North America

The University of California, Davis (UC Davis) and the University of Adelaide have enjoyed a long-standing and productive partnership. This partnership began through the University of Adelaide’s Department of Wine and Food Science and UC Davis’ Department of Enology and Viticulture, and has expanded in more recent years to include several other disciplines, such as plant sciences, law, and biosciences.

Since 2019, University of Adelaide researchers have collaborated on 85 research publications with UC Davis researchers. More recently, UC Davis and University of Adelaide researchers were part of an international team which identified a new gene variant in a type of rice that can be modified to improve the performance of the crop. UC Davis is also an international partner in the University of Adelaide-led Centre for Excellence in Plants for Space.

The University of Adelaide is proud of its collaborative research and engagement partnership with NASA, which has included the launch of a University of Adelaide-built satellite by NASA from Cape Canaveral and collaboration between the two institutes on 99 publications since 2019.

NASA is also a key partner in the University of Adelaide-led Centre for Excellence in Plants 4 Space (P4S). P4S is Australia’s contribution to NASA's Artemis accords, with P4S and NASA partnering to develop complete nutrition solutions and on-demand bioproduction technologies that are needed by humans in deep space to break dependence upon resupply.

NASA has recently announced the selection of three new lunar surface science experiments as part of its Artemis III mission, including the Lunar Dielectric Analyzer, which will search for lunar ice and other volatiles with input from the University of Adelaide’s Andy Thomas Centre for Space Resources.

The University of Adelaide is co-leading creation of the world’s first definitive legal text on conflict in space alongside the University of Nebraska, the University of Exeter, and the University of New South Wales.

The Woomera Manual on the International Law of Military Space Activities and Operations is an international research project that will become the definitive document on military and security law as it applies to space.

In recent years, University of Adelaide students have visited the University of Nebraska as part of the Space Law and National Security Tour, and University of Nebraska students have visited the University of Adelaide as part of a study tour to Australia, with students studying an international law course at the University of Adelaide Law School.

The University of Adelaide’s Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Microsoft to jointly explore how advanced cloud computing, AI, computer vision, and machine learning can be applied in space, beyond Earth’s surface.

Project AI Off Earth will conduct modelling, emulation and simulation of complex space operations and systems, build algorithms for on-board satellite data processing, develop solutions for the remote operation and optimisation of satellites, constellations and swarms, and address space domain awareness and debris monitoring.

AIML and Microsoft also intend to use Project AI Off Earth to advocate for STEM careers, advise on structuring STEM traineeships and scholarships, and encourage greater participation by women, underprivileged groups and underrepresented groups.

The University of Alberta is one of the University of Adelaide’s key partners, with the two institutions enjoying a long-standing and productive relationship focused on law, health and medical sciences, Indigenous studies, and resource economics.

Aside from established staff and student exchange programs, the University of Adelaide has also collaborated with researchers from the University of Alberta to produce over 480 co-publications since 2020.

The University of Alberta is a key partner in the University of Adelaide’s Fay Gale Centre for Research on Gender, and was one of the successful applicants in the University of Adelaide’s 2023 Global Partnership Seed Funding Program for its Foundation relationships for Global First Nations Community of Practice initiative.

This initiative between the two universities will establish a Global First Nations Community of Practice – the first of its kind for the University of Adelaide – which will facilitate information sharing between the two institutions celebrating First Nations knowledge.

University of Adelaide researchers will conduct a clinical trial to help determine the most beneficial dose of steroids for babies born pre-term.

The clinical trial will be completed as part of an international clinical trial partnership led by McMaster University and the University of Toronto in Canada, and will analyse the effects of a single dose of corticosteroids for babies at risk of pre-term birth.

The results of this research will impact the care of women and babies in Australia and around the world, with about 15 million babies born early (before 37 weeks) each year.

Researchers from the University of Adelaide and the University of California San Diego have engineered bacteria capable of detecting mutated DNA released from colorectal cancer cells, opening the door to faster disease detection.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship foreign exchange scholarship program of the USA, aimed at increasing binational research collaboration, cultural understanding, and the exchange of ideas. In 2024, three University of Adelaide graduates in the fields of healthcare systems, dermatology and musical theatre were awarded Fulbright Scholarships.