Marine Natural Products as Sources of Agrochemicals - The Variolins. The aim of this project is the identification of new classes of agrochemicals with better pest resistance and environmental profiles. The proposed partnership with a major international chemical manufacturing organization will allow access to state-of-the-art techniques for the screening and development of novel compounds as agents for the control of pests that affect many major agricultural crops relevant to Australia's econo ....Marine Natural Products as Sources of Agrochemicals - The Variolins. The aim of this project is the identification of new classes of agrochemicals with better pest resistance and environmental profiles. The proposed partnership with a major international chemical manufacturing organization will allow access to state-of-the-art techniques for the screening and development of novel compounds as agents for the control of pests that affect many major agricultural crops relevant to Australia's economy. Australian graduate students will experience the operations of one of the world's biggest chemical manufacturers. The derivation of agrochemicals from marine sources will promote further recognition of the value of marine ecosystems around Australia.Read moreRead less
Preventing and addressing environmental harm through restorative justice. This project aims to develop a knowledge base on how Restorative Justice (RJ) principles and practices can prevent and address environmental harm. Research has demonstrated that RJ is a powerful response to a wide variety of governance challenges and could provide a useful alternative paradigm for environmental regulation. This project aims to apply the processes and values of RJ to environmental regulation with a focus on ....Preventing and addressing environmental harm through restorative justice. This project aims to develop a knowledge base on how Restorative Justice (RJ) principles and practices can prevent and address environmental harm. Research has demonstrated that RJ is a powerful response to a wide variety of governance challenges and could provide a useful alternative paradigm for environmental regulation. This project aims to apply the processes and values of RJ to environmental regulation with a focus on harm prevention, advancing theory into a new domain of application. This should lead to immediate and long-term benefits, including better prevention of environmental harm, better relationships with communities, and stronger commitments by those who have caused harm to rehabilitate, repair and reform.Read moreRead less
Wearable thermoelectric textiles for portable microelectronics. Wearable thermoelectrics enable the power generation from the temperature difference between human body and ambient temperature by using thermoelectric effect. This project aims to design eco-friendly wearable thermoelectric textiles to realize high-efficiency solid-state power generation and meet individual needs with human comfort and health. The target is to achieve a power density in the as-designed thermoelectric textiles by th ....Wearable thermoelectric textiles for portable microelectronics. Wearable thermoelectrics enable the power generation from the temperature difference between human body and ambient temperature by using thermoelectric effect. This project aims to design eco-friendly wearable thermoelectric textiles to realize high-efficiency solid-state power generation and meet individual needs with human comfort and health. The target is to achieve a power density in the as-designed thermoelectric textiles by the optimization of materials and device design. The outcome will open up a new platform for the green and sustainable charge for portable microelectronics, which will lead to an innovative technology for energy management, which will place Australia at the forefront of wearable electronics and textile industry.Read moreRead less
Setting Priorities for Services Trade Reform. Services could be a deal maker in the Doha Round of trade negotiations, and Australia has much to gain if developing countries can be persuaded to make commercially meaningful commitments to liberalise services trade. Australia will also gain if the economies of the region are strengthened through regulatory reform. And Australia can gain from further regulatory reform at home. To these ends, the project will provide new understanding of regulatory b ....Setting Priorities for Services Trade Reform. Services could be a deal maker in the Doha Round of trade negotiations, and Australia has much to gain if developing countries can be persuaded to make commercially meaningful commitments to liberalise services trade. Australia will also gain if the economies of the region are strengthened through regulatory reform. And Australia can gain from further regulatory reform at home. To these ends, the project will provide new understanding of regulatory best practice that will reveal the priorities for services trade reform. Read moreRead less
Development of environmentally-friendly bioinsecticides for control of Australian crop pests. Insect pests cause over $3 billion of damage each year to Australian crops. Current insecticides are becoming less effective, and they often have adverse environmental impacts. This project aims to develop a new generation of environmentally-friendly insecticides that can be used to control insect pests on farms and around the home and garden.
