Monash secures over AUD $2 million for industry Linkage Projects
Monash University’s innovative, world-leading research and its strong engagement with industry have helped secure significant funding in the latest Australian Research Council (ARC) grants for Linkage Projects.
Monash University has been awarded AUD $2,261,074 to support six applied research projects, ranging from development of a wearable blood-pressure monitor and enhanced inhaler design for more efficient drug delivery, to improved security systems and sequencing DNA to identify the genetics of executive function.
Minister for Education and Training, Senator the Hon. Simon Birmingham, announced the ARC grants for Linkage Projects today (Wednesday 31 May).
Monash Vice-Provost (Research), Professor Pauline Nestor said the funding announcement reflects Monash’s high impact research that has the potential to transform lives.
“From gaining deeper insights into our complex immune systems to enhance treatments for diseases, to boosting the global competitiveness of the Australian security industry by applying mathematics to improve detection systems, our research has the power to respond to some of the world’s greatest challenges and make a real difference,” Professor Nestor said.
“This significant funding for six, diverse ARC Linkage Projects demonstrates the quality and breadth of our applied research as well as our strength in building powerful strategic partnerships with industries and other innovators. I am grateful to the ARC for their continued support and congratulate those talented researchers who have secured Linkage Project funding today.”
Monash ARC funded Linkage Projects:
- Associate Professor Steven Siems (Faculty of Science, School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment), will lead a project to improve forecasting rainfall and snowfall in complex mountain terrain. The identification of the physical processes that enhance and redistribute rainfall and snowfall over the alpine regions across south east Australia and Tasmania, will lead to more accurate forecasts, better water management and development of pumped hydro capabilities.
- Our capacities to focus on a task at hand, to filter distractions and to inhibit unwanted impulses, are collectively referred to as executive functions. Professor Mark Bellgrove (Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences) proposes the use of DNA sequencing technology to identify the genetics of executive function. The genetic insights gained from this project will yield breakthrough insights into the biology of cognition and a customised genotyping chip, called CogChip which could give a genetic read-out of individual differences in executive ability. CogChip would have broad application including the potential to facilitate the targeting of cognitive, educational or workplace training.
- ARC Australian Laureate Fellow, Professor Jamie Rossjohn (Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute), will lead a project to investigate the basic structure and function of a key co-receptor expressed on T cells, known as lymphocyte activation gene-3. T cells play a role in the immune system but must be managed to prevent autoimmunity. The impact of the project will be the development of T cell therapeutics, improving health outcomes on a national and global scale.
- Associate Professor Mehmet Yuce and Dr Jean-Michel Redoute (Faculty of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering), in collaboration with Planet Innovation, will lead a project to develop a non-invasive, body-worn device able to monitor blood pressure (BP) continuously in real time. Using remote monitoring with wireless connectivity and with many advantages over traditional cuff-based methods used currently in healthcare environments, the new device will lead to more effective prevention, home care and treatment.
- Professor Damon Honnery (Faculty of Engineering, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering) will lead a project whose aim is to develop enhanced designs for asthma inhaler components, ultimately improving drug delivery efficiency and shorter product development times, leading to reduced dose-rate costs.
- ARC Australian Laureate Fellow, Professor Kate Smith-Miles (Faculty of Science, School of Mathematical Sciences) will lead a project aiming to address the mathematical challenges in automated early detection and classification of intrusion events in noisy signal data from security systems. This means better detection of intrusion events while ignoring nuisance events. The project will help boost the global competitiveness of the Australian security industry.
A full list of awardees is available on the ARC website .