Social good projects

We're positively disrupting the world

Adopting a collaborative, cross-disciplinary approach, discover how our world-leading researchers are tackling the world's most pressing social, economic and environmental issues.

Modelling a medieval Cambodian metropolis

Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument on earth. Through digital simulations, we’re delving deeper into how this complex used to operate – thereby enhancing education and enriching historical knowledge.

Pollination in a new climate

Through computer simulations, we’re revealing how climate change may impact the evolution of plants and our pollinators. Critical to agriculture, our insights are informing decisions around the sustainability of these resources.

Credit: Abir Abdullah / Oxfam. Mobile information systems can take advantage of a range of communication channels.

Mobile information systems for rural Bangladesh

We're providing over 20,000 people in rural Bangladesh with mobile information services – to allow locals to answer agricultural queries, send environmental alerts and contribute their expertise to regional issues.

Amplifying local voices. Revealing powerful stories.

Indaba is an innovative video program that is empowering some of the world’s most remote communities. Using its cutting-edge features, locals are able to share their stories and bring attention to critical issues.

Knowledge is power: Keeping Australia informed during COVID-19

The COVID-19 Case Tracker Australia is a not-for-profit project run by a passionate team of volunteers. Led by Monash IT expert Dr Chunyang Chen, the platform was created to support a country in crisis – and hungry for information.

The comfort of home: Sharing fresh, local produce through Sprout

In 2019, 21-year-old Joseph Sinclair visited his girlfriend’s family in New Zealand. Using ‘honesty boxes’, they were sharing their homegrown produce with neighbours – sparking the idea for Joseph’s free and popular app, Sprout.

STEMM for everyone now means everyone, including people with disabilities

At Monash IT, we believe everyone deserves the chance to participate in STEMM. That's why Dr Kirsten Ellis has created an innovative project to enable those with sensory, significant motor or cognitive disabilities to make their own technology.

Hand a young woman a micro:bit and she’ll think like an entrepreneur

An innovative new initiative called the Women in STEMM and Entrepreneurship (WISE) Program sparks an entrepreneurial mindset in Victorian Year 10 women students.

Addressing food insecurities in the UK

By creating a crowd-sourced map, we'll be able to identify factors that are collectively pushing UK households into food insecurity – and design effective methods to match.

AI to help reduce hospital readmissions – and improve patient outcomes

Through AI technology, we're investigating the causes of hospital readmissions to deliver better patient outcomes – and reduce the burden on our healthcare system.

Algorithms uncover game-changing details in new images of Earth's surface

Our researchers are using satellite images of our planet to create maps that can help predict the spread of bushfires and floods.

Applied AI technology makes its mark on national suicide monitoring system

Monash University and Eastern Health’s Turning Point are using a $1.2 million (AUD) grant from Google to address major mental health challenges in society.

AUTOWORK

This project aims to generate new knowledge and solutions to societal challenges arising from the automation, digitalisation and robotisation of work-life, in relation to inclusion and meaningfulness.

Better recordkeeping for vulnerable children in care

We're researching and developing the independent Living Archive of the Child to help vulnerable communities and drive historical justice and reconciliation.

Beyond the Animations: A Sustainable Living Digital Heritage Archive

This project explores the creation of a sustainable living digital heritage archive, using the Monash Country Lines Archives’ virtual 3D models as a case study.

Empowering people with disabilities

Collaborating with local organisations, we're developing a sustainable model that uses volunteer mentors to enhance the social and economic wellbeing of Indonesians living with disabilities.

Enhancing COVID-19 diagnoses with next-level AI-generated medical reports

Enhancing COVID-19 diagnoses, our researchers have helped to create an AI-driven medical report generation method.

Enhancing disaster prediction and response

We aim to develop time series technologies to draw maximum value from Earth Observation programs and data – benefiting many sectors in Australia, including agriculture, tourism, mining and water.

Illuminating criminal activity on the dark web

Our IT experts have discovered what motivates activity deep within the darkest corners of the internet, which could pull the plug on cybercriminals worldwide.

Improving access for the vision impaired

Working with the vision impairment community, we've developed accessible objects – such as 'intelligent' 3D maps and learning aids – to create greater engagement in education, interactive tactile maps for Vision Australia and more.

Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Living Archives of People and Place

This Indigenous-led project that explores the relationship between First Nations sovereignty and data sovereignty. It also aims to transform participatory practice in relation to information and recordkeeping.

Lifelong rights of Australians in out-of-home care

The Charter of Lifelong Rights in Childhood Recordkeeping in Out of Home care is dedicated to meeting the critical and diverse information needs of Australians who are, or have experienced, out-of-home care.

No time to waste: AI to fast-track cardiac arrest care

Supported by a $1.36 million government grant, Monash University and Ambulance Victoria are working hard to improve cardiac arrest survival rates.

Over-exposed: Monash and Federal Police launch lab to tackle abhorrent materials

Joining forces with the Australia Federal Police, we’ve launched a new initiative designed to help officers scan through thousands of confronting files faster – with lower levels of emotional distress.

Preserving Indigenous culture

We've partnered with Indigenous communities across Australia to create an interactive, engaging tool that preserves and celebrates Indigenous languages and cultures.

Supporting kids through sign language

Supported by our researchers, the Interactive Auslan Coach takes advantage of mainstream gaming technology to drive how people learn Australian Sign Language (Auslan).

Understanding dementia

Partnering with Dementia Australia, we've designed an app that illustrates the brain, its functions and which areas are affected by dementia. A deeper understanding of dementia offers greater support for affected people and their carers.

Using AI to create a more sustainable future

This US$50 million program empowers research driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI) – research that’s vital to our sustainable future.

AlertSafe

In collaboration with Opturion, we have developed a cloud-based rostering system to improve alertness, productivity and safety among shift workers.

Youth Social Media Playbook

Introducing a social media playbook for organisations to better understand digital media spaces used by culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) young people.

Micro-volunteering support for disabled citizens

Connecting Indonesian youth with disabilities to volunteer mentors

Co-funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, we're connecting Indonesian youths living with disabilites to national and internaitonal mentors using everyday messaging technologies.

Collecting patient data in one place

A $2.1 million project to collect patient data in one place to better support healthcare workers when making critical and life-saving clinical decisions.

PowerPredict

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA)-funded project aims to provide wind and solar power generators with more accurate and reliable five-minute ahead self-forecasting tools.

Voice-assisted tech giving voice to people living with Parkinson’s disease

We're investigating how voice-assisted technologies can support people with speech difficulties, such as Parkinson’s disease and enhance early speech and language therapies.

Recording the impact of artificial light on our bodies

Partnering with Monash's Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, we are developing a powerful clinical tool that will help overcome unhealthy modern light behaviour.

AgTech applications could revolutionise the cotton farming industry

We're applying AI and game-design practices to reduce spray drift from agricultural pesticides and minimise the negative impact on neighbouring crops and wildlife.

FloRA

We are exploring how to advance support given to students

Powering the future of smart cities: Bringing the community into the equation

With the City of Melbourne, we're looking at the experiences of communities in and around Melbourne’s CBD with emerging technologies to better plan for inclusive future cities.

Smart Homes for Seniors

We're evaluating the benefits, opportunities and challenges of incorporating smart home devices into the homes and lives of older people living in regional communities.

FakeBuster

With this deepfake detection tool, you can now figure out if the video of the person you're on a video conference with is being manipulated or spoofed.

World-first bughunter: Using AI to detect defects faster

This world-first practical and explainable AI helps developers predict and find bugs faster – and understand why a program is likely to be defective in the future.

Tackling post-pandemic mental health challenges facing adolescents

With the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, we are advancing parents' abilities to support their children through COVID-19 to reduce the long-term risks of adolescent mental health problems.

AI fitness app offers personalised injury prevention during lockdown.

Recently launched on Apple's App Store, Fitcus uses AI to correct forms and offer feedback in real-time during a workout.

Managing online forums in the age of misinformation

We are developing a platform to moderate and verify content shared with popular online forums and discussion boards.

The AusAdObservatory

This project enables independent research into the role that algorithmically targeted advertising plays in society.

MatRiCT+

We have designed and implemented a significantly improved version of ‘the world’s most efficient blockchain protocol’.