Europe

A collaborative project that will prototype controlled-environment-agriculture systems for Low Earth Orbit, involving the University of Adelaide’s ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space (P4S) and led by UK company Vertical Future, is set to receive $3 million in funding. The project, also supported by the Australian Space Agency and NASA, is aimed at delivering a fully autonomous agriculture system to the world’s first commercial space station. Constructed by Axiom, the space station is due to be in orbit by 2026.

“This collaboration will design plant growth systems that can work autonomously. It will help us to deliver our aims of enabling long-term space habitation, and utilise the technology we develop to improve sustainability of food, medicine, and material production on Earth,” said Professor Matthew Gilliham, P4S Director.

The University of Adelaide hosts the Australian-French International Research Laboratory (IRL) for Humans-Autonomous Agents Teaming (CROSSING), which is focused on developing new ways for humans to work with robots and autonomous systems.

CROSSING is a partnership between the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), the University of Adelaide, Flinders University, the University of South Australia, IMT Atlantique, and Naval Group. It is one of only five industry-linked CNRS IRLs in the world, and the first of its kind in Australia.

Research at the CROSSING Lab is focused on artificial intelligence, computer science, engineering, technology, human factors and psychology, and will directly contribute to the development of hi-tech industries such as space, manufacturing, and mining.

Outcomes from this research could provide significant advances in the way operators use control systems on ships, maintenance platforms in industry, or services to assist within the home, and the way these systems are developed to assist and improve human performance to make work safer and more efficient.

The Digital Security Study Tour to Estonia is part of a collaborative research project between the University of Adelaide and the Tallin University of Technology (TalTech).

During this tour, students participate in active cyber security exercises and meet with key government officials and leading cyber security research and development teams in the private sector in Estonia - a post-Soviet powerhouse in digital government and operational cyber security. Students also attend a Cyber Security Summer School organised through TalTech and have extensive opportunities to collaborate on research projects with Estonian colleagues.

The University of Adelaide has developed a close partnership with French 3D experience company Dassault Systèmes (DS) to enhance the focus of its curriculum on digital technologies and support innovative collaboration in cutting-edge research and education. Dassault Systèmes’ South Australian regional centre is co-located on the University’s North Terrace campus, and is the first Dassault Systèmes’ office to be established at an Australian university. 

Since the partnership began in 2018, approximately 1,500 students each year use the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to undertake digital design, simulation, collaboration and project management across a range of courses from first year through to honours engineering and higher degree research projects.

The University of Adelaide has Joint PhD Programs in Europe with the University of Nottingham, UK, and the University of Freiburg (UFR), Germany. 

Pharmacist Dr Laurine Kaul, recently graduated with a jointly-awarded PhD from the University of Adelaide and UFR in medical specialties and pharmaceutical technology.

“As both universities offer different experiences during a PhD, the Joint PhD is the perfect opportunity to gain a variety of skills and knowledge. I learned how to write grants, was given many opportunities to win awards, build collaborations and do lab visits at the University of Adelaide, while I was involved in the teaching process, supervised undergraduate students, and developed industry connections at the University of Freiburg.

“This Joint PhD has inspired me to continue my career in research and I have now started my own research group at the University of Freiburg. I only obtained this position because I did a Joint PhD and could show that I have international experience, previously established collaborations, and experience working in multiple research fields.”

An international research team, including scientists from the University of Adelaide, has found evidence of human occupation in Europe almost 10,000 years earlier than previously documented, a discovery that stands to rewrite modern human and Neanderthal histories on the continent.

An international team of scientists, led by researchers from the University of Adelaide and University of Copenhagen, has examined past warming events similar to those anticipated in the coming decades to better understand how species and ecosystems will cope. 

In a world-first, 3D holographic images of an embryo have been developed as part of a collaborative research project between the University of Adelaide and University of St Andrews. Optical technologies hold immense promise to unravel the metabolism and health of an embryo, with this gentle, non-invasive approach potentially leading to improved IVF success.

Researchers from the University of Adelaide and the Radboud University Medical Centre in the Netherlands have repurposed an arthritis drug to restrict the use of antibiotics in the treatment of side effects caused by blood cancer, including leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma.

The University of Adelaide, in collaboration with the Australia Cyber Collaboration Centre (Aus3C) and local businesses in the cybersecurity industry, have been working together to prepare for Australia’s participation in Locked Shields 2024, run through the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn, Estonia.

This annual exercise – the world’s largest and most complex international live-fire cyber exercise - enables cyber security experts to enhance their skills in defending national IT systems and critical infrastructure under real-time attacks.

Australia first participated in this initiative in 2023 through the Partner Run. The function of the Partner Run is to test the Game Day scenario, systems and technology before the main event. The Partner Run is a crucial component of the full-scale exercise and many of the teams in the Partner Run train for up to six months.

A University of Adelaide and Oxford University study has discovered asbestos exposure led to a higher incidence of asbestos-related lung cancers in British and Australian naval personnel than in other armed forces.

An international team of experts, including scientists from the University of Adelaide and Utrecht University in the Netherlands, reviewed almost 1000 studies on the effects of climate change and extreme weather events on rivers around the world, finding an overall negative effect on water quality.