Towards 3% R&D – Commercial outcomes from public sector research by Professor Cori Stewart

As we come towards the end of our editorial series – Towards 3% R&D – Turbocharging Australia’s Innovation Effort – Professor Cori Stewart Founder and CEO ARM Hub explains the importance of commercialising hubs in turning research into economic outcomes. For the past two decades the capability generated by Australian R&D funding and the capability…

Mackay R&D site to get precision fermentation as part of $16 million upgrade

A $3.9 million investment between Queensland University of Technology and the Food and Beverage Accelerator (FaBA) Trailblazer program will add the ability to develop precision fermentation-based ingredients at the Mackay Renewable Biocommodities Pilot Plant (MRBPP.) The plant was established over a decade ago at the Mackay Sugar factory, and has focussed since then on biorefining,…

Queensland quantum strategy shoots for the stars

A new strategy to support the continued growth of the quantum technology industry has been launched by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk during her CEDA State of the State address. The strategy leverages Queensland’s research and fabrication capabilities across quantum and other related technologies such as semiconductors, superconductors, photonics, and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), for industry sectors…

Sparc Technologies progresses sodium ion batteries

New tests by technology development company Sparc Technologies has shown continuing improvement in key parameters of performance for the sodium ion battery the company is developing with the Queensland University of Technology. The Adelaide company said today it would accelerate R&D efforts and had launched a techno-economic analysis of the batteries following battery testing and…

Graphene electrodes part of plan to make Australia make PV again

A consortium of Halocell Energy, First Graphene and Queensland University of Technology has shared a few details about a three-year project to develop perovskite solar cell fabrication, recently awarded a $2 million grant under Round 14 of the federal Cooperative Research Centre Projects (CRC-P) initiative. Halocell makes perovskite solar cells containing halide, and describes itself…

Viral room-temperature superconductor claims spark excitement – and skepticism

By Mahboobeh Shahbazi, Queensland University of Technology Last week, a group of South Korean physicists made a startling claim. In two papers uploaded to the arXiv preprint server, they say they have created a material that “opens a new era for humankind”. LK-99, a lead-based compound, is purportedly a room-temperature, ambient-pressure superconductor. Such a material,…