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Industry and community projects
- Overview
- 3000 level - types of project units
- 3000 level - eligibility and how to enrol
- 3000 level - projects and partners
- 4000 level projects
3000 level - projects and partners
The following projects are 3000 level units. If you’re studying in a Bachelor of Advanced Studies, see information on our 4000 level projects.
Because industry and community projects are run in collaboration with partners outside of the University, project partners and topics are subject to change prior to the start of teaching.
If you have any questions about the projects, you can email pvceducation.enquiries@sydney.edu.au or the project supervisor listed in each project.
Availability of projects
Places in each project are limited so we encourage you to register early in Sydney Student to avoid missing out.
You will only see projects that are available for your enrolled shell unit and still have places available. If you can’t see a project when you register, you will need to select a different project. Project availability is subject to change.
Intensives
Intensives are full-time equivalent offerings, and the exact timing of each day is outlined in the intensive timetable below. Students are expected to attend the scheduled class times for the relevant session.
If you have any questions, please contact pvceducation.enquiries@sydney.edu.au.
- January - February intensives take place over four weeks from 20 January to 16 February 2025. Timetable is shown below.
- June - July intensives take place over four weeks from 30 June to 27 July 2025. Timetable is shown below.
- September - October intensives take place over six weeks from 22 September 2025 to 2 November 2025. Timetable is shown below.
Find out how to enrol in an ICPU.
Timetable
January - February intensive projects take place over 4 weeks from 20 January till 16 February 2025.
There will only be one class per project. Please consider the project timetable before registering for a project in Sydney Student and make sure that you are available for the allocated class times. The project timetable below is an indication of the time you will need to be available for scheduled classes and independent groupwork. The specific class-times will vary and be advertised when the canvas site is published.
Projects will be delivered face-to-face on campus and have a 90% attendance requirement.
It will take 7-9 days for your personal timetable to reflect your project registration.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 10 am - 4 pm | 10 am - 4 pm | 10 am - 4 pm | 10 am - 4 pm | 10 am - 4 pm |
| Week 2 | No classes | 10 am - 4 pm | Independent study day | 10 am - 4 pm | 10 am - 4 pm |
| Week 3 | 10 am - 4 pm | 10 am - 4 pm | Independent study day | 10 am - 4 pm | 10 am - 4 pm |
| Week 4 | No class | ||||
Students are expected to contribute a total of 120 – 150 hours of effort towards the intensive unit which includes 40 hours of scheduled classes plus an additional 79 – 109 hours (20 - 27 hours per week) outside of class times, including significant independent groupwork as indicated.
Meat and Livestock Australia – Strengthening the Future of Australia’s Goatmeat Industry
Are you ready to make a real impact on Australia’s meat industry? Dive into this exciting project with Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), an organisation dedicated to fostering the growth and sustainability of the Australian red meat and livestock sector. While Australia proudly holds the title of the world's largest exporter of goatmeat, valued at around US$180 million annually, current trade is heavily dependent on key markets such as the United States, Korea and China. Domestic consumption is also limited, with goatmeat viewed as a niche product and predominantly available through premium outlets and small butcheries. Most of the supply also comes from wild-harvested rangeland goats, which are highly affected by fluctuating weather conditions. In this project, interdisciplinary student groups are invited to explore the complex drivers and barriers for goat meat consumption. What opportunities do evolving cultures of food present for expanding the Australian goatmeat industry? What can we learn from niche and emerging consumer trends, such as ethical consumption, ‘slow’ and ‘fast’ food as well as the ‘nose-to-tail’ phenomenon? How can we emphasise sustainability in futureproofing the Australian goatmeat industry? Embark on this journey to contribute innovative ideas that could reshape Australia’s approach to goatmeat consumption and pave the way for a stronger industry.
Rotary International – Next Generation of Service
Rotary International is a global humanitarian organisation that was founded in 1905. With over 1.4 million members in over 200 countries, the organisation aims to promote peace, fight disease, provide clean water, save mothers and children, support education, and grow local economies. Rotary International is a global organisation with members from a diverse range of backgrounds and demographics. However, the majority of its members are typically middle-aged or older professionals, such as business owners, executives, and managers. This is partly because Rotary has a long history and was originally established as a networking and service organisation for business leaders. However, Rotary is now working to attract a more diverse range of members, including younger people, women, and individuals from different cultures and backgrounds. In recent years, Rotary has made efforts to expand its reach and increase the diversity of its membership by implementing programs and initiatives designed to engage younger generations and promote inclusiveness. Despite these efforts, the demographic makeup of Rotary International's membership is still largely determined by its historical roots. Rotary is looking for solutions to broaden its demographics and include more young people. These solutions would need to focus on youth-led initiatives and leverage the power of social media to develop projects that engage, empower and encourage more individuals from diverse backgrounds, including younger people, to become involved and to make positive and sustainable change.
Timetable
June - July intensive projects take place over 4 weeks from 30 June till 27 July 2025.
