International grants supercharging Australian research collaborations

Australian innovations in the fields of cancer radiotherapy, renewable hydrogen for export, and lunar exploration are a step closer to reality, with $6.2 million in grants announced today under round 2 of the Global Science & Technology Diplomacy Fund – Strategic Element.

Led by the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) in partnership with the Australian Academy of Science, and supported by the Australian Government, the fund supercharges collaborations between Australian researchers and developers, and international partners in priority areas like advanced manufacturing and AI.

This includes initiatives like that of Dr Hazer Inatelkin and his team at Macquarie University. They will receive $592,645 to work with South Korean collaborators to build a machine learning framework that will help satellites work together as a smart, self-organising network – to keep communications running even as satellites move or failures occur.

This will enable more reliable satellite services that support remote communities, emergency response, agriculture, mining, public safety and critical infrastructure.

Another project funded as part of today’s announcement comes from Dr Hien Duong’s team at the University of Sydney, developing a precision biological treatment to remove harmful bacteria that cause major losses at shrimp farms.

Thanks to a $1 million grant, Dr Duong and a Vietnamese team will collaborate to strengthen food security and improve farmer livelihoods, reducing antimicrobial use and offering a sustainable solution for scalable aquaculture.

Academy President, Professor Chennupati Jagadish AC, said when researchers collaborate with industry partners, it can deliver big rewards and accelerate innovation, particularly when done on an international scale.  

“The Academy is proud to be partnering with ATSE and the Australian Government to deliver this program, and in the process building stronger science and technology capability in our Asia–Pacific region.  

“Congratulations to all the successful recipients of this latest funding round.”

Find out more about the Fund and see the full list of recipients