Recent national grants have propelled Australia’s new major university to the top.
Adelaide University researchers have been awarded more than $30 million through recent Federal Government grant programs.
The grants highlight the importance of the work happening within its foundation universities - which are in the process of merging to form Adelaide University - and their standing as globally significant research institutions.
Together the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia have secured more than $20 million through the Department of Education’s Australia’s Economic Accelerator (AEA) program, to fund projects that will improve food production, green energy, quantum technologies, health AI and circular economies.
Adelaide University Deputy Vice Chancellor Research and Innovation, Professor Anton Middelberg FTSE congratulated all grant recipients.
“These results speak to Adelaide University’s impact in fields like health, sustainability and engineering, and our prominent role as leaders and changemakers,” he said.
“This is the result of the combined power of our research and commercialisation capabilities, and places us first in Australia for AEA funding, solidifying our position as a national leader with global impact.”
Seven projects were funded under the AEA program that will continue over two years.
Almost $5 million was awarded towards a project led by Professor Andre Luiten, Chief Innovator at the Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing, for a project focusing on maturing quantum sensors to match real-world needs.
Professor Robert McLaughlin, School of Biomedicine, received more than $4.2 million to develop an artificial intelligence-enabled meat scanner while Associate Professor Martin Donnelley from the Robinson Research Institute, received almost $4 million towards the commercialisation of novel AI-assisted functional imaging technologies for understanding lung disease.
Industry Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Professor John Fielke, was awarded $2.1 million for a pre-commercial demonstration of a unique debittering process for a new style of table olive.
Through the Government’s Future Drought Fund Long-Term Trials Project, Associate Professor William Van Wettere from the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences received more than $8.7 million. The funding will support the ongoing resilience of sheep production systems by combining climate resilient sheep with sustainable environments to enhance welfare and productivity.
Under the Australian Research Council’s (ARC) Linkage Projects scheme, more than $4.3 million has been awarded to experts who will be part of Adelaide University’s community of world-class researchers.
The scheme provides funding to projects that translate research into practical benefits, by connecting businesses and publicly funded agencies with academics. Adelaide University researchers will create AI for spacecraft, develop sustainable elastomer composites, produce green concrete, investigate the impact of nature and nurture on the children of convicts, offer insights into the victims of child sexual abuse, better understand mineral deposits and investigate new designs of aeroplanes.
The seven ARC Linkage projects awarded to the foundation Universities will carry over until 2029. Professor Middelberg said these latest grants demonstrate the strength of Adelaide University’s research impact.
“To receive this grant news so soon after Adelaide University was named 82nd in the 2026 QS World University Rankings speaks highly of the future of our new institution and the benefit it will bring to the state and wider communities,” he said.
“Adelaide University is also leading the country in Cooperative Research Centre activity. Our foundation universities’ combined CRC research income was more than $60 million from 2019-2023 – significantly more than any other university in this country.
“Our researchers work across 16 Cooperative Research Centres in multiple disciplines and sectors – from health to cyber, defence, environment and agribusiness – many of which we lead or are the lead academic institution.”
Adelaide University is a member of Australia’s prestigious and research-intensive Group of Eight and opens 1 January 2026.
