THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Bacterial Cell Wall Degradation Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Monitoring Australia's illicit tobacco and vaping product markets. This project aims to address key knowledge gaps about the availability of illicit tobacco and vaping products. Despite concerning recent growth in Australia’s illicit tobacco and vape markets, independent and reliable data on these products’ availability is very limited, and the effectiveness of new laws implemented to address these markets remains unknown. In response, this research will triangulate data from five novel sources: a mystery shopper study, littered pack/device collection, Google Maps data, social media data, and satellite imagery of illicit tobacco crops. Leveraging a multidisciplinary and experienced team, the project’s outcomes will enable policy optimisation and targeted law enforcement activities to disrupt supply chains. Field of research: 4407 - Policy and Administration This research addresses Australia’s growing illicit tobacco and vape markets, which have significant economic, social, and criminological impacts, including billions in lost tax revenue and funding of organised crime. Despite increasing enforcement efforts, limited independent data hinders effective responses. This project aims to produce Australia’s first estimates of the prevalence of illicit tobacco/vapes available for retail purchase, the number/location/density of these retailers, the proportion of retailers adhering with licensing regulations, product characteristics, and best practice methods for detecting illicit tobacco crops. Project outcomes will be displayed in interactive dashboards for real-time monitoring of online discussions and illicit crop locations. Outcomes will optimise policies for maximum effectiveness, guide targeted enforcement activities to disrupt supply chains, and support evidence-based decision-making for authorities and stakeholders through live interactive dashboards. These outcomes will generate significant financial and social benefits by reducing the economic and criminological burden of illicit tobacco/vape markets, while promoting healthier and safer communities through more effective regulation and enforcement. Beyond academia, we will leverage on our existing collaborations with government agencies and policymakers to translate research into action, ensuring the findings lead to tangible improvements in enforcement and regulation.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Use plain carbon steels as high-performance alloy steels by 3D printing. This project aims to enhance properties of plain carbon steels by metal 3D printing through leveraging its features of sequential microscale melting and rapid cooling. Research outcomes enable to use such low-cost, the most common carbon steels as more expensive high-performance alloy steels without size limitations, while eliminating the long-standing part distortion and cracking issues related to conventional steel heat treatment. The research broadens the usability of carbon steels and expands applications of 3D printing. This should provide substantial benefits, including improved material sustainability and plainification, process simplification, and enhanced steel recyclability, leading to cost savings, and reduced carbon emissions. Field of research: 4016 - Materials Engineering Plain carbon steels are the most cost-effective and widely used metals worldwide, accounting for 70–80% of commercial steels. But, they are inherently hard to be strengthened, large parts in particular. Hence, alloy steels, of which the price is two to five times higher, must be used for high-strength applications. This project provides a solution to strengthen carbon steels using metal additive manufacturing (AM). By leveraging the typical features of AM, AM-fabricated carbon steel parts can be fully strengthened without size limitations. Consequently, low-cost carbon steels can serve as substitutes for more expensive alloy steels, expanding their applications. Research outcomes can be shared with steel parts manufacturers via press releases and/or presenting at industry events. This allows them to produce high-performance engineering parts with more affordable materials, thereby increasing profitability. Given that Australia is one of the world’s leading producers of carbon steel, increased use of carbon steels implies higher sales and greater income. Additionally, using more carbon steels reduces the demand for alloying elements such as nickel, cobalt, chromium, and molybdenum, which are scarce resources, and metallurgically extracting and adding them into steels are energy consuming. Thus, reducing their uses also contributes to energy savings. Furthermore, the outcomes expand applications of metal AM in the future, strengthening the nation’s manufacturing capabilities.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Rewiring enzymes for direct electrochemistry. This project aims to overcome existing barriers to activating nature's catalysts (enzymes) with an electrical current instead of chemical reagents. Electrochemical methods applied to new modified hybrid enzymes, comprising natural and synthetic components, will provide improved electrical connections allowing direct electron exchange between the enzyme and an electrode. Applications of enzymes in chemical analysis, small molecule activation, bioremediation, sensing and synthesis are currently limited by poor electrode-enzyme communication. The expected outcome of this project comprises a generally applicable electrochemical platform technology that may be applied in all fields that utilise redox enzymes. Field of research: 3402 - Inorganic Chemistry Designed by nature and optimised over millennia by evolution, enzymes catalyse chemical reactions selectively, rapidly and under mild conditions (in water at room temperature and pressure) that cannot