UNSW Sydney has received more funding than all Group of Eight (Go8) universities in the latest round of Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project funding, receiving more than $1.3 million for three projects ranging from ecosystem science to energy storage devices.

In total, the Government is providing $7.5 million in funding for 18 new research collaborations supported by funding through the ARC.

In the media release, Minister for Education Dan Tehan said:

“Our Government is investing in partnerships between universities, industry and government to drive the commercialisation of research. We are encouraging greater collaboration between universities and businesses on research innovation and workforce preparation.”

UNSW Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research Professor Ana Deletic congratulated the three UNSW researchers. 

“Last year UNSW submitted the highest number of ARC Linkage Project grant applications in the country,” she said. “It is pleasing to see that we have been awarded three more, putting us in the driving seat for this scheme. We are confident that many more will be successful. The UNSW academics are to be congratulated on their cutting-edge research that benefits our society and industry.”

Dr Katherine Moseby will receive $559,744 to improve anti-predator responses of native mammals. Predation by introduced cats and foxes causes extinction and decline in Australian mammals. This grant seeks to understand the mechanisms behind these changes and facilitate co-existence between native mammals and introduced predators.

Dr Lina Yao and team will receive $330,000 to develop new algorithms and data analytical techniques in an Internet of Things (IoT) environment. The expected result of this project will support many critical applications such as better wellness tracking and lifestyle-related illness prevention, which will be particularly critical to Australia's aging population. This project will also serve as a vehicle to educate and train Australia’s young scholars and engineers.

Associate Professor Dewei Chu will receive $422,881 to develop novel cathode coating materials towards more durable and powerful energy storage devices. The project will address fundamental challenges in this field by developing high voltage cathode coated with nanoionic thin layers. The expected outcome is high-performance cathodes with enhanced rate capability and cycling life, low fabrication cost and production scalability.

The full list of successful ARC Linkage Grants are available here.