During the June/July intensive session in 2025, students were given the opportunity to collaborate with the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research on a global project focused on tackling one of the most pressing global issues – ensuring sustainable, accessible, and equitable food systems for all.
The project was delivered as a Industry and Community Project Unit (ICPU) and brought together 60 students from our University, the University of Lausanne in Switzerland and the University of Padova in Italy to tackle the issue at a local-scale: food security in South-West Sydney.
Students presenting their recommendations to the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research
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LinkDuring the project, student groups shared invaluable insights and produced innovative recommendations for the Ingham Institute to prevent diet-related diseases in South-West Sydney. These included:
- digital nutrition education for Arabic-speaking refugees
- a canteen initiative championing healthy food offerings for schools in South-West Sydney
- cultivating gardens featuring native plants in South-West Sydney high schools
- partnership opportunities for the Ingham Institute to bridge the agri-food/health nexus in new and innovative ways.
Katie Quinn Gilbert, Executive Director Research Activation and Industry Partnerships at Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, reflected on the opportunity to partner with students on real-world challenges.
"At the Ingham Institute, our mission is to transform research into real-world impact, addressing the pressing health challenges facing our communities. South Western Sydney is one of the most diverse populations in the world, and its unique health profile demands innovative, tailored solutions," Katie Quinn Gilbert said.
"This initiative invited a new generation of researchers to bring creativity, evidence, and interdisciplinary thinking to some of the most complex issues in health.
"It has been inspiring to see these students apply their skills with such purpose and determination. Congratulations to the University of Sydney and to all the students who contributed—your work reflects the very best of what research partnerships can achieve."
Simone Proft, Cheif Executive Officer at the Ingham Institute, also reflected on the value of partnerships between higher education institutions and industry, which lead to rich and rewarding experiences for students and invaluable learnings for organisations.
"The world of work now more than ever requires people to be adaptive, agile and able to think critically in the workplace. Education partnerships with industry provide invaluable real world learning contexts for students that allow them to bring their disciplinary learning to life and support development of these essential workplace skills," Simone Proft said.
"Experiences such as that with the ICPU students and industry partnerships enable students to bridge the gap between knowledge and practice far earlier in their career, supporting their employability and perhaps more importantly, their capability to be reflective, lifelong learners in the workplace.
"Through real world learning contexts, this invaluable ICPU Global Campus experience enabled the students to extend their strategic thinking for complex problem solving, enrich their student learning to build diverse, international professional and personal networks, immersing themselves in new languages and culture, in a structured learning environment that prepares them for the problems they will address in their careers."