be equalled by synthetic chemistry. Enzymes that catalyse oxidation or reduction reactions play central roles in many biological processes including energy storage, metabolism, and detoxification. These enzymes all require a naturally occurring and expensive chemical oxidant or reductant as ‘fuel’ to function which limits their application in large (lab) scale synthesis. Enzyme electrochemistry removes the need for this chemical oxidant or reductant, which is replaced by an electrical current. This project aims to modify a set of known enzymes with synthetic electron relays to provide efficient electrochemical responses. These modifications combine the naturally high catalytic efficiency and selectivity of the enzyme with the known effective electrochemical properties of synthetic electron relays to generate next generation self-sufficient biocatalysts that will be able to operate simply by application of an electrical current. A new approach to harness the untapped capabilities of enzymes for electrochemical catalysis and sensing, communicated through publications and the media, will impact many key areas in Australia's economy including pharmaceutical development, environmental monitoring and protection, green chemistry and energy storage.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Shaping net-zero cities with safe and efficient micromobility solutions. This project aims to develop a cutting-edge tool for network-level modelling and design that captures the complex multimodal nature of urban traffic, addressing the interactions between micromobility devices (e.g. e-bikes, e-scooters) and other road users. The project is expected to generate fundamental knowledge on multimodal traffic dynamics and develop innovative tools for network redesign. Expected outcomes of the project include advanced agent-based models integrating efficiency goals and safety strategies to develop cohesive, safe, and efficient micromobility networks.This should provide significant social, economic and environmental benefits through optimal redesign of transport networks, contributing to net-zero goals. Field of research: 3509 - Transportation, Logistics and Supply Chains As cities face mounting challenges related to congestion and emissions, micromobility—such as e-scooters and e-bikes—offers a low-emission alternative to short car trips. Yet, its uptake remains limited by infrastructure gaps and safety concerns that current models cannot capture and evaluate. This project aims to overcome key barriers to safe and effective micromobility by rethinking how we model and plan for complex traffic environments. It seeks to develop a new framework that brings together models on how people’s safety perceptions shape their travel decisions, and how different types of transport—such as bikes, e-scooters, cars, and pedestrians—interact in real-world settings. The research aims to produce practical tools to support better planning and design, using insights from simulator experiments, physical testbeds, and real-world video analysis. This research has direct relevance to how Australian cities will redesign infrastructure to reduce reliance on private vehicles, enhance safety for vulnerable road users, and meet national net-zero emissions targets. By supporting more active, inclusive, and healthy mobility options, the project aims to deliver long-term environmental, economic and health benefits. Australia’s transport agencies, local councils, and industry will directly benefit from the project’s open-source modelling tools and targeted outreach, helping ensure the research translates into practical, real-world outcomes.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Sabatier principle for electrochemistry in organic solvents. This project aims to provide a new framework for selecting optimal catalysts for electrocatalysis in organic solvents, providing an underexplored yet critical route to efficient and selective production of new fuels and valuable chemicals. This project is expected to generate new knowledge by establishing a solvent-sensitive principle to predict catalytic performance, complemented by advanced computational modelling and experimental validation. This new knowledge will be widely applicable, with the important issue of producing ammonia for fertilizer and energy storage explored in detail. Renewable energy-powered electrocatalysis is central to our transition to a sustainable future, and this project intends to enhance this process. Field of research: 3407 - Theoretical and Computational Chemistry Many industrial processes including metal refinement, fertilizer manufacture, production of fuels, and energy storage, rely on electrocatalysis, where electric current speeds up a chemical reaction in the presence of a catalyst. Optimizing electrocatalytic processes saves energy, time and money for these industries. So far, most optimization has focused on reactions in water-based electrolytes, but recent results report other solvents can enhance performance to break the limitations in water. This project aims to design and test better electrocatalytic processes, including the solvent, using computational modelling and simulations combined with experimental validations. The results will be widely applicable to many industrial processes, potentially making Australian industries more competitive. The outcomes will be broadly communicated through publications, online platforms and media. Using the approach developed, we will consider nitrogen reduction to ammonia for sustainable fertilizer production and energy storage. Although fertilizer is essential for agriculture to feed our population, current production process consumes 2% of the world's fossil fuel energy and generates 1.3% of global carbon dioxide emissions. Therefore, realisation of sustainable electrocatalytic fertilizer production addresses critical needs for Australia by enhancing agriculture and improving the environment, with