Details regarding projects for the June - July Intensive 2025 session will be announced closer to the commencement date. Comprehensive information, including project descriptions and timetable will be provided.
Rethinking Food Systems for Better Health and Sustainability - In Partnership with Padova University and Lausanne University
Food is central to family, cultural and community identity. It is essential to sustain life and food-related activities, provide income and livelihoods for billions of people on earth. With the continuing rise in global food production and manufacturing to meet increasing demand and the additional impact on ecosystems and climate, there is a pressing need to rethink our food systems. In this project, student teams representing unique mixes of disciplines will explore questions such as: How can we transform food systems so it can meet the changing needs of consumers in a more sustainable way? What role can consumers, producers, manufacturers, industry leaders and government play to achieve ambitious targets? How can we rewrite the narrative of food production and supply to reflect a progressive industry that will engage a diverse future workforce and facilitate a more comprehensive approach to solving complex issues within the sector? Through collaborative research into these areas, students will provide solutions on how we can rethink food systems for better health and sustainability
This year’s project will specifically focus on Healthy Food Security in Western Sydney.
Location: Sydney, Australia
Partner: this project is a collaborative project organised by three internationally renowned Universities, i.e. the University of Padua (Italy), the University of Sydney (Australia) and the University of Lausanne (Switzerland). This year’s edition will be hosted entirely at the University of Sydney campus. The project class will be made up of a mix of students from the three above mentioned universities (up to 75 students, 25 from each university). External partners (such as research, industry and community-organisations) will also be involved throughout the project.
Apply through the Global Mobility Database. Applications close 11 May
Details regarding projects for the September - October Intensive 2025 session will be announced closer to the commencement date. Comprehensive information, including project descriptions and timetable will be provided.
In 2025 we will be delivering a suite of ICPUs as part of our global campus program, including the following destinations:
Destination: Sydney, Australia
Project: Rethinking Food Systems for Better Health and Sustainability - In Partnership with Padova University and Lausanne University
This project is a collaborative project organised by three internationally renowned Universities, i.e. the University of Padua (Italy), the University of Sydney (Australia) and the University of Lausanne (Switzerland). This year’s edition will be hosted entirely at the University of Sydney campus. The project class will be made up of a mix of students from the three above mentioned universities (up to 75 students, 25 from each university). External partners (industries, community-organisations, other stakeholders) will also be involved throughout the project.
Food is central to family, cultural and community identity. It is essential to sustain life and food-related activities, provide income and livelihoods for billions of people on earth. With the continuing rise in global food production and manufacturing to meet increasing demand and the additional impact on ecosystems and climate, there is a pressing need to rethink our food systems. In this project, student teams representing unique mixes of disciplines will explore questions such as: How can we transform food systems so it can meet the changing needs of consumers in a more sustainable way? What role can consumers, producers, manufacturers, industry leaders and government play to achieve ambitious targets? How can we rewrite the narrative of food production and supply to reflect a progressive industry that will engage a diverse future workforce and facilitate a more comprehensive approach to solving complex issues within the sector? Through collaborative research into these areas, students will provide solutions on how we can rethink food systems for better health and sustainability.
Destination: Shanghai, China
Project: Banking On De-carbonisation for a Sustainable Future – In Partnership with ANZ China
A sustainable global future demands systemic global action on climate change. Concrete commitments to a rapid transition to decarbonisation forms a critical part of this global agenda. They also demand action from multiple stakeholders, spanning governments, businesses, communities and more. Banks are poised to play an important role in global decarbonisation efforts. Yet regional efforts demand regional solutions, while considerations are also needed for industry specific efforts to decarbonise. ANZ China is committed to working with its corporate customer base to support a transition to net-zero carbon emissions by 2060. This requires building capacity to monitor the decarbonisation efforts of discrete industries that currently have higher carbon outputs, assessing risk of non-transition, and mobilising effectively and responsively to provide enabling green finance to key sectors. In this project, interdisciplinary teams are invited to evaluate the role that banking can play in regional and sector-based efforts for decarbonisation. For example, what best practice frameworks for de-carbonisations exist globally and can these be adapted to the Chinese context? Is there scope to design new and improved monitoring solutions for assessing progress toward decarbonisation? Are there industry specific solutions which can accelerate decarbonisation in China and what role might green finance play?
Destination Indonesia: Labuan Bajo, Indonesia
Project: Partnering With Community for Sustainable Tourism – In Partnership with DT Global Asia Pacific through Katalis
Tourism is one of the fastest growing economic sectors globally. It is also positioned to play a critical role in achieving key sustainable development goals by 2030, including 'decent work and economic growth' (SDG 8), 'responsible consumption and production' (SDG 12), and 'life below water' (SDG 14). Yet, global tourism today is best known for a host of negative impacts including a hefty carbon footprint, growing inequality in mass tourism destinations, damage and depletion of local natural resources, and diluting of local culture. Bali, one of the most famous tourist hotspots in the world, provides a prime example of overtourism and 'tourists behaving badly'. In this project, interdisciplinary teams will immerse themselves in 'destination Labuan Bajo', an emerging tourist destination in Indonesia. Grounding their thinking in the local environment and community needs and aspirations, students are invited to consider, how can the mistakes made through overdevelopment in Bali be avoided? How can economic benefits generated by tourism be channelled into investment for local communities? How can tourism be designed to enable gender equality, social inclusion and local skills development? Ultimately, how can a sustainable tourism future – one which protects people, culture, land, air and waterways – become a reality?
