Research projects with the potential to be a commercial success are on the fast-track to success after winning the third round of the University of Sydney’s PERIscope Commercialisation Awards.

Professor Antoine van Oijen, interim Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research Enterprise), congratulated the winners of the 2026 round.

“The PERIscope program continues to grow and improve every year, showcasing the incredible talent that University of Sydney researchers have for tackling the world’s greatest challenges for the good of all,” Professor Van Oijen said.

“We’re proud to support these 14 teams to turn their research findings into real solutions for problems facing everyday Australians, and valuable opportunities for Australian industry.”

The program is run by the Sydney Knowledge Hub, the University of Sydney’s startup incubator and research commercialisation hub that bridges the gap between research and industry. It is delivered in close collaboration with the University’s Commercialisation Office and the Venture Investment Team, who provide strategic support and funding pathways to help entrepreneurial researchers navigate the journey from lab to market.

The awards are given to teams consisting of a senior researcher or project principal and an ‘entrepreneur lead’. The project principal is awarded funding and buy out a nominated entrepreneur lead’s time for 14 weeks. During that time, they undertake an intensive market discovery program, which helps them validate the market potential for their research and acquire the skills to navigate Australia’s startup and spinout ecosystem.

Three projects this year are sponsored by the Sydney Biomedical Accelerator,  a visionary partnership between the University of Sydney, Sydney Local Health District and the NSW Government that brings together clinicians, researchers, academics and industry to solve some of the world’s most complex health challenges. The Sydney Nano Institute, the University’s flagship centre for multidisciplinary research at the nano-scale, is also sponsoring a project.

“With 14 teams selected this year, this is the biggest and most diverse cohort we have been able to support since the PERIscope program was launched in 2023,” said Jane Cockburn, Commercialisation Program Manager at the Sydney Knowledge Hub. “More than half of our entrepreneur leads this year are women. Applications were submitted from every faculty at the University and from early-career researchers doing their PhDs, through to professors with years of experience.”

“PERIscope gives researchers the time, skills and opportunities to turn transform their ideas and expertise into new ventures, to explore licensing opportunities for their intellectual property, and to network with Australia’s titans of industry.”

The PERIscope Commercialisation Award is one of several initiatives supported by the Sydney Innovation and Enterprise ecosystem, which includes the Sydney Knowledge Hub, the Commercialisation Office and the Venture Investment Team. Together, these groups empower researchers to translate their discoveries into impactful ventures and scalable solutions.

The successful projects and teams for the third cohort of the PERIscope Commercialisation Award are:

• Professor Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh and Dr Francois Allioux. Project: Solar thermal liquid metal extraction of critical minerals 
• Associate Professor Thomas Grewal and Dr Jonathan Du. Project: Small molecules to elevate Rab7-GTPase activity and ameliorate cholesterol accumulation in Nieman-Pick Type C disease
• Professor Greg Neely and Dr Christopher Denes. Project: PROTEUS: A bioAI platform for designing optimised synthetic molecules and medicines
• Professor Lee Wallace and Dr Ed Johnson. Project: Access all areas: Visualising service provision deserts to ensure better policy and equitable healthcare in Australia
• Dr Sanné Mestrom and Nadia Odlum. Project: PlayLink Universal: Breaking playground brand-lock for inclusive retrofits
• Associate Professor Suzi Edwards and Oscar Stelzer-Hiller. Project: Tackle Re-Education: A scalable, evidence-based program to reduce concussion in contact sports
• Professor David Airey and Dr Jiale Zhu. Project: Next-gen free-fall penetrometer for rapid submarine soil profiling
• Professor Gregg Suaning and Dr Shaikh Nayeem Faisal. Project: Miniature medical implant for curing cancer and neurological diseases
• Dr Petra Karlsson and Wesley Zhang. Project: Early intervention technologies for children with severe motor and physical needs
• Dr Grant Lynch and Lee Jin. Project: ThermoTots: Protecting your baby when it matters most

Sydney Biomedical Accelerator-sponsored projects:

• Professor Stephanie Watson and Dr Mojdeh Abasi. Project: ‘Sight Lens’ for treating corneal blindness from limbal stem cell deficiency
• Dr Morgan James and Dr Hannah Bowrey. Project: A novel, first-in-class pharmaceutical to treat binge eating disorder
• Dr Ann-Na Cho and Henry Howard. Project: 'Brain on a chip' to study life-changing conditions like dementia and epilepsy and develop personalised treatments

Sydney Nano Institute-sponsored project:

• Professor Alistair McEwan and Dr Sabrina Jasmine Schaly. Project: NociTrack: a pain advocate tool built for people unable to self-report.