the potential to also boost the ammonia industry in Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Mapping the International Arts Festival Network of Australia and Aotearoa. This project examines Australian and New Zealand arts festival programming to reveal trends and patterns in touring circuits and how these can be strengthened to better support the nations' cultural health. At a time when festivals’ economic viability is in question, this research examines long-term trends via innovative digital tools to determine how festival networks can better support access to arts at home while promoting Australian culture abroad. Expected outcomes include a monograph, industry report, symposium, and additional scholarly publications. Potential benefits include a fuller socio-cultural and economic understanding of historical trends in funding and programming to inform future strategic decisions by festival organisers. Field of research: 3604 - Performing Arts Each Australian and New Zealand capital city hosts a flagship international arts festival within a portfolio of arts and sporting events, yet no comparison of how these organisations operate in different jurisdictions, their cultural impact, or how they are funded across all levels of government exists. Nor is it understood how festivals facilitate a national repertoire of performances that travels around each country and beyond and how important this is for local arts ecologies. This project will produce the first scholarly study of Australian and New Zealand arts festivals and how they collaborate to make diverse contemporary performance practices accessible to audiences. This project will examine these festivals' programming over time to reveal trends within touring patterns and how these facilitate local artists and companies to tour internationally by linking to global networks. It will further investigate touring patterns of Indigenous performance within this network to show how the post-war European festival model has been radically reoriented through its encounter with arts practices and cultures of spectatorship among Australian First Nations, Maori, and Pasifika communities. Adopting the findings and recommendations from this study will benefit Australia and New Zealand's cultural development by showing how festival organisers, all levels of government, artists and companies can leverage festival networks to grow arts infrastructures and audiences in each city.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Temporary migration, visa pathways and integration outcomes . The project aims to establish the consequences of prolonged temporary migration on a range of economic, demographic and social integration outcomes and to determine the impact of transient and temporary populations on sense of belonging and community engagement. By using novel administrative microdata linked to visa status, the project seeks to identify visa pathways to permanent residence and citizenship and compare their impact on integration outcomes in Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain and Sweden. The results are expected to advance migration theory and to provide a critically needed foundation for forward-looking evidence-based migration policy, with expected benefits at both the national and regional levels. Field of research: 4403 - Demography Australia is facing a sharp increase in temporary migration, with more migrants on temporary visas for extended periods. Temporary migration has short-term economic benefits, but it poses risks to social cohesion and migrant exploitation. Yet, there is a lack of systematic, actionable evidence to guide migration policy reform. Using advanced quantitative modelling techniques, the project aims to address this critical gap by identifying how visa pathways to permanent residence and citizenship shape integration, considering (1) union and family formation, (2) labour market outcomes, (3) savings and (4) sense of trust, belonging, and community engagement for both migrants and host communities. Thanks to international collaboration, comparison with other high-migration countries is expected to reveal how migration policy interacts with welfare regimes and labour market regulations to shape the impact of prolonged temporary migration on integration. Collaboration with federal departments and NGOs is expected to help translate findings into policies and programs that enable migrants to reach their economic performance, to realise their family formation preferences, and to develop a sense of belonging. Expected benefits include enhanced economic resilience and greater social cohesion with benefits for all Australians.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Designing New Photothermal Catalysts for Green Methanol Production Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Predicting the benefits of legal reform for marine and coastal restoration. This project aims to build the case for legal reform to facilitate marine and coastal restoration. Currently, restoration is hindered by the need to obtain numerous development and environment approvals, and engage with legal processes not designed for restoration. These problems are amplified when attempting to restore multiple habitats simultaneously. This projects draws together legal research, social science, restoration science and environmental modelling to build the evidence base for why reform is needed, how reform can be done, and what difference this reform can make to ecosystem health. This will support the restoration needed to meet international restoration targets, and to secure critically important ecosystem services. Field of research: 4802 - Environmental and Resources Law In Australia, complex legal permitting pathways have made it difficult to do coastal and marine restoration, especially across multiple habitats. However, government agencies require more information in order implement changes to