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What is a CRC-P?
A CRC-P is a short term industry-led collaborative research project with the aim to develop important new technologies.
What is the CRC-P funding?
CRC-P Round 10 has $10 million in funding to support CRC-Ps with focus on addressing gaps in Australia’s waste and recycling capability, particularly in regards to plastics, paper, glass and tyres.
Matched funding of between $100,000 and $3 million. Grants are for up to 3 years.
What is a CRC?
CRC stands for Cooperative Research Centre which can get up to $55M funding over 10 years. CRCs undertake medium to long term industry-led high quality collaborative research.
CRC-P stands for Cooperative Research Centre – Projects which can get up to $3M funding over 3 years. CRC-Ps undertake short-term, industry-identified and industry-led collaborative research projects
What is a CRC in Australia?
A CRC in Australia short-term, industry-led collaborative research project which is eligible for $3M funding over 3 years.
CRC-P Objectives
The CRC-P aims to
- Competitiveness – improve the competitiveness, productivity and sustainability of Australian industries
- Priorities – deliver outcomes in line with government priorities
- Collaboration – encourage and enable small and medium enterprise (SME) participation in collaborative research
- Research – foster high quality research to help solve industry specific problems
Eligible Projects
To be eligible for the CRC-P funding, projects must:
- develop a product, service or process that will solve problems for industry and deliver real outcomes
- benefit small to medium enterprises (SMEs)
- include education and training activities
CRC-P Eligible Activities
CRC-P eligible activities must directly relate to the CRC-P project and can include:
- new research
- proof of concept activities
- pre-commercialisation of research outcomes
- industry-focused education and training activities
- conferences, workshops, symposia related to the joint research
- information sharing and communications related to the research
Eligible Lead Applicants
To be eligible for funding in CRC-P Round 10 your project must have a focus on addressing gaps in Australia’s waste and recycling capability, particularly in regards to plastics, paper, glass and tyres.
To be eligible for CRC-P as a lead applicant you must:
- have an Australian business number (ABN)
- be incorporated in Australia and a trading corporation
Your trading activities must be either:
- enough to be called a trading corporation
- a major, not minor, part of your overall activity
Project partners must include:
- 2 Australian industry organisations, including at least 1 SME
- 1 Australian research organisation
Other Members
Each CRC-P must include and maintain amongst its project partners at least:
- two industry entities including at least one SME and
- one research organisation.
Partners from existing or former CRCs or CRC-Ps can be partners in other CRCs or CRC-Ps.
CRC-P partners do not need to commit for the entire project period.
All CRC-P partners must contribute resources to the CRC-Ps. We treat partners’ proposed cash and in-kind contributions equally for the purposes of calculating the maximum grant amount.
How to get a CRC-P grant?
To get CRC-P funding you will need to identify the:
- Problem – industry-identified problem to be solved
- Outcome – tangible industry outcomes expected to derive from the research activitiy
- Potential – commercial potential of the expected outputs and any spill-over benefits.
- Solution – how the proposal would solve the industry-identified problem
- Process – the methodology to be applied to achieve outcomes and adoption of new technologies
- Team – the potential participants and their levels of proposed commitment.
Round 10 Priorities
In CRC-P Round 10 the Australian Government has allocated $10 million for addressing gaps in Australia’s waste and recycling capability, particularly in regards to plastics, paper, glass and tyres.
Timing
Applications for Round 10 of the CRC-P closed on 01 October 2020.
More Information
What is the CRC-P Success Rate?
In round 1 of the CRC-P only 11 of the 91 applications were funded with a success rate of 12%. This is below the NHMRC success rate of 17% and the ARC success rate of 18%.
ARC Industry Linkage Programme has a success rate of 36% in 2015 and 31% in 2016.
