Swinburne celebrates industry-research success in CRC-Projects stream

Swinburne will expand its industry research activity after the announcement of two new industry-led projects, valued at $3.9 million, in round two of the Australian Government’s Cooperative Research Centre Projects (CRC-P) scheme. 

Swinburne is the sole research provider on the two projects, which are focused on cooperation between industry and research institutions, the development of new technologies and their translation. 

Nationwide, 17 CRC-P projects were funded. 

“Swinburne’s outstanding track record in the second round of the CRC-P demonstrates the strength of our research engagement with industry and our capacity for translational research and innovation,” Professor Aleksandar Subic, Swinburne Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Development) says.  

“We are committed to working closely with industry to consolidate our expertise and create outcomes that will contribute substantially to our economy and society.” 

The CRC-P second round funding brings the total value of the research projects to $14.5 million. 

Development of new and unique super high oleic bio-based oil 

The CRC program will provide $3 million in funding for a project that will develop a unique biodegradable and renewable oil, produced from safflower, that has the potential to replace products produced from fossil fuel oils such as lubricants and plastics. 

Known as ‘Super High Oleic Safflower Oil’ or ‘SHOSO’, it is the world’s best plant-derived bio-based oil. SHOSO is also a substitute for other vegetable oil based products. 

Led by Professor Enzo Palombo, Professor Feng Wang and Associate Professor Aimin Yu, Swinburne’s research will focus on producing a commercially viable SHOSO, that manufacturers and producers of lubricants and plastics can utilise. 

The project will be undertaken in partnership with GO Resources Pty Ltd, Kalyx Australia Pty Ltd, The Trustee for Old Paroo Trust, Cargill Australia Ltd, Department of Economic Development Jobs Transport and Resources and Emery Oleochemicals. 

Graphene supply chain certification 

Graphene is the lightest, strongest, most electrically conductive material discovered and is predicted to generate revolutionary new products across all industry sectors. Reliable quality and manufacturing reproducibility remain the major barriers to an industrial graphene market. 

This $943,937 project, led by Swinburne Professor Bronwyn Fox, Professor Baohua Jia and Dr Nishar Hameed, will develop an Australian graphene characterisation and certification capability to underpin graphene product development. 

As a result, it will connect Australian industry with global advanced manufacturing supply chains that use graphene. It will support Imagine Intelligent Materials (Imagine) and their supply chain partners to bring graphene solutions to the global market. It will enable volume manufacturing with graphene by supporting replicability & quality in manufacturing and will connect Australian industry into the development of Industry 4.0 capability internationally. 

The project will be undertaken in partnership with Imagine Intelligent Materials Pty Ltd, Agilent Technologies Australia (M) Pty Ltd, Australian Engineering Solutions Pty Ltd, Duromer Products Pty Ltd. 

About the funding 

Funding under the Cooperative Research Centre Projects (CRC-P) initiative supports short-term industry-led collaborations to solve industry problems and deliver tangible outcomes.

Media enquiries