Information about applying
Global Intensives are run during the July intensive session over a four-week period from 30 June to 27 July 2025. Students will spend two to three weeks working in a collaborative learning space where you'll have the opportunity to engage directly with industry partners and take part in relevant site visits and excursions. In the final week of the intensive students are expected to conduct independent study where you'll write up your final assessments through self-directed learning as advised by your project supervisor.
Students should note that Education – Enterprise and Engagement may cancel or make changes to the published projects if target enrolments are not met.
Apply through the Global Mobility Database. Applications open 24 February and close 30 March 2025.
Semester-long projects
Semester 1 projects will commence 24 February 2025. Semester 2 projects will commence 4 August 2025.
Students are expected to attend scheduled class times for 3 hours per week.
2025 semester-long projects will be delivered face-to-face on campus and have a 90% attendance requirement.
It will take 7 to 9 days for your personal timetable to reflect your project registration.
In both semester sessions we will be running Science intradisciplinary projects. These projects are only available to students who are enrolled in the shell unit SCPU3001.
If you have any questions, please contact pvceducation.enquiries@sydney.edu.au.
Find out how to enrol in an ICPU.
Timetable
| Industry partner and project | Timetable |
|---|---|
| AirTrunk Addressing the Data Centre Talent Shortage for an Inclusive Digital Future |
Friday 1 – 4 pm |
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation |
Friday 9 am – 12 pm |
| Bridge Housing Building Bridges to Enhance Engagement in Community Housing |
Monday 9 am – 12 pm |
| Elizabeth Broderick & Co Putting Intersectionality at the Heart of Gender Equality |
Tuesday 9 am – 12 pm |
| Ernst and Young Australia and The University of Sydney Reimagining Campus for a Connected and Sustainable University Experience |
Friday 9 am – 12 pm |
| Gilbert and Tobin Towards a Sustainable Energy Transition |
Wednesday 10 am – 1 pm |
| Girringun Aboriginal Corporation Listening to Aboriginal Community Voices |
Monday 4 – 7pm |
| Insurance Council of Australia Scaling the Australian Insurance Workforce for Extreme Weather & Disaster Response |
Thursday 9am – 12pm |
| Liverpool City Council Futureproofing Liverpool Through Sustainable Innovation |
Monday 2 – 5 pm |
| The Matilda Centre Tackling Youth Vaping with Creative Solutions |
Tuesday 12 pm – 3 pm |
| NSW Department of Education Supporting Teachers for Curriculum Implementation in Schools |
Wednesday 9 am – 12 pm |
| NSW Police Reimagining the Youth Justice System |
Tuesday 12 – 3 pm |
| Plumtree Building Sustainable Services for Children with Disability |
Wednesday 9 am – 12 pm |
| Powerhouse Museum Shaping Futures With Powerhouse Parramatta |
Wednesday 12 – 3pm |
| Producible Rethinking Generational Myths in Advertising |
Tuesday 9 am – 12 pm |
| Ronald McDonald House Charities Championing Hope with Gen Z |
Tuesday 9 am – 12 pm |
| TATA India Agile Transformation for Tata Steel |
Wednesday 3 – 6 pm |
| Teach for Australia Revolutionising How We Attract Future Teachers |
Monday 12 pm – 3 pm |
| TerraCycle Putting Business in the Box Seat to Recycling Glory |
Tuesday 3 – 6 pm |
| Tonkin Engineering Driving Sustainability in Action and Advancing Climate Resilience |
Friday 9 am – 12 pm |
| Ventia Empowering an Inclusive and Diverse Workforce |
Wednesday 9 am – 12 pm |
* SPCU students can enrol into all available projects. This project is only available to students who are enrolled in the shell unit SCPU3001.
AirTrunk – Addressing the Data Centre Talent Shortage for an Inclusive Digital Future
AirTrunk is a technology company with a powerful purpose: to scale and sustain the relentless growth of the region’s digital future. They achieve this by designing, developing, and operating hyperscale data centres for the world's largest technology companies, leading in innovation and sustainability. Recently, AirTrunk’s CEO Robin Khuda was named Australian Business Person of the Year, following the company's success in the biggest data centre deal in history. To sustain this success and continued innovation, building a pipeline of diverse talent is critical. The explosion in data centre demand driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI) has created an urgent need to double the industry’s workforce by 2030. However, the industry currently faces a shortage of the skills needed to meet this future demand. Students, working in interdisciplinary teams, are invited to explore complex barriers and opportunities for meeting the data centre workforce needs of tomorrow. Collaborating with AirTrunk stakeholders in Design and Innovation, Development, and People and Culture, they will develop creative strategies for attracting and growing diverse talent. They will explore how to inspire and engage the next generation, spark early interest among graduate students, and address barriers faced by under-represented groups in the industry. The project encourages fresh perspectives and innovative ideas to empower a more inclusive and dynamic workforce, ensuring the future growth of Australia’s digital infrastructure.