CRC-P Recipients
Some of the CRC-P recipients include:
- CRC-P Nutromics – $2,150,000 – Diabetes is a global epidemic and the biggest challenge confronting Australia’s health system. Current care models focus on treatment of the disease, however greatly improved outcomes and increased efficiency are driven from preventative measures. The project will bring together a multi-disciplinary team to develop a digitally enabled wearable device and a deep learning behaviour change engine to elicit the positive lifestyle behaviour changes required to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
- CRC-P Coviu – $1,187,534 – “Telerehabilitation,” or rehabilitation service via video, has demonstrated both equivalent outcomes to face-to-face rehabilitation and reduced costs. However, mainstream uptake has been limited by a lack of objective patient progress metrics. This project aims to further reduce cost and improve efficiency by developing AI-based solutions to automatically recognise joint range of motion, allowing clinicians to monitor and measure remotely via a video interface the progress of patient’s recovery.
CRC-P Round 9 Recipients
| Title | Partners* | Description | Start/End Date | Total Grant amount | Total Project Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A sensor network for integrated Space Traffic Management for Australia | Clearbox Systems Pty Limited* Bluerydge University of New South Wales Capricorn Space Pty Ltd | Space Traffic Management (STM) is currently the domain of the US military however civilian organisations around the world are investigating new STM solutions and related technologies including Space Domain Awareness (SDA) in response to a projected 20-fold increase in satellites in orbit in the 5 years to 2025; an increase that surpasses current STM systems’ capabilities. Clearbox Systems will lead the development of a novel SDA sensor and commence implementation of an integrated STM system that will securely store, analyse and distribute collected data for satellite location, identification, tracking and collision avoidance. The sensor and collected data will be made available for sale to satellite operators and governments globally. | 1/10/2020 – 31/3/2023 | $3,000,000 | $13,507,924 |
| Digital Interferometry Optical Gyroscope for autonomous navigation | Advanced Navigation Pty Ltd The Australian National University Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Airsight Australia Pty Ltd | Advanced Navigation will collaborate with research partners ANU and RMIT and commercial partner, Corridor Insights to develop the world’s leading high performance gyroscope. Accurate positioning is a critical function in industries such as Space, Transport and Infrastructure, current solutions have poor price/performance, the novel approach using low cost fibre and integrated optical waveguides will deliver a solution that is a 85% cost reduction over current systems and will enable new customer applications that has previously not been possible. | 1/7/2020 – 30/6/2023 | $2,793,414 | $8,673,998 |
| High output, low cost automated Embedded Rail Track (ERT) | Downer EDI Works Pty Ltd The University of Wollongong University of Technology Sydney Antoun Civil Engineering (Aust.) Pty Ltd Embedded Rail Technology Limited | The demand to increase safety and utilisation of heavy-haul and high-speed rail infrastructure in Australia has led to the development of an ERT system which avoids derailment and increases utilisation capacity up by 30%. Installation costs are currently double and installation time is seven times that of ballast track. Led by Downer and in partnership with the UOW, UTS, Antoun Civil and Embedded Rail Technology, this project will investigate automation technologies to dramatically reduce the cost of ERT installation and be competitive with traditional ballasted track. ERT technology will transform how rail is constructed and will significantly contribute to the multi-billion dollar mining and transportation sectors. | 1/7/2020 – 30/6/2022 | $1,500,000 | $4,077,750 |