permitting laws. This interdisciplinary project aims to directly fill this information gap by addressing three key questions: why is law reform needed, what should this law reform look like, and what difference will it make? The first two questions will be answered through legal research, surveys, and stakeholder interviews. The third question will use ecological modelling to predict how the proposed law reform can lead to better environmental outcomes. This project aims to benefit the environment through providing evidence to drive the law reform needed to underpin larger-scale marine and coastal restoration projects. It also aims to contribute to economic benefits as there are new and emerging markets that exist to provide financial incentives for repairing nature, but which are difficult to access unless proponents can access the legal permits needed to do restoration projects. Throughout the project, we will work closely with government agencies and restoration proponents, including through interviews and workshops, to maximise the understanding and use of our research findings.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Defining how motor circuits translate steering signals from the brain. This project seeks to understand how signals from the brain control motor circuits during walking, enabling an animal to navigate in space, pursue prey, or escape a predator. It will focus on the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, for which the entire pattern of neuronal connections has been mapped and genetic tools are available to selectively measure or manipulate the activity of single neurons in living animals. While the navigation circuits in the brain have been partly elucidated, this project will examine the motor outputs of these circuits. It will determine how brain signals control leg motor circuits to effect a turn. This work will deliver fundamental insights into motor control and inspire the design of more agile robots. Field of research: 3109 - Zoology How do animals move through a complex and ever-changing environment? Neuroscience has traditionally tackled this problem through two distinct lines of research – one focussed on the brain mechanisms for spatial navigation (“where am I and where do I want to go?”), another on the motor systems for locomotion (“how do I walk, fly, swim, or crawl?”). Far less attention has been paid to the steering mechanisms that link navigation centres to motor circuits. This project will establish these neural links and thereby provide a more complete understanding of how an animal moves through its environment (“where should I turn and how do I do it?”). It will use the fruit fly Drosophila as a model species, one for which (despite the name) walking is the principal mode of locomotion. This model system is ideal for this research because the entire neural circuitry has been mapped out in this species, and because genetic tools can be used to monitor the activity of individual neurons or to turn them on or off. Analogous steering mechanisms are likely to be present in other species, regardless of their mode of locomotion. Thus, this work will provide fundamental insight into the general neurobiology of steering control in animals and can be expected to find application in the design of more agile robotic systems, thereby stimulating further research and development in Australia across a wide range of fields, from neuroscience to artificial intelligence and robotics.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Understanding How We Manage Competing Demands Inside and Outside of Work Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Next-Gen Floating Platform with Porous Edges for Wave Impact Mitigation. This project aims to develop a cost-effective and robust solution for building stronger, lighter, multipurpose large floating platforms in Australian waters. The innovation lies in the use of graded porous breakwaters to form the edges of platforms for markedly mitigating wave impacts. These superior platforms, capable of supporting various superstructures, are essential for ocean economy growth. Current designs, however, are costly and prone to wave damage. By generating new knowledge in floating structures and porous media, this project will unlock Australia’s vast, untapped ocean resources, and enhance its capabilities in offshore construction, aquaculture, renewable energy production with significant economic and sustainable benefits. Field of research: 4005 - Civil Engineering Large floating platforms are essential for unlocking Australia’s ocean resources, especially offshore aquaculture and renewable energy production. However, constructing such platforms is challenging and expensive due to the harsh marine environment. This project aims to develop next-generation, lightweight yet highly durable floating platforms featuring world-first graded porous perimeter edges. These innovative edges will dissipate wave energy and minimise platform motion, significantly reducing construction costs. The project’s outcomes will enable the cost-effective construction of robust floating platforms for diverse applications, including offshore fish farming (providing sustainable, high-quality, and affordable seafood), renewable energy production and storage (including green hydrogen), transshipment port operations, emergency response bases, and floating industrial and residential hubs. These ocean developments will support the government’s Net Zero Plan, strengthen Australia’s food and energy security, safeguard sovereignty, and create new job opportunities in ocean-related industries. To maximise impact, the project will focus on licensing new intellectual property, developing in-house software for end users, and implementing strategic outreach initiatives. Findings will be disseminated through conferences, media engagement, and collaboration with academia, industry, and government stakeholders.