University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) researchers are driving a range of groundbreaking innovations set to power smarter drones, safer space missions, and more productive construction sites.
The University secured more than $2 million in the latest round of Australia's Economic Accelerator (AEA) Ignite program to help turn these innovative projects into commercial impact.
The program aims to strengthen partnerships with industry, translate research into practical outcomes, and build the sovereign capabilities Australia will need for the future, while highlighting UniSQ's strength in applied, industry-focused research.
UniSQ's successful projects include:
- Professor David Buttsworth and Professor Ingo Jahn were awarded $495,160 to develop advanced propulsion systems and to establish sovereign commercialisation paths for these in high-speed uncrewed aerial vehicles (drones).
- Professor Min Hong, Professor John Bell and Professor Lei Ge secured $481,713 to develop a safer, lighter radiation heat source for space missions. The technology will reduce shielding needs, lower cost and weight, and improve safety for space and other remote energy applications.
- Dr Chris Mimra and Dr Tristan Shelley were granted $399,839 to develop a drone-based system that inspects the airplane components made from composite materials to detect barely visible damage using heat sensors and advanced AI algorithms.
- Dr Molly Hall and Dr Tristan Shelley received $267,078 to use NETZSCH dielectric sensors to monitor key material transitions in thermoplastic composites, enabling rapid part certification for the aerospace, space, and defence industries.
- Dr Taotao Cai, Professor Yan Li, Dr Zhi Chen and Dr Wencheng Yang were allocated $474,886 to build a "Construction-AI" that understands the unique language and rules of Australian building sites. It will help small businesses reduce administrative burdens and improve workplace safety by instantly reviewing documents for compliance gaps.
UniSQ researchers will also contribute to externally led projects, such as Dr Serhiy Marchuk and Professor Bernadette McCabe in University of Melbourne's 'Reclaiming urine as fertiliser using innovative microbial electro-concentration technology (Ugold)', while Dr David (Hong-Duc) Pham, Associate Professor Andreas Helwig and Dr Tristan Shelley are contributing to the Australian National University's 'Solar-Enhanced Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Plastics and Biomass: Advanced Containment and Process Development'.