| Novel autonomous robotic weed control to maximise agricultural productivity | Agent Oriented Software Pty Ltd The University of New England Department of Industry Queensland University of Technology Monaro Farming Systems CMC Incorporated Autonomous Operational Software Pty Ltd David Miron Treasury Wine Estates Vintners Limited | Development of an autonomous mobile robot, “Kelpie”, to identify individual weeds and selectively spray or remove them. Five Kelpie systems will be trialled on Monaro farms and Treasury Wine Estates vineyards – autonomously navigating pasture or vineyard to economically control weeds where it is currently not possible. Kelpie will record the position and size of the weeds, to produce a Weeds Map for planning and audit purposes, and a Feed Quality Map with the current farm stock carrying capacity. The weeds data collected during the project will be analysed and made publicly available as a research resource as a Reference Weeds Library. | 13/7/2020 – 25/4/2023 | $2,850,000 | $8,678,267 |
| Enhanced Influenza Vaccine Production: New vaccine manufacture substrates | Synbiova Pty Ltd CSIRO Biointelect Pty Ltd Specialised Breeders Australia Pty Ltd Valo Biomedia gmbh | Influenza (flu) is a global health issue, causing severe illness and deaths each year. Flu vaccines, key to flu prevention, are produced in eggs, a process that suffers considerable production hurdles, using almost 1.6 billion fertilised chicken eggs per year and producing tonnes of flu infected waste. To solve this major industry problem, we have developed new vaccine production substrates (eggs and cell lines) that can produce significantly higher quantities of flu vaccine, alleviating the production hurdles of this vital medical product. This project will take our highly developed prototypes and deliver a translated, commercially viable products for international sale. Our eggs and cell lines will save time, money and lives. | 1/7/2020 – 30/6/2023 | $2,399,226 | $10,833,759 |
| Manufacturing consortium for cancer radioimmunotherapy | Glytherix ltd Auspep Pty Ltd Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation University of Technology Sydney GE Healthcare Australia Pty Limited Macquarie University CSIRO | GlyTherix is an Australian SME developing antibody treatments for cancer. Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) uses antibodies to selectively deliver radiation to kill cancer cells, while limiting damage to healthy cells. Despite its tremendous potential, widespread adoption of RIT has been limited by the complex manufacturing process and short shelf life of the radioisotope. This project brings together Australian SMEs, Universities and Government research organisations CSIRO and ANSTO to pioneer manufacturing of “shake-and-bake” kits that allow on-site, on-demand production of RITs in hospital radiopharmacies. Miltuximab antibody will be used as a testbed for the entire production process and testing safety and efficacy in a Phase 1 clinical trial. | 1/7/2020 – 30/6/2023 | $3,000,000 | $10,652,883 |
| Making cell & gene therapy affordable with a Microbioreactor | Genesys Electronics Design Pty Ltd University of New South Wales CSL Limited | This project will develop an automated microscale bioreactor to manufacture genetically modified cells for use in human cell and gene therapy. Existing large-footprint machines require skilled staff and complicated multi-step procedures, resulting in prohibitively expensive treatment costs, limiting accessibility, e.g. a cure for some cancers with CAR-T cells is possible but available to few, costing up to US$0.5 million. UNSW has developed microfluidic technology for miniaturising and simplifying cell manufacture which reduces cost. Genesys will commercialise this technology and has partnered with CSL, a global leader in biotechnology, to deliver Microbioreactors for its planned treatment centres targeting a range of diseases. | 31/7/2020 – 30/6/2023 | $3,000,000 | $9,068,783 |
| Creating high-value canola protein for the global plant protein market | Riverina Oils & Bio Energy Pty Ltd Graincorp Oils Holdings Pty Ltd Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions (VIC) | The global plant-based protein market is rapidly growing, driven by rising demand for a protein-rich diet, a growing health and wellness trend and an increasing consumer focus on meat alternatives. Canola protein more closely matches the dietary requirements of humans than any other vegetable or legume protein. We will develop canola varieties that address constraints currently faced for extracting high-value protein for human foods from canola meal. By unlocking the true potential of Non GMO canola protein, it will allow Australia to tap into the rapidly growing global plant protein market to realise a 6-fold increase in the current value of canola meal. This will benefit all in the supply chain from farmers to innovative food processors. | 1/7/2020 – 30/6/2023 | $3,000,000 | $7,539,652 |