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Mesoporous High-Entropy Alloys for Electrocatalytic Plastic Upcycling. This project aims to develop advanced mesoporous high-entropy alloys materials to convert plastic waste into value-added chemicals using electrochemical upcycling technology. Generating new knowledge in intelligent design strategies for nanomaterials and understanding structure-performance relationships holds promise in addressing the growing challenge of plastic waste through valorising plastic waste streams. Expected outcomes include a green nanotechnology platform for novel mesoporous high-entropy alloy-based materials synthesis and technology design. This is expected to generate valuable intellectual property, that reduces energy consumption and cost of plastic upcycling for commercial, economic and environmental benefits to Australia. Field of research: 4018 - Nanotechnology Australia urgently needs to shift towards a recycling-focused and sustainable economy; it is currently ranked ninth globally in per capita greenhouse gas emissions. A major contributor to these emissions globally is the plastics industry, releasing ~4% of global carbon emissions and leading to other serious environmental concerns (pollution of lands and waterways). However, only 9% of global plastic waste was recycled in 2019 and the predominant physical recycling method results in downcycling into lower-grade and lower-value products. This project directly addresses this gap by employing an emerging chemical electrocatalytic recycling technology, utilising a renewable energy-driven system, to directly convert plastic waste into high-value chemicals while simultaneously producing green hydrogen. Through innovations in nanotechnology, this project is expected to contribute to Australia’s transition to a circular economy, reducing plastic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, aligned with Australia’s National Science and Research Priority of Transitioning to A Net Zero Future. The novel technical outputs developed in this project are expected to have a lasting impact on the Australian economy and environment through dissemination to industry (patent transfer and ability to commercialise the findings) which will in turn bring new revenue streams into the country, creating jobs and income for a sustainable Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Cultivating food security through local mineral supply chains. This project is the first global study to examine the intersections between mineral security and food security. Over half of the 1.1 billion people who are multidimensionally poor engage in subsistence farming without access to fertilisers, and >150 million of these people rely on artisanal and small-scale mining for livelihoods. The project aims to investigate the potential for local agricultural mineral supply chains to supplement reliance on imported fertilisers and address food insecurity. By exploring the coincidence of mineral fertiliser inaccessibility and food insecurity, the research could offer alternative pathways for poverty reduction, promote self-sufficiency and reduce reliance on declining Official Development Assistance. Field of research: 4404 - Development Studies Poverty remains a persistent global challenge, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and the Pacific, where >half of the world’s 1.1 billion multidimensionally poor people reside. Australia contributes $4.9 billion in annual aid for agricultural innovation, food aid, crisis response, and other support. However, the decline in Australia’s aid to SSA from $443 million in 2011/12 to $148 million in 2022/23, alongside the potential closure of USAID (representing 20% of global development aid), highlights the urgency for self-sufficiency in the Global South to tackle food insecurity. This project pioneers mineral security as a poverty alleviation strategy, an innovative approach yet untested in global development programs. By investigating how locally sourced agricultural minerals can strengthen fertiliser self-sufficiency and agricultural productivity in SSA and the Pacific, the research aims to advance Australia’s strategic priorities: 1. Reducing food insecurity mitigates displacement pressures and fosters economic resilience in the Pacific. 2. Positioning Australia as a thought leader in SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 1 (No Poverty) through cost-effective, community-driven solutions. 3. Strengthening ties with resource-rich nations, creating future opportunities for Australian expertise in mining and agritech. The research aims to inform aid programming strategies, scale mineral-based fertiliser models, and enhance Australia’s reputation as an innovative development partner.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Molecular basis of effector-triggered immunity in plants. Plants detect pathogen effector (avirulence) proteins by immune receptors called plant NLRs, in a process termed effector-triggered immunity. The applicants’ laboratories have identified key signalling events in this process: NLR oligomerization into “resistosomes”, and NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) and nucleic acid binding and cleavage by NLR TIR (Toll/interleukin-1 receptor) domains. The current project aims to fill gaps in understanding the structural architecture of resistosomes and NLR:nucleic acid complexes, and the nature and functions of signalling molecules produced. This new knowledge aims to help develop strategies the long-term objective of protecting crops from pathogens. Field of research: 3101 - Biochemistry and Cell Biology Pathogens account for more than 30% loss of global crop production, representing a threat to food security. Fungicides, one key form of protection, represent environmental concerns. Plant resistance gene breeding can protect against a broad range of pathogens, but suffers from lengthy breeding processes, restricted choice of genes from sexually compatible species and short effective time spans in the field, as pathogens evolve to avoid detection. Incursion of new pathogens from other parts of the world represents further threat. Understanding how resistance proteins function and finding new sources of these proteins, the subject of the proposed research, are central objectives to achieve effective and durable resistance and reduce the economic and environmental implications of plant diseases, especially for grains industry and other crops relevant to Australia.