Timetable: Friday 1 – 4 pm
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation – Advancing Sustainability and Cultural Heritage
This project is only available to students who are enrolled in the shell unit SCPU3001
The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) is committed to leveraging great science to deliver big outcomes. This includes a goal to deliver outcomes that enhance sustainability across work aimed to improve human health, save lives, build our industry and protect our environment. Sustainability involves maintaining a stable balance between conducting business in a manner that preserves and protects the environment and its natural resources while guaranteeing individual and community rights across multiple generations. Indigenous peoples and local communities have lived sustainably for thousands of years, developing rich traditions and knowledge systems that inform sustainable land management, environmental stewardship, and climate adaptation. This project invites students to investigate how ANSTO’s nuclear science expertise applied in areas such as environmental monitoring, earth and climate sciences can interact with cultural heritage, specifically Indigenous knowledge, to inform effective decision making for sustainable land use and economic growth. Areas of impact to explore include incorporating traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) with modern science, sustainable land management, environmental protection, policy advocacy, and fostering collaborations between science and community. By merging scientific innovation with Indigenous knowledge, students will develop strategies that honour and incorporate traditional practices, supporting resilient, sustainable communities and advancing environmental stewardship.
Timetable: Friday 9 am – 12 pm
Bridge Housing– Building Bridges to Enhance Engagement in Community Housing
Bridge Housing is a community housing provider and charity. We manage 3,600 properties across metropolitan Sydney, home to 5,700 people. Some significant groups include 441 Aboriginal people, 1,135 people who speak a language other than English at home, 2,370 people aged over 55 and 861 children. There are also 1,819 people living with a disability and 664 living with a mental illness. Currently, Bridge Housing is developing its third ‘Building Bridges’ strategy. This strategy includes our commitment to giving tenants an opportunity to give us direct feedback through Tenant Advisory Groups (TAG). 4 TAGs are currently established based on a geographical area, as well as 1 for Aboriginal tenants, 1 for Vietnamese speakers and a recently established group for people with a disability. Over recent times, participation in these groups has steadily decreased and new people joining has all but stopped. In interdisciplinary teams, students are invited to consider how community engagement can be enhanced through the TAG initiative. How do we evaluate and strengthen the experience of current participants? How do we reach more tenants, including young people and people from diverse backgrounds? Ultimately, how do we better partner with our tenants in our mission to change people’s lives through the provision of more homes and quality services for all.
Timetable: Monday 9 am – 12 pm
Elizabeth Broderick & Co – Putting Intersectionality at the Heart of Gender Equality
The concept ‘Intersectionality’ explains the complex relationship of various identities and experiences of exclusion, specifically how gender and race intersect to shape the multiple dimensions of women’s experiences and can result in compounded forms of marginalisation. For instance, in Australia, women with disabilities face double the likelihood of experiencing sexual and intimate partner violence compared to those without disabilities. Similarly, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women endure 29 times the rate of hospitalisation due to non-fatal family violence compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts. In India, the intersection of gender and caste exacerbates health risks for women, impacting access to sanitation and clean water. In Latin America, indigenous women face significant economic disparities, ranking last on the income scale even after accounting for education. Meanwhile, in Nigeria, ethnic, geographic, economic, and gender factors intersect to restrict educational opportunities, with only 12% of poor rural Hausa girls attending school. Our project seeks to embed intersectionality into policies promoting gender equality, diversity, and inclusion. Through rigorous examination and case studies, we aim to identify “what works” and explore effective approaches to integrate intersectionality from the outset, ensuring policies not only reach but also benefit all women and girls. Teams will recommend actions that governments, workplaces and other actors can take.
Timetable: Tuesday 9 am – 12 pm
Ernst and Young Australia, and the University of Sydney – Reimagining Campus for a Connected and Sustainable University Experience
The University of Sydney, the oldest university in Australia, has evolved over 170 years to adapt to the needs of its staff and students. Our campus infrastructure enables current and future generations of students, researchers, educators and staff to thrive in a world-class education and research institution. This requires purposeful planning in response to emerging issues, including the increasing importance of digital connection, the growing prevalence of the working student, and the need to support equity,wellbeing and cultural diversity on campus. To remain relevant, The University must address a range of persisting and emerging disruptors. This will require purposeful planning to ensure our campuses respond to emerging trends in education and student life. Consider, for example, the increasing importance of digital connection, the growing prevalence of the ‘working student’ the focus on employability, the importance of building equity pathways as well as wellbeing and cultural diversity on campus. The University of Sydney is committed to employing sustainable practices and innovative design and planning to create a transformational student, staff and visitor experience. In this project, students are asked to explore how, in an ever-changing world, the University can support the evolving and dynamic needs of students, staff and University partners. With mentoring on complex problem solving by Ernst and Young, interdisciplinary groups will engage with the University Infrastructure team and co-partners USU and Student Life, to consider how a reimagined campus might better enable student organisations, community building and engagement, digital and in-person connectedness, and more.