| Mitigating taint in wine due to vineyard exposure to bushfire smoke | Cassegrain Wines Pty Limited Ligar Limited Partnership The Australian Wine Research Institute The University of Adelaide VA Filtration (SA) Pty Ltd De Beaurepaire Wines Pty Limited Department of Primary Industries and Regions (South Australia) | Vineyard exposure to bushfire smoke can taint grapes, and therefore wine, due to unpalatable smoky, ashy characters, leading to revenue losses in the hundreds of $millions. The 2019/20 bushfires have affected prominent wine regions in the ACT, NSW, SA and Victoria, and without scientifically proven treatments for ‘smoke taint’, the issue remains an ongoing threat to the long-term economic viability of the Australian wine industry. This CRC-P will evaluate promising strategies for mitigating smoke taint, including novel winemaking additives and treatment processes that remove smoke compounds from wine, thereby reducing the sensory perception of smoke taint. Outcomes from this research will provide economic and social benefits to industry. | 1/7/2020 – 30/6/2023 | $950,000 | $2,387,017 |
| Transforming Hazardous Solar Panel Waste into Value Added Materials | OJAS Infrastructure Pty Ltd University of Melbourne Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Universal Vortex Industries Pty Ltd Cement Australia Holdings Pty Ltd Ouroborus Pty Ltd | With the increasing electricity prices, Australian households and business have continued to embrace PV solar panels. In 2018, six PV panels were installed per minute on average. The increase of popularity is likely to result in end-of-life issues in terms of disposal of waste, with a total of 1.5 M tonnes of waste modules estimated by 2050 in Australia. The project will drive the deployment of a new plant in Victoria to upcycle end-of-life PV panels into raw materials for cement-based construction materials through an innovative advanced process. A process will be developed to fully recover glass from PV panels. The CRC-P will provide essential support to the applicant and partners to commercialise recycled glass from PV solar panels. | 1/7/2020 -1/6/2023 | $3,000,000 | $8,552,62 |
CRC-P Round 8 Recipients
| Title | Partners* | Description | Start/End Date | Total Grant amount | Total Project Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recycling plastic waste for manufacturing prefabricated building components ** | Metecno Pty Ltd Pipemakers Australia Pty Ltd M Modular Pty Ltd University of Melbourne | The building and construction sector in Australia consumes around 700,000 tonnes of plastics each year (20% of Australia’s plastic consumption); less than 12% is recycled and more than 40% is disposed of in landfill. Although plastic is a reliable material for the construction industry, the fluctuating price of raw materials and quality issues with recycled materials may hamper market growth in the future. This urgent problem can be addressed by developing new advanced recycling and automated manufacturing processes to utilise a high tonnage of recycled plastic waste in lightweight prefabricated building products (LPBP). This will expedite the recycling of plastic waste to reduce the costs of LPBPs whilst controlling their quality | 10/2/2020 – 6/2/2023 | $2,700,000 | $8,763,000 |
| Optimising Chemical Recycling of Waste Plastics Via Fluidised Bed Cracking ** | Integrated Green Energy Solutions Ltd University of Sydney Mike Ritchie and Associates Pty Ltd Roundhill Engineering Pty Ltd | Waste plastic is a growing problem in Australia and elsewhere in the world. Many plastics are uneconomic to process using conventional physical recycling technology. IGES has developed technology that converts waste contaminated plastic to the feedstock for remanufacturing plastic. This project aims to extend the IGES technology to become the next generation of processing technology that specifically targets the generation of naphtha from mixed and contaminated, post-consumer waste plastic as an optimised feedstock for the virgin plastics manufacturing industry. Successful deployment of this technology will place Australian expertise at the centre of the global industry that manages waste plastic. | 1/1/2020 – 31/12/2022 | $1,983,427 | $5,484,386 |