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Recognition of acetylated lysine in control of protein and cell functions. Proteins are molecules that carry out most functions in organisms. They are naturally modified in cells to diversify their structures and functions. This chemistry project aims to study one simple protein modification important in development, metabolism, inflammation and survival of organisms. Aims and outcomes include discovering how this modification is detected and removed, how it controls protein signalling in cells, and how chemicals can be designed to preserve it to maintain normal cell functions. Benefits include new knowledge on roles of proteins that detect this modification, new high-value chemicals designed to monitor or control them, new IP with commercial potential, and interdisciplinary training across chemistry and biology. Field of research: 3404 - Medicinal and Biomolecular Chemistry Proteins are molecular machines that are essential for carrying out most functions of a cell. Over 65% of proteins undergo natural chemical changes that fine-tune their structures inside cells for performing vital functions that sustain life. This project addresses gaps in our understanding of one of the most important protein changes, called lysine acetylation. The aim is to use a combination of computational, chemical, and biological techniques to create innovative new chemical tools for investigating how lysine acetylation happens, how it is controlled, and how this affects cellular functions. This research can increase the understanding about how cells work normally in living organisms. Greater understanding about how cells work can also help scientists understand what can go wrong, such as in Selected Chronic Conditions identified by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Overall, this project has potential to confer significant societal and economic benefits to Australia over time. It can stimulate Australia’s biotechnology sector by providing much needed new training to next generation scientists at chemistry-biology interfaces. It can produce new knowledge and high-value chemical tools for monitoring or controlling lysine acetylation in proteins, constituting patentable new IP that is potentially licensable to global biotech companies with interests in these proteins. The global market for modulating lysine acetylation was valued in 2024 at USD 1.3 billion.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Venom-derived peptide ion channel modulators as novel bioinsecticides Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Terahertz technology for cultural heritage testing: a Taj Mahal case study. Countless visitors to the Taj Mahal have been profoundly impressed and moved by its grandeur. Yet, today it faces an urgent threat of environmental degradation: a fate shared by many stone monuments worldwide. This study aims to advance critical knowledge supporting UNESCO and UN initiatives in preserving sites of cultural heritage. By employing cutting-edge terahertz imaging and spectroscopy, this project aims to deploy non-destructive testing methods to tackle two pressing challenges: (a) detecting surface deterioration caused by chemical, biological, and nano-scale agents, and (b) assessing structural integrity and stress issues arising from material degradation and environmental changes. Field of research: 4009 - Electronics, Sensors and Digital Hardware The Taj Mahal, one of the world’s most iconic monuments, faces a growing threat from environmental degradation, a challenge shared by many historic stone structures, including those in Australia. This research will use cutting-edge terahertz imaging and spectroscopy to develop advanced, non-destructive techniques for detecting surface deterioration and assessing structural integrity. By identifying damage caused by pollution, biological growth, and climate-related stress, this project will support global conservation efforts led by UNESCO and the UN. Australia, with its expertise in scientific innovation, will play a key role in preserving irreplaceable heritage sites, ensuring their survival for future generations. Beyond academic impact, the research will benefit conservationists, policymakers, and the tourism sector, strengthening Australia’s contribution to international heritage protection.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

DRUMming to Dodge Decline (DRUMDD): Founding Falls Prevention in Music. Falls rank as the world's second leading cause of accidental injury deaths, particularly among older adults. This project aims to investigate how drumming training hones cognitive and whole-body movement abilities that are vital to preventing falls. This project expects to i) innovatively integrate mobile EEG, motion capture, and VR tools to reveal expert drummers’ enhanced cognitive-motor capacities in 3D space; ii) test translation of laboratory findings to precisely designed drumming training with healthy older adults. Expected project outcomes are a new theoretical model and drumming training guidelines. This should provide significant benefits for adults to age creatively and actively with future drumming falls prevention programs. Field of research: 3603 - Music Aging Australians face increased risk of falls, leading to physical injury, psychological trauma, hospitalisation, loss of mobility, and premature