Timetable: Friday 9 am – 12 pm
Gilbert and Tobin – Towards a Sustainable Energy Transition
Gilbert and Tobin, an independent law firm in Australia, has a rich history spanning 35 years, during which it has solidified its position as a leader in corporate law, with exceptional prowess in corporate/M&A and banking practices. In the last decade, the firm has expanded its expertise to encompass burgeoning sectors like construction law, energy, and climate change. The contemporary landscape of energy transition presents both a challenge and an opportunity of profound significance. As society pivots towards renewable energy sources to combat climate change, a myriad of intricate questions surfaces. Does renewable energy enjoy widespread social acceptance necessary for comprehensive decarbonisation? How can we effectively manage the intermittency of renewable generation across different timeframes? What is the role of government and public subsidies in delivering energy transition at scale? Moreover, the viability and sustainability of energy storage solutions like hydrogen, and even the contentious role of nuclear energy, beg for further critical consideration. In response, interdisciplinary collaboration becomes important, inviting students to navigate the complexities of delivering a truly sustainable energy transition. Their task is not only to identify key challenges but also to formulate pragmatic recommendations that prioritise societal welfare, environmental preservation, and economic viability. The multifaceted nature of this task demands a holistic approach, considering technological capacities, engineering feasibility, economic implications, environmental impacts, social dynamics, and legal frameworks.
Timetable: Wednesday 10 am – 1 pm
Girringun Aboriginal Corporation – Listening to Aboriginal Community Voices.
This ICPU project will be delivered in partnership with the SLIC (Service Learning in Indigenous Communities) Program. For this project students will be working directly with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Therefore, students are required to complete an interview process to partake in this ICPU and cannot self-register via Sydney Student. Please read the information carefully on the SLIC website to ensure you understand what is required from participants of this project.
Girringun Aboriginal Corporation (GAC) was established in 1996 by Elders of its nine Traditional Owner member groups in north Queensland. GAC proudly serves its membership of around 800 Bandjin, Djiru, Girramay, Gugu Badhun, Gulngay, Jirrbal, Nywaigi, Warungnu and Warrgamay people and their families and communities.
In this project students will have the opportunity to work with a leading Queensland Indigenous land and sea management organisation known for its strong and visionary leadership in adaptive governance, innovative structure and creative strategies. Supported by University and Girringun Aboriginal Corporation Project Leads and supervisors, incoming SLIC students from all faculties and schools will actively engage in collaborations which integrate First Nations knowledges with real-life problem solving and learning. They will assist Girringun to develop materials and resources to inform and educate Traditional Owner member groups as they prepare for negotiations with the State on a collective Native Title claim for compensation for economic and cultural loss.
Timetable: Mondays 4 – 7 pm
Insurance Council of Australia – Scaling the Australian Insurance Workforce for Extreme Weather & Disaster response.
The Australian insurance sector is facing a growing challenge in building a resilient workforce capable of responding to the increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events. A critical issue for the industry is the need to rapidly scale up staffing levels during crises. The time required to effectively train new employees—anywhere from four to nine weeks to become competent in handling customer calls and up to six months for claims managers to develop the necessary skills – is incompatible with sudden surges in demand. Current staffing strategies, including relying on contractors and rushed recruitment processes, create mismatches between the capacity and capability of claims managers and high attrition rates in claims teams. Competition for limited available skilled personnel further complicate workforce stability. Insurers need to attract and retain a workforce that combines a diverse range of skills, experiences, and perspectives, and maintain a work culture that is physically and psychologically safe. In this project students will draw on their own disciplines, backgrounds, and experiences to create innovative and sustainable solutions to enhance the resilience in the insurance industry's workforce and ensure customer needs are met during peak events. Potential areas of investigation include new ways of attracting and retaining a diverse workforce, new forms of flexible employment, improved technology support, or community-sourced and policy driven responses.
