$384.9m awarded to 11 ARC Centres of Excellence

The Australian Research Council (ARC) has announced $384.9 million in research funding for 11 ARC Centres of Excellence to conduct research in areas of national priority over a seven-year period.

ARC Centres of Excellence are focal points of expertise by which high-calibre researchers collaborate to deliver research that benefits Australia, strengthens our international standing and addresses some of the major challenges of our time. ARC CEO Judi Zielke PSM said the ARC Centres of Excellence scheme plays an important role in supporting partnerships between universities, industry, community and government to produce transformative research outcomes.

“The ARC Centres of Excellence also offer exciting new opportunities for early career researchers and empower the next generation of Australian researchers to address Australia’s most important research problems,” Zielke said.

“Our Centres of Excellence scheme is one of our largest and most prestigious schemes, consistently delivering exciting outcomes that can only be achieved with the collaboration the Centres facilitate.

“In addition, universities and collaborators are contributing a total of $375 million to these new ARC Centres of Excellence, with 221 partner organisations contributing $304.6 million in cash and in-kind funding, which will enhance Australia’s research capability across all disciplines.”

The ARC Centres of Excellence awarded funding to commence in 2023 are as follows:

The ARC Centre of Excellence for Carbon Science and Innovation, led by UNSW Sydney, will develop carbon-based catalysts for clean energy, CO₂ capture and green chemistry to reduce emissions.

The ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures, led by James Cook University, aims to generate a new direction in knowledge creation based on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led approaches to managing Land and Sea Country.

The ARC Centre of Excellence for Green Electrochemical Transformation for Carbon Dioxide, led by The University of Queensland (UQ), will develop new manufacturing businesses for Australia based on the conversion of carbon dioxide into value-added products, such as alcohols, and help transition Australia to a carbon-neutral economy.

The ARC Centre of Excellence in Quantum Biotechnology, also led by UQ, aims to develop new quantum technologies to observe biological processes and transform our understanding of life.

The ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous Futures, also led by UQ, will transform and improve the life chances of Indigenous Australians by utilising Indigenous knowledges to enhance our understanding of the complex nature of Indigenous intergenerational inequity.

The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space, led by The University of Adelaide, aims to create on-demand, zero-waste, high-efficiency plants and plant products to address grand challenges in sustainability for space and on Earth.

The ARC Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, led by Monash University, will work closely with practitioners and Indigenous leadership across Australia and the Indo-Pacific to generate new knowledge to understand the root causes of violence against women.

The ARC Centre of Excellence for the Weather of the 21st Century, also led by Monash University, aims to determine how Australia’s weather is being reshaped by climate change.

The ARC Centre of Excellence in Optical Microcombs for Breakthrough Science, led by RMIT University, aims to explore the society-wide transformations that will flow from optical technology by leveraging and building upon the latest breakthroughs in physics, materials science and nanofabrication.

The ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery, led by Swinburne University of Technology, will harness a national and international network of highly trained astrophysicists to detect and analyse gravitational waves, which will expand our knowledge of fundamental physics, the universe and the nature of ultra-dense matter.

The ARC Centre of Excellence for the Mathematical Analysis of Cellular Systems, led by The University of Melbourne, will deliver advanced mathematics to study biological processes through whole cell modelling and will develop methods for engineering biotechnological applications.

Image credit: iStock.com/hidesy

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