death. The cost of falls to Australia exceeds $4.3 billion, with immeasurable costs to families. Preventing falls is a global challenge as more people live longer. Yet existing physical activity and education prevention approaches have proven insufficient. Our project explores how learning to play drums could address the brain-behaviour deficits that increase falls risk among older Australians. The research outcomes are expected to explain how drumming training develops brain-behaviour links that enhance our abilities to control movement in 3D space. We expect to create a whole-body movement theory of drumming – from brain-to-behaviour, with guidelines and musical resources for future falls prevention programs. This research empowers Australians to prevent falls, benefitting families and communities socially and healthcare systems economically. Research outcomes are scalable with real instruments, everyday objects, and VR gaming, so are adaptable to different contexts for potential future social, cultural, and commercial benefits. Potential applications also include educational settings where cognitive and behavioural control has learning and social benefits. We aim to share our findings through community, arts and health industry networks, media releases, and public lectures to maximise impact and promote their broader adoption.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Microbially-mediated defluorination of high-priority PFAS. This project aims to innovatively investigate microbial biodegradation of recalcitrant per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), known as toxic forever chemicals. By exploring largely unknown microbial defluorination pathways for perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), it will demonstrate microbial defluorination feasibility, elucidate metabolic mechanisms, and characterise kinetic properties. Additionally, innovative, cost-effective, and synergistic remediation strategies will be developed. These findings will bridge critical knowledge gaps, providing groundbreaking insights into microbial defluorination, enabling predictive modeling of PFAS behavior, and paving the way for next-generation bioremediation approaches. Field of research: 3107 - Microbiology Given their widespread global usage, environmental persistence, and bioaccumulation potential, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are pervasive contaminants affecting drinking water, surface waters, livestock, and agricultural products worldwide. This project aims to identify novel microbial processes—either by isolated single microorganisms or enriched mixed cultures—capable of effectively mediating microbial defluorination of highly resistant perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs). By elucidating previously uncharacterised microbial biodegradation pathways and defining their metabolic mechanisms and kinetic properties, this research will enable innovative, cost-effective strategies for mitigating PFAA contamination. Project outcomes will underpin the development of efficient microbial remediation technologies for anthropogenic PFAS pollutants in Australia and provide critical theoretical guidance for formulating biodegradable PFAS alternatives. This project contributes to the national interest through its significant environmental and social benefits, aligning with National Science and Research Priorities of Protecting and restoring Australia’s environment and National Reconstruction Fund priority areas of Renewables and low emissions technologies.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Dying with Dignity. Caring for people without a home at the end of life. This project aims to better understand preferences, perspectives and opportunities to improve end-of-life care for people experiencing homelessness. Dying with dignity is often equated with the wish to be dying at home, yet, more and more Australians do not have access to a stable home. This project expects to generate knowledge on what it means to die well in the absence of home from which to approach the end of life. Expected outcomes include nuanced knowledge on the complexities of care for the dying beyond place, while refining sophisticated research methods. This should provide significant benefits, including progress towards establishing homelessness community and hospice care pathways to enable dying with dignity for all Australians. Field of research: 4410 - Sociology This project aims to produce knowledge for health and social policy in contemporary Australia to improve end-of-life care for people experiencing homelessness. Homelessness is well-known to affect a person’s access to care, morbidity and longevity, shortening life on average for 10 years in comparison to a housed peer. Managing care, pain and stress towards the end of life is challenging–even more so without a home while relying on informal and formal caregivers whose resources are constrained. More frequent acute care requests from emergency departments and ambulance services are the results, despite community and hospice care being better equipped to meet a dying person’s needs and wishes. Yet, there are currently few dedicated care pathways in Australia, and none in Queensland, for people experiencing homelessness at the end of life. This incurs economic, personal and social costs for individuals, communities and health systems that can be significantly reduced if end-of-life care addresses the complexities arising from homelessness. Timely referral to dedicated end-of-life care teams and settings should lower economic costs from inappropriate acute services utilisation, and prevent people from having to face dying alone and in pain. This project aims to lay foundations for such significant benefits by communicating findings directly to practice and policy communities through workshops and developing a theory of change underpinning homeless end-of-life care in the future.

