Curtin University wins first trailblazer grant for research

Curtin University has won the first federal government trailblazer grant to boost manufacturing related research.

Curtin University vice-chancellor Harlene Hayne.

Scott Morrison will commit $50m to a Curtin University-led project to build Australia’s competitive advantage in the critical minerals needed for batteries, renewable energy and other hi-tech applications.

The project, which is the first election campaign announcement from the Coalition to support universities, also includes the University of Queensland, James Cook University and 33 companies. The three universities and their industry partners have promised another $144m in co-investment to the program.

The Coalition says it will create 1300 jobs, including researchers and graduates employed by industry, and new positions created in start-ups linked to the program.  The research and development partnership is designed to help Australia to build competitive supply chains for key metals including nickel, cobalt, lithium and vanadium.

The Prime Minister said it would “turbocharge” the critical minerals ­industry.

“Employment in the mining industry grew by over 26,800 jobs – or 10.6 per cent – over the past year and is expected to grow by 5.9 per cent over the next five years, so it is important we back our best researchers and their ideas to ensure Australia’s mining sector is secure for the future,” he said.

It is the first of several “Trailblazer” programs expected to be announced by the Coalition during the election campaign, using government funding, university contributions and private investment to commercialise university research in manufacturing priority areas.

The federal government has allocated a total of $362m to fund six trailblazer programs, including two that are reserved for regional universities.

Curtin University vice-chancellor Harlene Hayne said the three universities would use the program to drive a cultural shift from resources technology research to commercial outcomes, as well as creating opportunities for university staff and students to start and succeed in their own businesses.

“We will use Trailblazer to affect deep and lasting change in the way technology readiness, commercialisation and industry-led research are prioritised, taught and rewarded in our universities,” Professor Hayne said.

Curtin’s deputy vice-chancellor (research) Chris Moran said the program would help open up access for industry “to the wealth of expertise inside universities to ultimately support the start-up and growth of Australian businesses”.

James Cook University vice-chancellor Simon Biggs said his institution’s participation would “boost the economic growth of northern Australia” and directly assist small to medium enterprises in the resources and critical minerals area. He said it would help JCU focus on research that delivered industry-aligned commercial outcomes.

JCU Trailblazer lead Daniel Christie said there was a huge global demand for the so-called “technology minerals” that the program would focus on because they were essential for smartphones, electric vehicles and renewable energy.

The leader of the University of Queensland’s transitions in mining program, Anna Littleboy, said the Trailblazer funding would boost collaboration between universities and industry to “change the game” in the production of new technology minerals.

“This exciting project could see pilot plants installed all the way up the east coast of Australia with UQ training the staff and turning out the graduates required to run this technology in the future,” she said.

For example, Professor Littleboy said, UQ’s faculty of engineering, architecture and information technology would expand its collaboration with mineral processing company Zeotech to build a demonstration plant to manufacture zeolite minerals from by-products of lithium ­refining.

“The valuable zeolites can potentially be used for carbon capture and utilisation,” Professor Littleboy said.

UQ vice-chancellor Deborah Terry said the program would “result in infrastructure and job creation across regional Queensland as we help find, extract and process a range of metals and minerals used in many emerging technologies”.