Are you working on research with strategic value in ways that can clearly evidence impact and translation into everyday applications for our communities, the environment or the economy? Do you need funding to help fast-track a mature project that could be the next big thing?
Applications open for the UTS Strategic Research Accelerator
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UTS welcomes applications for the Strategic Research Accelerator Program until 25 October 2024. The initiative supports multi or transdisciplinary projects with realistic potential to deliver globally and continue to grow.
Now in its third year, the program is part of a suite of university-funded initiatives to get strategically important research across the line. It specifically supports projects that have a demonstrated proof of concept and need additional support to drive engagement and impact.
Participants in last year’s Strategic Research Accelerator were:
- investigating extracellular vesicles to investigate their therapeutic potential in treating chronic diseases (Brian Oliver, Hui Chen, JJ Li, Chantal Donovan, Richard Kim)
- developing a novel vaccine aimed at reducing methane emissions from Australian livestock (Iain Duggin, Bernadette Saunders, Andrew Care) and
- creating a tool to assess companies' commitment to science-based climate targets (Martina Linnenluecke, Christina Nikitopoulos, Deborah Cotton).
In 2022, Distinguished Professor Dikai Liu used the opportunity of the Accelerator to explore how to build human-robot teams for work in construction worksites.
"Our participation in the Strategic Research Accelerator Program provided us with the opportunity to build an interdisciplinary cross-faculty team for research on human-robot teaming. It also enabled the development of real demonstrators that showcase how human-robot collaboration can be applied in construction.” Distinguished Professor Liu said.
A major outcome of this funding boost was the establishment of the ARC-funded Industrial Transformation Research Hub for Human-Robot Teaming for Sustainable and Resilient Construction. This collaborative initiative with seven university and sixteen government/industry partners is led by UTS researchers and features truly interdisciplinary research.
“We have researchers from robotics, engineering, artificial intelligence, computer science, safety, ethics business and social technical systems,” said Professor Liu, the Hub’s Director. Learn more
Our participation in the Strategic Research Accelerator Program provided us with the opportunity to build an interdisciplinary cross-faculty team for research on human-robot teaming.
Who can apply?
The Strategic Research Accelerator Program is designed to create a step-change in research activity – one that has the potential to achieve excellence and deliver true global impact. The program is specifically set up to support mature projects that have a demonstrated proof of concept and need additional support to drive engagement and impact.
How much funding is available?
The Strategic Research Accelerator Program program will provide a project budget of up to $75,000 for 2 years. Financial support will also be provided for the winning teams to recruit 2 to 3 full-time postdoctoral researchers (up to Level B.2 max) to work with them for up to 2 years to create critical mass and accelerate a strategic research program. A maximum of eight postdoctoral positions will be offered in 2024.
Interested in applying?
If this opportunity sounds relevant to your research, visit the Strategic Research Accelerator Sharepoint for guidelines, selection criteria and information about previous program participants. Applications close 12 midnight, 25 October 2024.