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Long-range calcium-dependent neuronal signalling in learning and memory. Memory is a core element in our brain that underpins learning, problem-solving, behaviour and environmental adaptation, and requires a continuance of gene expression and protein synthesis in nerve cells. This project aims to investigate the molecular mechanisms of how nerve cells regulate the long-term expression of memory-related genes using an innovative combination of quantitative microscopy, gene knockout mice, epigenomics and behavioural neuroscience techniques. The expected outcomes will enhance our insights into the inner workings of genes that govern learning and memory formation, knowledge that is critical for our understanding of how memory is established and maintained over the long term. Field of research: 3209 - Neurosciences Memory is a core brain feature that is fundamental to survival. It allows us to remember learnt experiences, shapes our sense of self, helps with decision-making, and determines how we interact with the world. This proposal will address molecular mechanisms underlying long-term memory formation in the brain, addressing a long-standing knowledge gap in modern neuroscience. The outcome of this project will enhance our understanding of how the brain processes, stores and retrieves information. New knowledge gained will benefit multiple industries, ranging from brain-inspired artificial intelligence in engineering to the future development of new drug targets for enhancing cognitive performance. Since memory deficits can lead to poor educational outcomes, reduced productivity and social isolation, the outcomes could also have major implications for improving the creativity and quality of life of the Australian population and increasing workforce participation, thus bringing long-term social and economic benefits across generations. We will disseminate our findings and engage with stakeholders in the pharmaceutical industry, educators, and community groups. Translating these discoveries and any resultant intellectual property would require longer-term engagement with industry partners via patent protection and licensing agreements. The short-term outcomes of this project will also enhance Australian research and train the next generation of neuroscientists.

GrantConnect (Australian Government grants) · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Defining how motor circuits translate steering signals from the brain Category: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) Research

ARC National Competitive Grants · FY 2026 · 2026-01

Can solutions to the climate crisis uphold human rights? Our project aims to generate new interdisciplinary knowledge about the capacity of the carbon offset market to support the urgent national and global challenge of climate change while balancing responsibilities to uphold human rights. This will be vital to ensure decarbonisation - including via Australia's commitment to net zero emissions by 2050 - also cares for communities affected by carbon offset projects. By building new understandings about the challenges and opportunities for realising positive human rights' outcomes this project will deliver significant benefit by increasing the credibility of the carbon offset market and ensuring it can directly support achievement of the global commitment to decarbonise. Field of research: 4410 - Sociology Carbon offsets work by making improvements in land and sea management with outcomes that increase the storage of greenhouse gas emissions, thereby generating carbon credits. These credits are then sold to heavy polluters to offset their emissions. Carbon offset projects are often established on local and Indigenous land and seascapes, and sideline Indigenous knowledge systems and rights to Country. This project responds to the significant national and global problem of balancing carbon offset sector expansion with responsibilities to defend human rights. Australia expects to achieve some of the largest growth globally in the sector over the next decade, however human rights' violations jeopardise their economic viability. Human rights’ violations also jeopardise national commitments to decarbonise. This project will directly support Australia to balance its environmental and social responsibilities in the transition to a net zero future. Through collaboration with Kabi Kabi Peoples Traditional Owners in Australia, and local and Indigenous peoples in India, Kenya and Uganda, this project supports the active engagement of First Nations’ knowledge systems, self determination and First Nations leadership in shaping carbon offset initiatives. Communication of multi-country research outcomes via academic papers, policy briefs, digital materials and local and Indigenous-led workshops will ensure high impact and translation of interdisciplinary findings across policy and industry.