Adelaide wins $2.5 million for industry-linked research

Partners in research (from left): Dr David Lewis (Chemical Engineering, University of Adelaide), Mr Gerald Barker (General Manager, SQC Pty Ltd) and Associate Professor Peter Ashman (Chemical Engineering, University of Adelaide). More than $2.5 million in industry-linked research was today awarded to the University of Adelaide.
Photo by David Ellis.
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Wednesday, 23 June 2010

Researchers at the University of Adelaide have today been awarded more than $2.5 million in Federal funding for new projects that span the fields of health, environment and ecology, mining, engineering and communications.

Nine new studies, which involve collaboration with industry and government, have been announced for the University of Adelaide in Round 2 of the Australian Research Council's (ARC) Linkage Projects scheme.

In addition to the $2.5 million awarded by the government, the winning projects also stand to collectively receive almost $4.8 million in cash and in-kind contributions from collaborative partners, including industry.

"Today's funding announcement demonstrates the University of Adelaide's continued success in conducting research in collaboration with industry and government," says the University's Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Mike Brooks.

"These new projects will benefit both industry and the community. They will be conducted by leading staff across a number of our key research institutes, including the Environment Institute and the Institute for Mineral and Energy Resources."

The biggest grant awarded to the University of Adelaide today is $460,000 to chief investigator Dr David Lewis and Associate Professor Peter Ashman (School of Chemical Engineering) for research into clean biofuel from microalgae.

In partnership with South Australian-based technology development company SQC Pty Ltd and Flinders University, Dr Lewis and colleagues will develop processes to produce renewable energy from microalgae grown in open saline ponds.

"Our work will lead to the sustainable production of commercial quantities of clean biofuels," Dr Lewis says.

"Renewable energy is an essential part of Australia's low greenhouse gas emissions energy target and is central to energy security. The development of microalgal energy will help Australia to reduce greenhouse gas and will provide benefits to energy industry."

SQC Chairman Mr Ollie Clark AM says: "We're delighted with today's announcement. The research being conducted in this project will add considerably to the biofuels expertise here in South Australia, and the outcomes will be very important to the energy future of the state. We look forward to continuing our work with the universities on this initiative."

The other successful projects and funding announced today are:

• $255,880 to Professor Annette Braunack-Mayer (School of Population Health and Clinical Practice) - Optimising intersectoral collaboration between the health and education sectors
  
• $230,000 to Dr Michael Sheng (School of Computer Science) - Managing uncertainty in RFID traceability networks
  
• $192,000 to Dr David Kelsey (School of Earth & Environmental Sciences) - Constraining conditions and timing of orogeny and reworking in the west Musgrave Province
  
• $430,000 to Dr Frank Reith (School of Earth & Environmental Sciences) - Development of biosensors and bioindicators for gold exploration and processing in Australia
  
• $400,000 to Dr Carl Howard (School of Mechanical Engineering) - Ultrasound for control of cyanobacteria
  
• $104,000 to Associate Professor Matthew Roughan (School of Mathematical Sciences) - Autoconfiguration of critical network infrastructure
  
• $320,000 to Professor Andrew Austin (School of Earth & Environmental Sciences) - Biodiversity and population genetics of groundwater calcrete ecosystems of central Western Australia
  
• $130,000 to Associate Professor Frank Grutzner (School of Molecular & Biomedical Science) - Development of a diagnostic microarray to detect aneuploidy in single cells

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