Timetable: Thursday 9 am – 12 pm
Liverpool City Council – Futureproofing Liverpool Through Sustainable Innovation
Located in the heart of Southwest Sydney, Liverpool is a vibrant, multicultural city with a community drawn from over 140 countries. As it reimagines its future, Liverpool aims to become a key Central Business District, a University City, and a leader in medical innovation and transport. However, as the city evolves, it faces a range of complex challenges that require innovative, sustainable, and interdisciplinary solutions. These challenges include fostering innovation, supporting local businesses, promoting environmental sustainability, enhancing international trade, and strengthening community connections. This project will challenge you to develop solutions that focus on economic growth that is sustainable and benefits all sectors of the population. How can the city’s unique multicultural identity be leveraged for international trade? How can innovative infrastructure support economic development and lead to reducing inequalities? What role can business innovations play in shaping community wellbeing? By working with industry mentors, you will develop real-world solutions that address Liverpool’s local challenges while also considering their potential for shaping an economically prosperous, resilient, inclusive, and sustainable future.
Timetable: Monday 2 – 5 pm
The Matilda Centre – Tackling Youth Vaping with Creative Solutions
The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use at the University of Sydney is seeking innovative solutions to address the growing issue of adolescent e-cigarette use (vaping). Despite recent regulatory controls in Australia, vaping remains prevalent among young people, with one in three adolescents having tried vapes. The associated health risks, including nicotine addiction, lung damage, and mental health issues, underscore the need for fresh approaches beyond supply reduction. This project encourages students to provide practical, real-world insights and recommendations aimed at preventing the uptake or reducing the use of vapes among young people. The focus is on demand-reduction strategies that address the root causes of youth vaping, such as motivations, social influences, and underlying behaviours. Students are encouraged to explore diverse approaches, including regulatory changes, public health campaigns, economic models, and individual behaviour modification. Additionally, emerging trends like AI, social media, and wearable technology can be leveraged to create innovative solutions. Students will present actionable ideas that can be applied in real-world settings, with potential for commercialisation. They will address key questions such as how to improve regulation enforcement, whether public health campaigns are still effective, and what alternative strategies might resonate with young people. This is an exciting opportunity to make a meaningful impact on public health by curbing youth vaping in Australia.
Timetable: Tuesday 12 – 3 pm
NSW Department of Education – Supporting Teachers for Curriculum Implementation in Schools
The NSW Department of Education aims to support all teachers and staff to deliver outstanding leadership, teaching, and learning. The availability of professional learning opportunities is key to strengthen capability in schools to deliver quality education for a diverse range of learners, to meet the challenges educators face in and outside of the classroom, and to maintain professional accreditation requirements. Professional learning is equally key to delivering the Department of Education’s new curriculum support as part of its NSW Curriculum Reform. Despite the availability of professional learning opportunities, teachers struggle with workload challenges and burn out due to the expectations of their role. This is compounded by recent changes to staffing agreements which limit professional learning opportunities to 1 hour per week. Amidst these structural and professional challenges, how can the Department of Education support teachers and staff to undertake professional development opportunities to support the implementation of its new curriculum? To address this issue, students will need to consider the geographic spread of teachers across the state, learner diversity, and a range of teaching contexts (K-12). This project represents a meaningful opportunity to participate in the curriculum reform to be delivered by the Department of Education between 2025-2027.
Timetable: Wednesday 9 am – 12 pm
NSW Police – Reimagining the Youth Justice System
NSW is facing persistent and evolving challenges related to youth behaviour and offending in both regional and metropolitan areas, driven by complex sociological and technological factors. Young offenders are committing more serious crimes, such as aggravated break-ins and assaults on vulnerable individuals, with some traveling extensive distances to carry out these offenses. The rise of social media and digital platforms has shifted offending patterns, with crimes now frequently livestreamed or publicised online. Policing efforts are in prioritising victim protection and community safety. However, the tools provided under the Young Offenders Act 1997 and the Bail Act are increasingly insufficient to achieve this. These frameworks were designed for a different era and have not adequately adapted to societal and technological changes. Divergent interpretations of bail priorities by authorities further complicate enforcement and community protection. The NSW Police Force (NSWPF) seeks to collaborate with University of Sydney to better understand these issues from a youth perspective and develop innovative recommendations and insights. Key questions include whether the Young Offenders Act effectively addresses the needs of today’s youth, if the justice system appropriately differentiates between age groups within the 10–17 range, and how age influences children’s understanding of legal proceedings. Addressing these questions is critical to ensuring the justice system supports the evolving needs of youth and fosters safer communities for future generations.
Timetable: Tuesday 12 – 3 pm
Plumtree – Building Sustainable Services for Children with Disability
Plumtree, a cornerstone in Sydney’s inner west, has dedicated over 30 years to supporting families with children aged 0-8 through speech, occupational, and physical therapy, as well as behavior support. As families embark on their National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) journey, many face the daunting task of navigating a sea of service options, often without clear guidance on which will have the greatest impact. This project invites students to craft a dual-focused strategy to elevate Plumtree’s mission: (1) develop innovative campaigns that increase awareness and position Plumtree as the go-to resource for families seeking trusted, effective care, and (2) design a dynamic sponsorship strategy to secure crucial funding for new online learning tools tailored to children with disabilities and special needs. Plumtree's commitment to empowering parents and fostering long-lasting positive outcomes means that innovative ideas from forward-thinking students could revolutionise its approach to accessibility and outreach. This is a chance to make a tangible difference, blending creativity, strategic thinking, and community impact. Take on this project to not only enhance your skills in strategic communication and partnership building but to leave a meaningful legacy for an organisation making real change. Your ideas could be the bridge that connects more families to the empowering support they deserve.