| Upcycling solutions for hazardous claddings and co-mingled waste ** | Sebastian Property Services Pty Ltd Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University of Melbourne EDOS Global Pty Ltd Smits, Benjamin Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia Pearl Global Management Pty Ltd L.U. Simon Builders Proprietary Limited | The rectification work of hazardous claddings is adding over 750k tons of plastic waste to 2.5M tons of co-mingled waste produced each year in Australia. This project will drive the development of a new plant in Victoria to upcycle these resources into higher value end-products such as recycled shoes and prefabricated building elements. The process is further developed based on innovative and proven methods to fully recover plastics waste. At the end of their life-span, shoes and prefabricated building elements can be recycled and boost the complete circular economy of co-mingled waste. This project will provide essential support to Sebastian Property Services and partners to commercialise recycled plastic products from hazardous claddings. | 1/1/2020 – 31/12/2022 | $2,950,000 | $8,844,800 |
| Increased recycling of plastics by sensing and treating label contamination ** | Pegras Asia Pacific Pty Ltd Visypet Pty Ltd LM Group (Aust.) Pty Ltd University of Sydney University of NSW University of Technology Sydney The University of Wollongong NSW Smart Sensing Network | This project focuses on increased re-use of HDPE plastic. Recycling companies today have problems in recycling HDPE because labels contaminate the mix. HDPE is a high quality material in demand for re-use but under 20% of used HDPE is now recycled. Increasing re-use represents tens of millions of dollars to industry. A partnership of technology, recycling and manufacturing companies will work with university experts in sensors, polymers, systems engineering and environmental policy to overcome this problem. CRC-P support will be used to identify a novel way to sense and treat residual contaminants on chips of HDPE in the recycling process. This will be unique worldwide and designed for industrial use for a broad range of plastics. | 1/5/2020 – 30/4/2021 | $650,000 | $1,500,843 |
| Aus. Std. Diesel from mixed plastics: Maximising recovery from waste ** | Northern Oil Refineries Pty Ltd Synbio Pty Ltd Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Central Queensland University | Fuel security and solid waste management are carbon management issues, representing different sides of the same coin. NOR, collaborating with CQ University and RMIT, is implementing the production of Australian Standard (Aus. Std.) Diesel from landfill waste. Aus. Std. Diesel is one of the highest quality diesels internationally, its production is a multi-step process including crude generation and refinement. This project grows NOR’s current refinery designs (diesel from single source waste) to allow processing of oil from mixed waste, thereby expanding the diesel production in Australia by 20GL p.a., meeting 70% of Australia’s demand (and injecting $20B p.a. into the economy), while lowering waste management costs by $53B per annum. | 6/1/2020 – 23/12/2022 | $1,857,562 | $4,086,118 |
| Plastic Resource Recovery for Remote and Indigenous Communities ** | The Pacific Collective Pty Limited Environmental Data Acquisition Services Pty Ltd Southern Cross University South Pole Australian Pty Ltd | Plastic waste overly affects remote and vulnerable communities, where plastics are buried, burnt or dumped, often ending in waterways and oceans. Lacking waste services, pollution builds up and impacts all aspects of society. However, current recycling models completely fail remote communities due to a lack of fit-for-purpose recycling equipment and high freight costs required. Therefore, PC is developing a mobile plastic recycling container facility to process onsite 100% of single use plastics into valuable products. Our facility will connect remote communities to a global ethically-recycled plastic marketplace to facilitate a real plastic circular economy. | 1/1/2020 – 31/12/2022 | $2,496,887 | $4,996,393 |
| Recycled plastic ROBOVOID construction solution. ** | Robovoid Pty Ltd Ancon Building Products Pty Ltd Westkon Precast Pty Ltd Universal Robots (Singapore) Pty Ltd Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology The Trustee for GT Recycling Unit Trust The Trustee for Gangula Family Trust Goborg Pty Ltd Swinburne University of Technology Amiga Engineering Pty Ltd BG&E Pty Limited Matter Up Pty Ltd Advanced Science and Engineering Pty Ltd | ROBOVOID is a revolutionary recycled plastic construction solution to enable the recycling of up to 6 million tonnes of plastic per year around the world. The solution involves clever modular recycled plastic parts that displace concrete that is not necessary to achieve the performance requirements of structures. The engineered voids result in weight savings of up to 75% and widespread adoption will result in a global CO2 emission reduction of up to 3%. CRC-P support will enable the project team to conduct the necessary testing and development to achieve a reliable and economical solution that can be exported to the global market. | 1/1/2020 – 30/6/2022 | $2,361,232 | $5,713,231 |
