurity ($5m): Led by Professor Peter Solomon, The Australian National University
- ARC Training Centre in Critical Resources for the Future ($5m): Led by Professor Marco Fiorentini, The University of Western Australia
- ARC Training Centre for Radiation Innovation ($4.99m): Led by Professor Mahananda Dasgupta, The Australian National University
- ARC Training Centre for Battery Recycling ($5m): Led by Professor Shizhang Qiao, The University of Adelaide
- ARC Training Centre for Radiochemical Technologies and Precision Radiopharmaceuticals ($5m): Led by Professor Andrea Robinson, Monash University
The 5 new ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hubs commencing in 2023 are:
- ARC Research Hub in Zero-emission Power Generation for Carbon Neutrality ($5m): Led by Professor Zhi-Gang Chen, Queensland University of Technology
- ARC Research Hub for Engineering Plants to Replace Fossil Carbon ($4.93m): Led by Professor Robert Henry, The University of Queensland
- ARC Research Hub for Smart Process Design and Control ($5m): Led by Professor Aibing Yu, Monash University
- ARC Research Hub for Value-Added Processing of Underutilised Carbon Waste ($4.96m): Led by Professor Lian Zhang, Monash University
- ARC Research Hub for Future Digital Manufacturing ($5m): Led by Professor Dimitrios Georgakopoulos, Swinburne University of Technology
