The Trailblazer for Recycling and Clean Energy (TRaCE) Program—led by UNSW Sydney and the University of Newcastle— marked the halfway point of its four-year initiative with a major technology showcase and the official opening of two new state-of-the-art facilities at the University of Newcastle today.
Federal Member for Newcastle, Ms Sharon Claydon MP, officially launched the TRaCE Showcase and unveiled the Modern Manufacturing Workshop and the Advanced Prototyping Facility at the University's Callaghan Campus, highlighting TRaCE's mission to accelerate clean energy and circular economy technologies from the lab to market.
"TRaCE is all about taking the incredible research and ideas developed in our labs and turning them into real-world solutions –creating jobs, cutting emissions, and driving a more sustainable economy.
"By supporting pathways from lab to market, TRaCE is unlocking the full potential of our region's researchers, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders to power the next generation of clean energy.
"The Albanese Labor Government is proud to back initiatives like TRaCE that build on our national strengths in science and innovation, while ensuring that Newcastle and the Hunter continue to play a lead role in Australia's clean energy transformation," Ms Claydon MP said.
The TRaCE Program is funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Education's Trailblazer Universities Program. The program aims to boost research commercialisation and strengthen sovereign manufacturing in the new energy economy.
The event brought together more than 150 industry leaders, government representatives, and researchers to showcase progress and explore emerging partnerships across clean energy and circular economy sectors.
The showcase spotlighted key programs and initiatives supporting education pathways, investment partnerships, and technology development—demonstrating how TRaCE is transforming research into real-world solutions and high-impact commercial outcomes.
Attendees previewed how the program is shaping a skilled workforce and supporting sovereign manufacturing through a collaborative, research-to-market ecosystem.
Professor Emmanuel Mastio, Executive Director of the Trailblazer for Recycling and Clean Energy, said TRaCE is building momentum as a national model for integrated innovation.
"We're proud to demonstrate the scale of support for start-ups, SMEs, and industry-led research partnerships," Professor Mastio said.
"The launch of the Advanced Prototyping Facility and the Modern Manufacturing Workshop marks a significant milestone in our mission to deliver cutting-edge technologies and support a thriving green economy."
"Over the next two years, we'll focus on embedding TRaCE's programs and partnerships within the core infrastructure of both universities—ensuring long-term impact and sustainability. This is the legacy we're working to build: a lasting shift in how Australian universities deliver research commercialisation.
"TRaCE will continue to set a bold standard for commercialising Australian innovation, with the goal of accelerating clean energy technologies and shaping future policy frameworks to strengthen research-industry collaboration across the country," Professor Mastio said.
Among the innovative collaborations highlighted were:
- AMMONIAC in partnership with Laureate Professor Behdad Moghtaderi and his team at the University of Newcastle's Centre for Innovative Energy Technologies. The project pioneers a chemical looping-based process for producing green ammonia – offering a simpler, more cost-effective and environmentally sustainable alternative to conventional methods.
- Superyard, a social enterprise driving circular economy solutions in the construction sector. Superyard connects businesses for trading construction materials and redistributes surplus resources to charity. In doing so they reduce waste, lower costs and educate and empower businesses to share in the benefits of a circular economy. Working in collaboration with the University of Newcastle's Dr Josephine Vaughan, their project aims to develop a first-of-a-kind method to help our customers access tangible data on their supplies and the impact of choosing to reuse.
- DeCarice, a clean energy start-up founded by Goran Bozic and Professor Shawn Kook, offering a patented hydrogen- diesel direct injection dual-fuel system. This novel technology retrofits existing diesel engines, such as those in mining trucks and generators, to run on 90 per cent green hydrogen and just 10 per cent diesel. Developed at the UNSW Engine Research Laboratory, the system allows seamless switching between diesel and hybrid mode, offering an immediate and practical pathway to reduce industrial carbon emissions.
- Siltrax, a deep-tech company led by solar entrepreneur Dr Zhengrong Shi and semiconductor expert Dr Jim Zhu. Siltrax is transforming hydrogen fuel cells by replacing traditional metal components with lightweight, corrosion-resistant silicon-based bipolar plates. These innovative plates significantly reduce cost while improving power density and durability, bringing scalable, sustainable hydrogen technologies closer to widespread adoption across mobility and industrial sectors. This project is in partnership with UNSW.
