Hydrogen energy systems, improved practices for poultry farming, and environmentally friendly solutions for plastics recycling are just three expected outcomes from the 16 industry innovation projects led by University of Sydney researchers that have been recognised by the Australian Government in the latest Linkage Projects funding round.

The Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Projects scheme supports new research tackling some of the nation’s most important social, economic and environmental challenges by bringing together universities with industry, community partners and government agencies.

Professor Mike Ryan, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of Sydney, said the recognition showcases the power that research collaborations have in delivering positive outcomes for Australians and local industry.

“The ARC Linkage Project scheme is closely aligned with the University’s aspiration to do excellent research that tackles Australia’s biggest challenges in close partnership with industry, government and our communities,” Professor Ryan said.

“It’s fantastic to see such a diverse range of projects being recognised for the value they will bring to the country by increasing the sustainability and resilience of our energy systems, improving our health and wellbeing, and strengthening our connection to Australia’s rich and diverse cultures.”

The ARC awarded $99.8 million to 178 projects in the latest round of Linkage Project funding. University of Sydney-led projects received $8.6 million.

ARC Linkage Project funding recipients

Dr Jedidiah Evans | School of Art, Communication and English, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

The Moral Emotions Inside Initiative

Dr Evans leads a project that was awarded $542,050 to address a lack of meaningful education and personal development opportunities for Australian women in prison. This project will investigate the implementation of an innovative humanistic education program with incarcerated women in NSW. Employing participatory action research methods, this project will generate new knowledge about the experiences and needs of women in prison and the impact of humanistic education on their wellbeing. Other expected outcomes include an expanded evidence base for gender-responsive programming and lived-experience informed strategic and policy recommendations and resources for correctional centres. This project will provide substantial benefits to prison reform for women at a national level.

Partner organisation: Corrective Services NSW

 

Professor Jun Huang | School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Faculty of Engineering; Net Zero Institute; Sydney Nano Institute; Sydney Southeast Asia Centre

Catalytic transformation of waste plastics into valuable monomers

Professor Huang leads a project that was awarded $865,000 to develop innovative catalytic technology for converting non-degradable polyethylene and polypropylene plastic waste into valuable monomers, which can be repurposed for the production of biodegradable polymers, promoting a circular plastic economy. This will be achieved through the design of bi-functional catalysts capable of breaking down persistent plastic waste into short-chain chemical compounds with a highly product selectivity in a tandem reactor system. The outcomes of this project will provide an advanced solution for efficiently managing plastic waste while upcycling waste to high-value and environment friendly chemicals, contributing to both Australia's environmental sustainability and economic growth.

Partner organisation: Intimiti Australia

 

Catalytic production of formic acid as a green hydrogen storage

Professor Huang also leads another project that was awarded $547,122 to address the urgent challenges of rising greenhouse gas emissions and the need for alternative fuels. The project aims to develop cost-effective catalysts for carbon dioxide hydrogenation using green hydrogen, producing formic acid, which serves as a safe and efficient hydrogen storage medium. By constructing a continuous-flow reactor for converting CO2 with hydrogen, we plan to create a system that integrates green hydrogen generation and CO2 capture. This innovative approach not only supports Australia’s net-zero emission goals but also enhances the country's strategy for green hydrogen, promoting economic viability while reducing environmental impact. The outcomes will significantly contribute to sustainable energy solutions.

Partner organisations: Seagull Cooling Technologies Asia Pacific; Jneutech

 

Associate Professor Justine Humphry | School of Art, Communication and English, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Digital Media for Youth Justice: Co-producing media for education and policy

Associate Professor Humphry leads a project that was awarded $448,422 to coproduce media for education and policy with young people involved in the youth justice system to foster safe and inclusive digital media use. The project expects to generate insights into the social media literacies and digital cultures of this group - over half of whom are First Nations young people - utilising innovative, participatory methods including media-making. Expected outcomes are digital literacy knowledge, enhanced digital media skills and evidence-based digital safety education co-designed with young people. This should provide significant benefits by developing effective preventative strategies and sector-wide service integration to improve outcomes for justice-involved young people throughout Australia.