| Counter Current Separation (CCS) Bio-Polymer Plastics Recycling Project ** | Separtis Pty Ltd Polpure Pty Limited University of Sydney Prysm Industries Pty Ltd | The Project will scale-up patented bio-polymer technology to enable the recycling of comingled and contaminated waste plastics, without the need to sort the waste stream. The process overcomes the problem of how to achieve a circular economy in waste plastics, by using a series of organic polymers in its process to separate atomic bonds in the plastic so it can be reconstituted to the desired formulation, without any loss in strength or other properties. The process converts contaminants into inert non-toxic molecules. The process will maximise opportunities for waste plastic to be recycled into valuable new products throughout the domestic and international supply chain, without the need to retrofit existing manufacturing equipment. | 1/1/2020 – 31/12/2022 | $1,177,438 | $3,196,927 |
| Green microfactories for recycling waste plastics into engineered products ** | WOSUP Australia Pty Ltd University of NSW Spark Furniture Pty Ltd | Single use plastics are a significant national problem, currently stockpiled at Australian landfills and waste management sites. The project plans to turn this enormous challenge into an opportunity to create high quality engineered product for manufacturers via distributed microfactories. The project develops an advanced, semi-automated manufacturing technology by which waste plastics are efficiently transformed into high value products at smaller scales than previously feasible, enabling recycling microfactories to be implemented locally. The process is modular, scalable and closed loop with zero waste. The product will be used to manufacture unique street furniture and linked to manufacturers nationwide. | 1/3/2020 – 28/2/2023 | $3,000,000 | $9,322,024 |
| LieNA® – The Process Solution for Fine Spodumene *** | Lithium Australia NL Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation Murdoch University Pioneer Resources Limited VSPC Ammtec Unit Trust Curtin University Carnac – Project Delivery Services Pty Ltd | LieNA® is a novel refining option for the critical mineral spodumene to produce Li battery chemicals from materials that may otherwise be discharged as waste. Unlike conventional Chinese thermal converters, LieNA® is not feed constrained and suited to lower grade fine feed. To meet Chinese converter specifications, W.A. spodumene producers sacrifice recovery for grade, achieving Li recoveries of 50-75%. This leads to poor resource utilisation and loss of valuable spodumene to waste. Potentially ~A$713M/a of recoverable spodumene is reporting to waste and LieNA® has been developed to target this business opportunity. This application moves LieNA® towards commercialisation by progressing the TRL level from 3 to 4 via pilot plant operation. | 2/1/2020 – 21/1/2022 | $1,255,504 | $3,587,155 |
| Novel processing of pyrite ore to produce battery grade cobalt and sulfur *** | Cobalt Blue Holdings Limited University of NSW Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation Anergy Australia Pty Ltd | The Project will assess and optimise Cobalt Blue’s (COB) innovative metallurgical process for efficiently treating previously uneconomic pyrite-cobalt ore to produce battery precursor cobalt sulfate and elemental sulfur. A demonstration plant will operate continuously on up to 1000t of concentrate over 12 months to simulate full scale production. Operational parameters, material properties, process controls and mass/energy fluxes will be measured, modelled and optimised, and product analysis will be undertaken on the calcine and sulfur to ensure product specifications are met. If proven, it is expected the new metallurgical process will enable a doubling of Australia’s cobalt production from previously uneconomic pyritic feedstocks. | 1/1/2020 – 30/6/2022 | $2,400,000 | $11,057,683 |
