$50.4 million in CRC-P grants awarded to 21 projects

A total of $50.4 million has been awarded through the latest selection round of the Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P), including for production of greener rocket fuel ingredients, salvaging pectin from fruit waste, and refining high-value ingredients from algae biomass.

Twenty-one projects were funded through Round 17, which was announced on Friday.

Among the projects were:

• Developing a Scalable Green Plasma-Based Perchlorate Manufacturing Process (awarded $2,796,600.) This will see companies including PlasmaLeap Technologies and DefendTex Research Labs producing “producing perchlorates using a plasma-based process” as an “alternative to traditional electro-chemical methods, with benefits in increased purity, output and energy efficiency.”  
• Advanced Energy-Assisted Pectin Production for Onshoring & Competitiveness (awarded $2,100,000.) Parties including Pectin 360, Harvey Fresh Juice and Scimita Ventures aim to advance “onshoring pectin production through advanced, energy-assisted manufacturing, reducing environmental waste, and generating circular economy benefits”.
• Scaling Algae to Meet Global Demand for Sustainable Health Products (awarded $3,000,000.) Collaborators “SeaO2 Algae and Venus Shell Systems in partnership with Airthena and Southern Cross University, will scale advanced technology to produce and refine algae biomass into finished products that can replace animal derived products”.
• Improving early stroke diagnosis in regional hospitals (awarded $3,000,000.) Project participants including EMVision Medical Devices and Titan Preshospital Innovation will undertake a clinical study in South Australian regional hospitals with EMVision’s portable brain scanner, to demonstrate an ability to provide more timely and precise stroke diagnosis”.

CRC-Ps fund projects running as long as three years in industry-led research partnerships between business, academia and government.

“The 21 new projects will all contribute to Australia’s efforts to strengthen the nation’s R&D system to boost economic growth, create high-value jobs, and enhance national prosperity,” said Cooperative Research Australia (CRA) in a statement last week.

A full list of funded Round 17 projects is available here.

Picture: EMVision's Emu scanner for stroke detection (credit EMVision)

Further reading

Pectin360, Original Juice Company to collaborate on pilot plant for upcycling fruit waste

Pair plan pectin production from food waste

Why the Australian innovation system needs Fraunhofer institutes

EMVision advances bedside brain scanner trials across two continents

EMVision completes pilot line, receives $1.25 million grant payment

NSW government awards $26.2 million in clean technology grants

Ammonia production tech startup believes it can cut nation’s fertiliser bill by a tenth