Timetable: Wednesday 9 am – 12 pm
Powerhouse Museum – Shaping Futures with Powerhouse Parramatta
Museums are often viewed as repositories of the past, preserving and displaying objects that are historically, culturally, and scientifically significant. By providing access to these artefacts of the past, museums stimulate our inquiry and promote our understanding. Yet one role of history, more generally, and museums, in particular, is their capacity to chart new futures. One of the challenges museums face is how to document the past in order to inform and shape the future for current and future audiences. As a museum for excellence and innovation in applied arts and sciences, the Powerhouse Museum is uniquely positioned to bridge the past and the future. In this project, you will partner with Powerhouse Parramatta, which is destined to become one of the largest cultural institutions in Western Sydney, to explore the rich history of South-West Sydney. In interdisciplinary teams, you will reflect on the transition from rural to urban environments in South-West Sydney and examine the historical influence of the interactions between agriculture, industry, and community. How does the telling of this past inform community development in South-West Sydney, and how might understanding the evolution of these areas provide valuable context for current and future museum audiences? While the project will centre on South-West Sydney’s agricultural past, diverse disciplinary knowledge will be required to unlock its cultural, social and economic future to engage the audiences of tomorrow.
Timetable: Wednesday 12 – 3pm
Producible – Rethinking Generational Myths in Advertising
Generational segmentation in marketing often assumes homogeneity within age-based groups, oversimplifying diverse consumer behaviours and overlooking nuances critical for effective advertising. Critics, such as Professor Mark Ritson, have highlighted the limitations of this approach. This interdisciplinary ICPU project invites students from various academic backgrounds to challenge these stereotypes by investigating how digital behaviours shape advertising effectiveness. The project focuses on analysing consumer behaviours, preferences, and contexts to develop innovative advertising strategies. Using a mixed-methods approach, students will combine data-driven analysis with interpretive techniques to gain a comprehensive understanding of consumer engagement patterns and the factors influencing responses to advertisements. Students will explore behavioural segmentation to cluster consumers into unique profiles like "Platform Jumpers" and "Interactive Seekers," moving beyond generational assumptions. Students are expected to apply these insights to design tailored advertising campaigns and promotions, such as for Homewares or Consumer Electronics, addressing platform habits and format preferences. Anticipated outcomes include a behavioural segmentation framework, actionable marketing recommendations, and creative campaign examples that demonstrate research-based strategies. This project bridges academia and industry, offering students real-world experience while delivering evidence-based solutions and insights to the industry partner.
Timetable: Tuesday 9 am – 12 pm
Ronald McDonald House Charities – Championing Hope with Gen Z
Since 1981, Ronald McDonald House Charities Greater Western Sydney has been a pillar of support for families with sick and injured children. Our 60-room House provides not just shelter, but comprehensive services including meals, counselling, educational support, social activities, and essential items—all designed to create a nurturing environment filled with community and hope. Our impact extends beyond our House through our Hospitality Carts at Nepean and Campbelltown Hospitals, bringing comfort directly to children’s bedsides with snacks, boredom busters, and essential items. We proudly support over 2,500 families each year. However, as we look to engage the influential Gen Z demographic in fundraising, we face a unique challenge: many in this age group don’t yet have children, making it harder for them to relate to our mission. To captivate Gen Z, we need a fresh, standout initiative that resonates with their values and interests. This could take the form of a dynamic digital or social media campaign that leverages trends, or interactive experiences like community-driven exercise events or run clubs. Comprehensive research is essential to design a strategy that aligns with current successful campaigns, adapts them to our cause, and lays out an actionable plan with detailed budgets, timelines, and marketing outreach.
Timetable: Tuesday 9 – 12 pm
TATA India – Agile Transformation for Tata Steel
Tata Steel, a global leader in the metals and manufacturing sectors, is undergoing a transformation to become more agile in a changing global environment. With over a century of industry leadership and a workforce of 78,000 across diverse geographies, Tata Steel is facing growing customer demands, sustainability pressures, and internal shifts, including a workforce that is 56% Millennial and Gen Z. The company recognises the need for a cultural and business process transformation to stay ahead of the curve. In this interdisciplinary project, diverse student groups are invited to explore how global manufacturing companies, particularly in the steel and metals industries, are adopting agile practices. Students will conduct project research through case studies and collating secondary data, to uncover best practices in areas like human resources, operations, decision-making, and governance. The project will focus on identifying key practices that can help Tata Steel sense opportunities and risks early, accelerate decision-making, reduce operational cycle times, and foster a culture of innovation and engagement. This creates tangible opportunities to build data-driven recommendations for implementing agile processes at Tesco Steel, to enable business efficiency, employee satisfaction and sustainable practices.
