Projects surrounding additive, medical and chemical manufacturing are among ten projects to share in $600,000 seed funding under the Queensland-Bavaria Collaborative Research Program.
The program aims to see the development of partnerships and research collaboration between QLD and Bavarian research establishments on projects surrounding certain priority areas.
These areas include cleantech, energy and storage, emission reduction technologies, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, aerospace, additive manufacturing, health, life sciences, biomedical research, and the wider bioeconomy.
“We are separated by around 15,000 kilometres, but we are joining excellent research teams from Bavaria and Queensland to secure prosperity and stability,” said Bavarian state minister of Science and the Arts, Markus Blume MP.
“The Queensland-Bavaria Collaborative Research Program is an important component in our ongoing collaboration some of the world’s finest research institutions as we work towards sustainable solutions to the challenges faced around the globe,” said minister for Science and Innovation, Leanne Linard.
Collaborators from Griffith University and Technical University of Munich have received funding to focus a project on Catalysing Sustainable Chemical Manufacturing.
The pair of collaborators will undertake a series of activities to develop energy-efficient solutions to transition chemical manufacturing away from fossil feedstocks and towards a circular economy.
Queensland University of Technology and Technical University of Munich have received funding to aim their project at the additive manufacturing of carbon materials to use in battery manufacturing.
“Chemical manufacturing plays a crucial role in Bavaria’s regional and Germany’s national economy, with the state producing many chemical products from pharmaceuticals to high-performance materials integral to industries including healthcare, automotive, and energy,” said professor Karen Wilson, professor of Catalysis in the School of Environment and Science at Griffith University.
Carbon is a crucial material in energy technology in devices like batteries and fuel cells.
The project will utilise Bavarian expertise in designing and carbonising photopolymer-derived carbon electrodes and QUT’s ability to photochemically synthesize polymers with purpose-designed molecular structures to enhance the performance of batteries and fuel cells.
Collaborators at The University of Queensland and The University of Applied Sciences, Weihenstephan-Triesdorf have been granted funding to focus on AI-designing enzymes for the bioeconomy.
This project aims to redesign enzymes and protype them through two AI activities in Queensland and Bavaria.
The program is a joint initiative formed under a Declaration of Intent between the Queensland Department of Environment, Science and Innovation and the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts signed in May 2023.
These are key areas supporting Queensland’s important development strategies including the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan, Industry Roadmaps and Action Plans, and the Queensland Trade and Investment Strategy.
In April 2024, the Miles Government committed $600,000 in funding for the program’s first year, with the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts committing equivalent funding.
