First seed funding under historic Queensland-Bavaria Collaborative Research Program

• The first seed funding under the historic Queensland-Bavaria Collaborative Research Program will support ten innovative Queensland science projects.
• The Miles Government committed $600,000 in funding for the program’s first year.
• The Collaborative Research Program is a joint initiative of the Queensland Department of Environment, Science and Innovation and the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts.

Research to make batteries and fuel cells more efficient is one of ten projects to receive seed funding under the historic Queensland-Bavaria Collaborative Research Program.

Other projects to receive funding support include designing better ways to handle the heat from spaceships’ atmospheric re-entry; helping find better treatments for infections; and identifying exercises that can treat osteoporosis.

The Queensland-Bavaria Collaborative Research 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.

It will see the development of partnerships and research collaboration in the areas of cleantech, energy and storage, emission reduction technologies, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, aerospace, additive manufacturing, health, life sciences, biomedical research, and the wider bioeconomy.

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. 

Quotes attributable to the Minister for Science and Innovation, Leanne Linard:

“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.

“We continue to move toward a zero-emissions, renewable energy, and a more diversified economic future, and it is crucial we enhance our scientific knowledge and capabilities in the essential areas that will drive this transition.

“One of my first official acts as Science Minister was signing the research agreement between the Queensland and Bavarian state governments to formalise our cooperation on world-leading research into greener fuels, energy storage, emission reduction technologies, and the broader bioeconomy.

“It is very pleasing to move into the next phase of this program – seeing real world projects coming to fruition.”

Quotes attributable Bavarian State Minister of Science and the Arts, Markus Blume MP:

"We are separated by around 15,000 kilometres, but we are joining excellent research teams from Bavaria and Queensland to secure prosperity and stability.

“With the first 'Seed Grants' as part of the research alliance with our Australian partner state, we are laying the groundwork for pioneering innovations on two continents.

“In ten projects on key topics such as AI or energy storage, we are providing excellent Bavarian research teams with up to €10,000 to collaborate personally with scientists in Queensland.

“This will turn initial ideas into long-term international collaborations and ultimately market-ready innovations in line with our values – entirely in the spirit of our 5.5 billion Hightech Agenda Bavaria!"

Quotes attributable to Professor Karen Wilson, Professor of Catalysis in the School of Environment and Science at Griffith University:

“We are very thankful to be a part of the Queensland-Bavaria Collaborative Research Program.

“With Professor Adam Lee, Professor Prasad Kaparaju and Professor Gary Schenk, this gives us the opportunity to join in partnership with Bavarian researchers for our joint project ‘Catalysing Sustainable Chemical Manufacturing’.

“This project will see us undertake bilateral workshops and knowledge transfers to develop unique and energy-efficient ways to harness waste biomass and promote a circular chemical industry.

“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.

“Bavaria is known as a leader in environmentally responsible chemical manufacturing, making our colleagues in at the Technical University of Munich the ideal partners for this project.”

Quotes attributable to Dr David Gildfind, School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology at the University of Queensland:

“The Queensland-Bavaria seed funding program has provided us with the opportunity to collaborate with researchers from the University of Landshut around our common interest in making accurate aerodynamic surface heating measurements.

“In this project UQ will be able to evaluate an alternative heat flux sensor which has the potential to improve the accuracy of surface heating measurements made during our spacecraft wind tunnel experiments, which is important, ultimately, to enable engineers to design more reliable and lighter weight thermal protection systems for spacecraft.

“At the same time, the project offers our collaborators the opportunity to evaluate their sensor in the extreme conditions of spacecraft atmospheric entry flight which we are able to generate in our Brisbane-based expansion tube wind tunnel facilities.”

Further information:

The projects that have received the first seed funding through under the Queensland-Bavaria Collaborative Research Program are:

Preventing disuse-induced osteoporosis

This project focuses on mechanical disuse related bone loss (commonly referred to as disuse-induced osteoporosis), by exploring the effects of different mechanical disuse conditions, such as prolonged bedrest, and the efficacy of various exercises to help counteract and treat the associated disuse-related bone loss. 