Timetable: Wednesday 3 – 6 pm
Teach for Australia – Revolutionising How We Attract Future Teachers
Teach For Australia (TFA) is a not-for-profit organisation that recruits individuals from diverse, non-teaching backgrounds into the teaching profession. Like many other teaching pathways, TFA faces the challenge of attracting talent to a profession often portrayed as demanding and less flexible than other careers. While teaching offers the opportunity to make a significant social impact, public perception—particularly in the media—tends to focus on the challenges, such as workload and pay, rather than the rewarding and transformative aspects of the profession. This creates a hurdle for potential applicants, despite the meaningful difference they could make in the community. This project invites students to explore how the education sector can better attract graduates when the perception of teaching is often negative. Innovative solutions could help address the gap between the perceived and actual rewards of teaching, improving recruitment and retention. Interdisciplinary student groups can focus on a range of issues including structural factors that limit the appeal of teaching careers, recruitment challenges within geographic bounds or discrete specialisations within primary and secondary education, and the effectiveness of graduate pathways. All projects will advance TFAs mission: ‘To grow a community of leaders committed to equity for children, by recruiting and developing exceptional people to teach and lead across Australia’.
Timetable: Monday 12 – 3 pm
TerraCycle - Putting Business in the Box Seat to Recycling Glory
Sustainability has shifted from being a nice-to-have to a must-do, either through formal corporate sustainability goals, brand and reputational positioning, customer expectations, or a combination of the three. This includes the large companies to the small business down the street. However, many businesses remain unaware of just how much of their waste can be recycled. At TerraCycle, we address this gap by working with our customers to develop recycling programs for those hard-to-recycle materials not accepted through traditional recycling services. One solution is TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Box, an all-in-one recycling option where the Box’s cost covers shipping, sorting, cleaning, and recycling. We have been working with larger companies for almost a decade and now recognise the need to refine our offering to small and medium-sized businesses. And this is our challenge. What are the perceptions of recycling in small and medium-sized businesses? What do they understand their role to be the recycling journey? What are their pain points? Students will focus on the retail, hospitality, or small office market segments and draw upon their own experiences to work collaboratively in interdisciplinary groups to identify ways to inform, educate, and raise awareness via a b2b communication and engagement strategy through the lens of TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Box.
Timetable: Tuesday 3 – 6 pm
Tonkin Engineering – Driving Sustainability in Action and Advancing Climate Resilience
Climate change is occurring at an accelerated rate and requires significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to slowdown global warming. With nearly 70 years of experience in Australia, Tonkin brings a deep understanding of the challenges faced by clients to enable transition to renewable energy, improved energy efficiency and climate resilience. Our 2025 sustainability strategy maps a pathway for Tonkin to become a national leader in sustainable infrastructure in three key impact areas aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In this project we invite exploration and solutions that support the organisational transformation needed for Tonkin to deliver on this vision. We welcome recommendations on upskilling our project leaders to act as sustainability champions, ideas to embed the latest digital tools and processes which minimise our carbon footprint and fresh insights into how we can build organisational capability for climate resilience. Finally, we invite input into our ‘people strategy’, which is critical to ensure Tonkin attracts top talent, fosters high performance, and retains valuable staff to enable our sustainability goals. We understand the imperative of sustainable infrastructure development for our shared future, and through your valuable inputs to any one of these efforts, you can help us lead and expand our positive impact.
Timetable: Friday 9 am – 12 pm
Ventia – Empowering an Inclusive and Diverse Workforce
Ventia is one of the largest essential infrastructure services providers in Australia and New Zealand. It has a combined workforce of more than 35,000 people, working in over 400 sites across Australia and New Zealand, with over 40% of its employees operating in regional locations. At Ventia, people are at the heart of what we do and providing a culture and workplaces where they can thrive and build meaningful careers is important to us. In today’s dynamic and fast-paced workplaces, supporting employee health and wellbeing in a meaningful way poses unique challenges, especially in large and diverse organisations. Designing an exclusive wellbeing program for such a multi-faceted workforce means considering a broad spectrum of needs, from physical and mental health support to a sense of belonging and safety. For example, Veterans may benefit from mental health resources tailored to their experiences, LGBTQ+ employees may seek inclusive policies and safe spaces. People with disability often need physical accommodations and flexible policies, whilst First Nations employee may appreciate culturally sensitive support and time for community obligations. In this project, teams are invited to create scalable, adaptable and sustainable programs that respect and cater to the diverse needs of these groups, fostering an inclusive environment that prioritises the wellbeing of all.
Timetable: Wednesday 9 am – 12 pm
Details regarding projects for the 2025 Semester 2 session will be announced closer to the commencement date. Comprehensive information, including project descriptions and timetable will be provided.
Last updated: 11 April 2025
