Inside MiLabs: Stories from Our First Year
Where Big Ideas Find Their Way
Monash Innovation Labs (MiLabs) is Monash University's innovation hub, where researchers, students, and innovative companies collaborate under one roof, utilising state-of-the-art facilities. It’s a place where ideas are tested, problems are solved, and discoveries could change the world.
Since opening in early 2024, MiLabs has supported resident companies in raising more than $40 million in capital, creating over 40 new jobs, and collaborating with more than 30 Monash students, graduates, and researchers.
What sets MiLabs apart isn’t just the space: it’s the mix of people, tools, and support that helps innovative companies accelerate their growth. Whether through student-led design work, support from Monash’s research community, or a useful introduction at the right time, MiLabs is helping turn bold ideas into scale.
As we mark our first year, we’re celebrating the people behind the progress. Here are three stories from our community that show what’s possible when you combine smart ideas with the right support.
From Lab Breakthrough to Global Climate Solution
One of MiLabs’ earliest residents, ElectraLith, is a Monash spinout that has quickly become one of the world’s most exciting clean-tech startups.
ElectraLith is pioneering a new way to extract lithium, a key element in electric vehicle batteries, without using water or chemicals. Traditional lithium extraction methods are resource-intensive, taking up to 18 months and consuming millions of litres of water per tonne of lithium. ElectraLith’s Direct Lithium Extraction and Refining (DLE-R) system, based on technology developed by Monash researchers Professor Huanting Wang and Dr Zhouyou (Emily) Wang, is set to change that.
Backed by investors including Rio Tinto, Chevron Technology Ventures, Breakthrough Victoria, Monash University and others, ElectraLith closed a $27.5 million Series A round in December 2024. The company was also named a Top Innovator by the World Economic Forum, a global endorsement that sets it on a path to scale impact through UpLink, the World Economic Forum’s innovation platform.
ElectraLith’s base at MiLabs has enabled it to remain close to the research team, leverage business support services, and benefit from proximity to both Monash’s commercialisation experts and the broader innovation community.
The company has also tapped into MiLabs’ student talent programs, engaging five Monash students through the Industry Innovation Program (IIP). These students contributed across a range of technical and commercial projects, gaining valuable experience while helping ElectraLith expand its innovation capacity.
When Student Meets Startup, Magic Happens
At MiLabs, we believe students aren’t just interns, they’re collaborators and creators.
When biotech company Gelteq needed support to develop a new medicine delivery system for their ingestible gel product, they turned to Monash’s student talent pipeline. That’s where they met Aydan, a fifth-year student studying Mechatronics and Business Analytics, who joined the team through a structured industry experience project.
Together, Aydan and Gelteq worked on a six-month project to design a new gel pouch delivery system that makes it easier to crush and administer medication. The result? A working prototype that Gelteq is now progressing toward market readiness.
For Aydan, the experience was transformative:
“This was the first time I felt like an actual engineer, not just a student. I had real creative input, worked directly with the business, and learned how to present ideas, manage IP considerations, and communicate technical concepts clearly.”
Supported by Monash research expertise and MiLabs’ facilities, Aydan gained hands-on experience across the full product development cycle, from concept to prototype, while helping Gelteq accelerate its innovation roadmap.
For Gelteq, the partnership brought fresh thinking and practical support. For Aydan and the many other students placed into innovation-led businesses through MiLabs, it was a chance to gain real-world insight, build confidence, and contribute meaningfully to commercial outcomes.
Using Research to Turn a City Problem into Smart Infrastructure
Civil Design Pty Ltd is a Melbourne-based civil engineering consultancy specialising in the design of roads, drainage, pedestrian and cycling infrastructure. Based at Monash Innovation Labs, Civil Design partners with government, industry, and research to deliver practical infrastructure solutions that improve how communities move and connect. Their team combines technical engineering expertise with digital innovation to help councils and agencies plan, design, and deliver safe, accessible, and resilient public infrastructure.
In collaboration with Professor Le Hai Vu and the Monash Smart Infrastructure Labs team based at MiLabs, Civil Design is developing a new hazard detection system for local councils, starting with a pilot for Monash City Council.
The challenge: Construction sites across cities often leave behind hazards, mud, paint spills, damaged footpaths, and unsecured fences that pose risks to public safety and quality of life. Manual inspections are labour-intensive and inconsistent, making it difficult for councils to stay ahead.
The solution: A privacy-compliant, AI-enabled camera system mounted on council rubbish trucks. As trucks follow their usual routes, the system scans construction zones for pollution, infrastructure damage, and safety risks, while automatically blurring faces and number plates to protect privacy.
Monash engineering students, through the Monash Smart Infrastructure Hub at MiLabs, are contributing to the system’s hardware and data integration, including adapting a vehicle from Monash’s autonomous car project for prototyping and testing.
If successful, the system could scale to monitor other civic issues such as graffiti, potholes, overgrown vegetation, and uncollected hard rubbish, helping councils save time, improve accountability, and proactively manage public infrastructure.
For Civil Design, MiLabs has been a critical enabler, providing access to top research talent, cutting-edge infrastructure, and student collaborators who bring new perspectives to city-scale challenges.
What’s Next
MiLabs was created to bring people together; scientists, entrepreneurs, students, and partners -to do meaningful work.
In just one year, we’ve seen what can happen when the right support meets the right ideas. Companies have raised funding, built teams, and launched products. Students have tested their skills on real-world projects. And researchers have seen their work move beyond the lab and into the world.
We’re just getting started.
Whether you’re a business, student or researcher, MiLabs is here to help you take the next step. Get in touch with us.