Partner organisations: Department of Communities and Justice – Youth Justice NSW; The Alannah & Madeline Foundation; Telstra Foundation; Youth Action & Policy Association NSW

 

Professor Khoon Lim | School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health; Charles Perkins Centre; Sydney Nano Institute; Sydney Biomedical Accelerator

Light activated bioresins for high resolution biofabrication

Professor Lim leads a project that was awarded $198,982 to develop the advanced biologically-based resins for light-based biofabrication technologies. The emergence of light-based biofabrication technologies now enables high-speed fabrication of constructs with superior resolution, suitable for high-throughput drug screening applications. Despite significant progress in their hardware and process automation, the development of bioresins has not kept pace, creating a critical bottleneck in the field. This project will combine unique macromolecular chemistry and advanced cell characterisation technologies to develop the next-generation bioresins for light-based biofabrication technologies. Successful outcomes from this project will unlock next-generation applications in regenerative medicine and drug testing, positioning Australia at the forefront of biofabrication innovation.

Partner organisation: Bio Inx

 

Professor Sonia Liu | School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science; Charles Perkins Centre; Sydney Southeast Asia Centre

Hot weather, cool chickens: tackling heat stress through nutrition

Professor Liu leads a project that was awarded $779,487 to develop sustainable, heat-adaptive feeding strategies for broiler chickens by optimising dietary protein, amino acids, and net energy under rising climate stress. With chicken meat being Australia’s most consumed and affordable protein, maintaining production efficiency and animal welfare is critical. The project will define optimal nutrient combinations and evaluate the role of feed enzymes and betaine in mitigating heat stress. Outcomes will include practical feeding guidelines for both thermoneutral and heat-stressed conditions. This project will support food security and strengthen Australia’s poultry industry in the face of climate change and growing protein demand.

Partner organisation: Danisco Animal Health and Nutrition

 

Associate Professor Cameron Logan | School of Architecture, Design and Planning

Architecture for a Nervous Landscape: Defensive buildings in NSW 1788-1850

Associate Professor Logan leads a project that was awarded $150,000 to use archival research, fieldwork observation and critical GIS to locate, document and analyse early colonial buildings in New South Wales that employed defensive details such as rifle slits. The aim is to evaluate the geographical and historical alignment of such evidence with what is known about the patterns of conflict between settler colonists and Aboriginal people. The project will produce a new corpus of evidence about the colony and enable a timely revision of our understanding of many places associated with European invasion and settlement of Australia. Benefits include enhanced capacity of government and industry to revise heritage listings and management regimes for such places.

Partner organisation: Artefact Heritage and Environment

 

Dr Amy Mosig Way | School of Humanities, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; Net Zero Institute

Ancient Baaka: Strengthening culture through deep-time knowledge

Dr Way leads a project that was awarded $860,539 to strengthen Barkindji rights and revitalise cultural practices through deep-time archaeological research and contemporary traditional knowledge. Focusing on Kinchega and Paroo-Darling National Parks this is the first archaeological project designed specifically to inform legislative revival of Native Title rights in national parks in NSW. Barkindji and scientists will work together to elucidate, conserve and activate cultural sites and practices. Outcomes include new evidence of economic and artistic practices over 30,000 years, a community-led conservation program and a Living Culture Plan to support Native Title rights reactivation delivering lasting cultural, scientific, and policy benefits.

Partner organisations: National Parks and Wildlife Service; Rock Art Australia; Australian Museum

 

Professor Simon Ringer | School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering

Microstructural design in tungsten carbide-cobalt (WC-Co) hardmetals.

Professor Ringer leads a project that was awarded $875,568 to transform the recyclability and performance of tungsten carbide-cobalt hardmetals, which serve as tooling materials that underpin critical manufacturing operations such as drilling, milling and turning. We will investigate their degradation under real industrial conditions using advanced microscopy and predictive modelling. Expected outcomes include improved recyclability, accurate lifespan predictions, higher performance tooling materials and innovative cobalt-based binders. These outcomes will deliver significant benefits by enhancing the sustainability and resilience of Australia’s advanced manufacturing in key industry sectors that include aerospace, biomedical, mining, oil and gas and new energy.

Partner organisation: CERATIZIT Austria

 

Professor Pauline Ross | School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science

Indigenous ecological knowledge for Australia’s future shellfish reefs

Professor Ross leads a project that was awarded $420,200 to elevate Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) and close knowledge gaps on shellfish and shellfish reefs held by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and Western scientists. Interdisciplinary approaches which incorporate Indigenous Ecological Knowledge (IEK) of shellfish with analyses of ancient middens will reveal the past, track climate change and enable IEK into Habitat Suitability Models. Using participatory and co-design frameworks, training Indigenous Rangers and co-curating a touring museum exhibition we forge inclusive foundations between IEK and Western science to support restoration, monitoring and broader understanding for the long-term sustainability of Australia’s shellfish reefs.