Development of Novel Concrete Noise Walls Incorporating Recycled Materials. This project will develop high-performance, lightweight, concrete noise walls and acoustic barriers that use recycled tyre and glass products to improve sound absorption, and address environmental problems associated with the mining of river sands, and stockpiling of waste tyre and glass products. Innovation in noise wall technology consists in developing low-carbon concrete mixes (using less cement) with a maximum amoun ....Development of Novel Concrete Noise Walls Incorporating Recycled Materials. This project will develop high-performance, lightweight, concrete noise walls and acoustic barriers that use recycled tyre and glass products to improve sound absorption, and address environmental problems associated with the mining of river sands, and stockpiling of waste tyre and glass products. Innovation in noise wall technology consists in developing low-carbon concrete mixes (using less cement) with a maximum amount of recycled product, together with reducing wall thickness, while maintaining the necessary engineering properties such as acoustics, strength, and durability. In addition to higher acoustic insulation, the novel low-carbon, lightweight, panels will improve material handling and affordability of noise barriers.Read moreRead less
Secure and Resistant Blockchain for Financial and Business Applications. The aim of this project is to develop a practical secure blockchain technology for the booming applications in finance and business. This project expects to address the leading security threats to the current blockchain applications. The expected outcome is an executable secure and resistant blockchain prototype through the integration of the latest developed and customized techniques. The success of the project will dramat ....Secure and Resistant Blockchain for Financial and Business Applications. The aim of this project is to develop a practical secure blockchain technology for the booming applications in finance and business. This project expects to address the leading security threats to the current blockchain applications. The expected outcome is an executable secure and resistant blockchain prototype through the integration of the latest developed and customized techniques. The success of the project will dramatically benefit Australian people and government, especially for the Australian ICT industry for commercializing the research outputs. Read moreRead less
Protection of Botanical Innovation: A legal analysis of the scope and operation of national and international plant breeder's rights. Plants play a crucial role in Australian society: they are a major source of nutrition, shelter, clothing, fuel, medicines and aesthetic pleasure. They also make an important contribution to the Australian economy. The legislative regime established under the 1994 Plant Breeder's Rights Act was designed to promote research, investment and innovation in Australian ....Protection of Botanical Innovation: A legal analysis of the scope and operation of national and international plant breeder's rights. Plants play a crucial role in Australian society: they are a major source of nutrition, shelter, clothing, fuel, medicines and aesthetic pleasure. They also make an important contribution to the Australian economy. The legislative regime established under the 1994 Plant Breeder's Rights Act was designed to promote research, investment and innovation in Australian plant breeding. A lack of familiarity and widespread misunderstanding mean that the system is under-utilised with adverse consequences for plant innovation and Australia's economy. This groundbreaking research will provide a comprehensive analysis of plant breeder's rights in Australia to maximise understanding and awareness amongst key stakeholders.Read moreRead less
A systemic model to underpin enhanced management of powered-two-wheelers as part of a safe, sustainable transport system. Better management of motor scooters and motorbikes (Powered-2-wheelers or P2W) will deliver economic, environmental and social benefits. Road crashes involving P2Ws cost the Australian community in excess of $2 billion per annum. There are also the broader social impacts for crash victims, their families and communities from the potentially long-term pain, grief and debilitat ....A systemic model to underpin enhanced management of powered-two-wheelers as part of a safe, sustainable transport system. Better management of motor scooters and motorbikes (Powered-2-wheelers or P2W) will deliver economic, environmental and social benefits. Road crashes involving P2Ws cost the Australian community in excess of $2 billion per annum. There are also the broader social impacts for crash victims, their families and communities from the potentially long-term pain, grief and debilitating injuries. This project will provide insight into how the incidence and costs associated with P2W crashes can be reduced. In addition, congestion costs in each of Australia's capital cities are on the order of $3 billion per annum and there is potential for P2W research to reduce not only that cost but also the broader environmental impacts of travel by providing an alternative to cars.Read moreRead less
Protecting tomato crops from Fusarium wilt through the efficient application of new genetic resources. The tomato industry is a major horticultural industry in Australia, and Queensland is the major producer of tomatoes for the fresh food market. In Queensland, the tomato industry has expanded in the face of the threat that Fusarium wilt could re-emerge as a major disease problem. This research will ensure that measures can be taken quickly and efficiently to protect existing genetic resources u ....Protecting tomato crops from Fusarium wilt through the efficient application of new genetic resources. The tomato industry is a major horticultural industry in Australia, and Queensland is the major producer of tomatoes for the fresh food market. In Queensland, the tomato industry has expanded in the face of the threat that Fusarium wilt could re-emerge as a major disease problem. This research will ensure that measures can be taken quickly and efficiently to protect existing genetic resources used to control Fusarium wilt. It will also improve our knowledge about the mechanisms plants use to defend themselves against Fusarium wilt diseases.Read moreRead less