Collaborators are Queensland University of Technology and University of Erlangen–Nuremberg.

Exploring prenatal joint morphogenesis

This project will study the interplay between in-utero foetal motion and prenatal joint morphogenesis (PJM – the prenatal joint development during when cartilages acquire their interlocking shapes) by using 3D ultrasound techniques and computer modelling. It will provide insights into abnormal PJM and help develop early clinical interventions.

Collaborators are Queensland University of Technology and University of Erlangen–Nuremberg.

Managing Generative AI Usage

This project will explore Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) on organisational governance and employee behaviour using focus groups and collaborations with industry leaders to develop a governance model and concept paper to guide organisations in effectively and responsibly using GAI tools like ChatGPT. 

Collaborators are Queensland University of Technology and University of Bayreuth.

How sport fans influence sustainability

This project will investigate the environmental impacts of spectators’ transport choices at professional sporting events and the associated greenhouse gas emissions impacts, in both Bavaria and Queensland. The study will use case studies and surveys to assess modal choices and associated carbon emissions impact and analyse the data to produce recommendations on how this carbon footprint could be reduced.

Collaborators are Queensland University of Technology and University of Applied Sciences, Kempten.

Probing anti-biofilm treatments with mass-spectrometry

This project will use novel mass spectrometry techniques to better understand the metabolic fate of novel bacterial biofilm treatments – with biofilms being responsible for at least two-thirds of all infections and promoting resistance to standard antibiotic treatments. The project is looking to generate new knowledge on the effect of drug therapies on biofilms, the role of drug resistance, and the cell response of bacteria to various treatments.

Collaborators are Queensland University of Technology and Technical University of Munich.

Catalysing Sustainable Chemical Manufacturing

This project will undertake a series of workshops and knowledge transfer activities to develop energy-efficient solutions to harnessing waste biomass and promoting a circular chemical industry, transitioning chemical manufacturing away from fossil feedstocks and towards a circular economy where chemicals and hard-to-abate transportation fuels are made from sustainably sourced organic waste.

Collaborators are Griffith University and Technical University of Munich.

Hypervelocity Heat flux Measurements

Controlling heat transfer is one of the most challenging aspects of hypersonic flight and access to space. This project will combine the use of the University of Landshut’s Atomic Layer Thermopile’s heat flux sensors and UQ’s hypervelocity shock tunnels to study in detail the effects of heat transfer on spacecrafts re-entering the atmosphere.

Collaborators are The University of Queensland and University of Applied Sciences Landshut.

AI-designing enzymes for the bioeconomy

This project aims to redesign enzymes and protype them through two AI activities in Queensland and Bavaria, identifying different strategies and prototype AI-methods to strengthen the capacity for computer-guided enzyme engineering to support the emerging bioeconomy. 

Collaborators are The University of Queensland and The University of Applied Sciences, Weihenstephan-Triesdorf.

Additive Manufacturing of Carbon Materials

Carbon is a crucial material in energy technology in devices like batteries and fuel cells. This project brings together Bavarian expertise in designing and carbonising photopolymer-derived carbon electrodes and QUT’s ability to photochemically synthesize polymers with purpose-designed molecular structures to ultimately enhance the performance of batteries and fuel cells. 

Collaborators are Queensland University of Technology and Technical University of Munich.

Comparing climate change legal frameworks

This project will see two interdisciplinary workshops enhancing learnings between Bavaria and Queensland in the context of the legal frameworks each government has for carbon farming, including blue carbon. Targeted at researchers, doctoral and advanced students, the workshops will explore measures under the Paris Agreement for carbon farming to strive for climate neutrality.

Collaborators are University of Queensland, and University of Bayreuth.

ENDS

Media contact: Scott Chandler – (07) 3719 7339