UQ researchers secure $2.6 million in ARC funding

Six University of Queensland research teams will share $2.6 million from the Australian Research Council (ARC) to support their innovative research and develop industry partnerships.

UQ is among 22 universities awarded research funding in the second round of the ARC’s $28 million Linkage Projects scheme.

The successful projects from UQ will advance research in the fields of health, engineering, and environmental biotechnology.

The UQ projects awarded funding are:

• A project to help the Australian water industry to achieve more economically and environmentally sustainable wastewater services, led by Professor Jianhua Guo with Water Corporation and  Sinopec Research Institute of Petroleum Processing.
• Development of a next generation 'smart' superconducting magnet system to guard against unexpected power outages, led by Associate Professor MD Shahriar Hossain with Hyper Tech Research Inc. The technology could provide a boost for Australian manufacturing as it could be sold internationally for use in power grids, medical imaging and energy generation and storage.
• Supporting the net-zero carbon emissions priority by advancing clean, reliable and cost effective long-duration battery technology, materials and manufacturing, led by Dr Bin Luo with Energy Storage Industries Asia Pacific and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation.
• Ensuring the sustainability of Australia’s blood supply through research into how to recruit and retain blood donors aged over 50, led by Professor Barbara Masser with the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood and Silver Chain Group Limited.
• Research to support the minerals industry to respond and adapt to the impacts of water quality change, leading to increases in yield, revenue and growth of the precious metal sector, led by Professor Yongjun Peng with BHP Group Limited and Newmont USA Limited.
• A project led by Professor Chengzhong Yu with N4 Pharma to develop knowledge in the custom-design of functional nanomaterials for mRNA delivery, and technology to bring commercial benefits to the biopharma sector.

The ARC scheme connects universities with industry to deliver significant outcomes and translate expertise and knowledge into actionable solutions.

Media: UQ Communications, communications@uq.edu.au; +61 429 056 139.