Partner organisation: Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

 

Associate Professor Mohammad Saadatfar | School of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering

Digital twin-driven smart manufacturing for multi-axial metal forming

Associate Professor Saadatfar leads a project that was awarded $495,987 to develop a digital twin-driven smart manufacturing platform to form complex curved metal components for mission-specific, high-value applications. It addresses a niche market with strong industry interest by tackling the key challenge of integrating data handling, material deformation simulation, and robotic automation into a unified, intelligent system. This multidisciplinary approach is enabled by a team with perfectly aligned expertise. The outcome will be a scalable, low-waste solution that boosts sovereign manufacturing capability, supports Australia’s transition to net zero, and advances national priorities in advanced manufacturing and economic resilience.

Partner organisation: High Fidelity Orthopaedics

 

Dr Sabrina Schaly | School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering

TechToys co-designed with children with cerebral palsy: Reimagining play

Dr Schaly leads a project that was awarded $494,398 to make play more equitable for children with disabilities, empowering them to learn, grow, and connect through play. For 240 million children with disabilities, play is essential for development, but is often inaccessible. Mobility challenges and the high costs of raising a child with cerebral palsy also limit access to suitable toys. Despite a booming global toy industry, most products remain unaffordable or unadapted, leaving many children as spectators rather than participants. TechToy Library is a co-designed Australian initiative creating inclusive, tech-enhanced toys to support imaginative play for children with cerebral palsy through open-source design sharing and collaboration with families and professionals.

Partner organisation: Cerebral Palsy Alliance

 

Associate Professor Emma Tseris | School of Education and Social Work, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Disability-led community building to transform social inclusion

Associate Professor Tseris leads a project that was awarded $357,519 to address a lack of attention to building accessible and meaningful community connections that enable social inclusion for people with disability. It responds to a pressing need for innovations in the disability sector, beyond individualised service models. Using a disability-led paradigm, the project will co-design, implement, and disseminate strategies that enable peer support, create networks, and make communities more inclusive. Through cooperative inquiry and a public exhibition, the project will generate knowledge about the relational and structural resources and strategies that build rich social connections. Benefits include disability-led policy and practice frameworks to guide community development in diverse contexts.

Partner organisation: Community Disability Alliance Hunter

 

Professor Gregor Verbic | School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering; Net Zero Institute

Carbon-neutral demand forecasting: supporting Australia's energy transition

Professor Verbic leads a project that was awarded $616,518 to develop a novel forecasting methodology to predict energy demand under carbon-neutral scenarios, supporting the global transition to net-zero emissions. By incorporating key drivers such as electrification, fuel-switching to hydrogen and ammonia, and improvements in energy efficiency, the methodology addresses a critical gap in demand-side forecasting. Developed in collaboration with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Australia, the project will generate detailed, scenario-based demand projections to guide infrastructure investment, policy development, and the deployment of clean technologies. The outcomes will support strategic energy planning and contribute to sustainable economic and environmental outcomes in diverse contexts.

Partner organisation: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Australia

 

Dr Dominic Williamson | School of Physics, Faculty of Science; Sydney Nano Institute

New roads to fault-tolerant photonic quantum computation

The era of useful quantum computing is rapidly approaching. Breakthroughs in quantum fault tolerance promise more computational power, sooner, with fewer resources. Dr Williamson leads this project, which was awarded $362,574 to apply these breakthroughs to PsiQuantum's first generation of quantum computers to make them more powerful and efficient. By designing better protocols for fault tolerance we will unlock the full potential of silicon photonic hardware for performing useful quantum computation. Expected research outcomes include new fault-tolerant protocols that accelerate the timeline for useful quantum computing. This will bring about a technological revolution driven by fault-tolerant quantum algorithms for simulating chemistry and materials science.

Partner organisation: PsiQuantum

 

Associate Professor Chang Xu | School of Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering; Net Zero Institute; Sydney Southeast Asia Centre

Enabling VLA assistive robotics for the future of aged care in Australia

Associate Professor Xu leads a project that was awarded $598,177 to address the growing challenges in aged care by developing intelligent assistive robots that can see, listen, and act to support older Australians. It will create Australia’s first vision-language-action robotic system specifically designed for real-world aged care environments – where interactions are socially nuanced, physically sensitive, and built on trust. The project will deliver new AI and robotics capabilities, a reusable national data resource, and practical strategies for safe and adaptive robot behaviour. These advances will help improve the safety, dignity, and independence of older people, ease the burden on carers, and strengthen Australia’s leadership in ageing and care innovation.

Partner organisation: Better Life Physio