| Advanced Nano-engineered Battery for Fast Charging Catenary-free Trams *** | VSPC The University of Queensland CSIRO Soluna Australia Pty Ltd | Traditional trams with overhead power lines have high costs for expansion and maintenance. As a result, expansion of tram networks is time-consuming and costly, and the urban landscape is “polluted” with un-sightly infrastructure. Advanced nano-engineered batteries with fast-charging capabilities will enable a new generation of battery-powered catenary-free trams. These vehicles will remove the need for overhead power lines and associated electrical infrastructure which opens the way for greater flexibility, with reduced cost and maintenance requirements. Newly developed nanomaterials will enable these batteries to be recharged fast during waiting time at platforms without degrading the battery performance and lifetime. | 1/7/2020 – 30/6/2023 | $1,641,000 | $4,896,000 |
| Production of 99.95% pure vanadium pentoxide and vanadium electrolytes *** | Australian Vanadium Limited Ammtec Unit Trust Amec Foster Wheeler Australia Pty Ltd Curtin University Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation | 90% of the world’s vanadium production is produced from Vanadium titaniferous magnetite (VTM). However, the current VTM production route is not suitable for the production of high purity vanadium for battery applications, is relatively costly, and does not extract value from the other critical mineral by-products and iron in the deposit. This CRC-P will focus on recovering vanadium (as V2O5) to 99.95% purity for vanadium redox battery applications, as well as developing economical processes to enable the recovery of additional by-products from VTM ore, from what would in standard VTM processes be rejected as waste. These by-products will include the critical minerals titanium and chromium, as well as iron, sulphate salts and ammonium. | 1/1/2020 – 31/12/2022 | $1,250,000 | $4,968,660 |
| Value-added cobalt refining technologies powering advanced batteries *** | Pure Battery Technologies Pty Ltd The University of Queensland Intdesign Pty Ltd Cronimet Holding GmbH | This project will develop a process to refine cobalt concentrate produced at Pure Battery Technologies’ (PBT) refinery. This process is aimed at generating products such as cobalt salts and value added mixed-metal lithium ion battery precursors. The research will add value to PBT’s patented mineral processing technology, and improved methods developed in this project will optimise battery performance and integrate recycled battery feedstock. | 1/1/2020 – 31/12/2021 | $2,220,996 | $7,023,607 |
| A novel process for producing battery grade nickel and cobalt sulphates *** | Queensland Pacific Metals Pty Ltd CSIRO Direct Nickel Projects Pty Limited | This solution will pioneer a combined process developed to address critical industry shortfalls in processing capabilities for widely available nickel laterite. This project encompasses DNi technology to develop a novel flowsheet and run pilot plant trials for converting mixed (nickel/cobalt)-hydroxide product (MHP), to nickel and cobalt sulphate product. The proposed process will result in the production of battery-grade materials from low-grade nickel laterite. This process includes a technological solution adapted to recover primary nickel and cobalt and other co-products, while recycling the nitric acid leach solution used, this results in a significantly more environmentally friendly method than traditional High-Pressure Acid Leaching. | 2/1/2020 – 30/9/2021 | $2,550,000 | $9,355,275 |
| Future-proofing the salmon farming industry in the face of climate warming | Ridley Agriproducts Pty Ltd GENICS Pty Ltd Deakin University CSIRO The University of Queensland | Salmon farming is Australia’s most valuable food aquaculture industry, worth >$750 million in 2018 and predicted to grow to >$1billion. Tasmanian waters are the world’s warmest for salmon farming with summer temperatures now routinely exceeding 19°C, pushing these cold-water fish to their thermal tolerance limit. This impacts feed intake and nutrient use with knock-on effects in growth, health and welfare that cost >$150 million p.a., and threaten growth. This project employs nutritional physiology to increase the resilience of salmon at high temperature. Field deployment of an innovative new platform for multi-pathogen quantification will measure the impact of dietary intervention at scale during summer, guiding future management. | 1/4/2020 – 31/3/2023 | $3,000,000 | $9,923,429 |
| Next-generation Test and Measurement devices for photonics sensing | Liquid Instruments Pty Ltd Australian National University EOS Space Systems Pty Limited | This project will commercialise advanced test and measurement technology to enable high-performance optics and photonics sensing for industrial, education and defence applications |