Adelaide University has been awarded a $400,000 grant from the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations (NFACR), under the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, to deliver a sustainable aviation project over the next two years.
Announced this week by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Penny Wong, the project will strengthen collaboration between Australian and Chinese stakeholders to accelerate the development and deployment of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) – a critical decarbonisation pathway for aviation, one of the world’s hardest-to-abate sectors.
The Australia-China Cooperation for Sustainable Aviation (ACCSA) project will support engagement with Australian and Chinese SAF stakeholders through seminars, workshops, conferences, publications and targeted outreach activities.
It aims to promote practical cooperation between SAF researchers, aviation and fuel industry participants, investors and government stakeholders in both countries, enabling them to capitalise on emerging SAF business and investment opportunities.
Adelaide University Professor of Aviation, Shane Zhang, says the project aligns with Australia’s Future Made in Australia priorities, supporting the growth of a domestic SAF industry while reinforcing Australia’s leadership in clean energy and green innovation.
“The ACCSA project builds directly on the successful delivery of the University of South Australia’s earlier NFACR Foundation grant (2024–26), Growing sustainable aviation fuel industries in combatting the climate crisis: opportunities for Australia and China,” Professor Zhang says.
“That earlier project delivered a structured program of SAF-focused engagement across Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Chengdu, as well as Melbourne and Adelaide, involving universities, original equipment manufacturers, airlines, fuel producers, consultants and policymakers through forums, technical exchanges and site visits.”
ACCSA will now expand and deepen this collaboration, with a focus on SAF policy, certification, technology pathways, feedstocks, investment and trade, and a strong emphasis on translating dialogue into scalable, investment-relevant outcomes.
Under ACCSA, Adelaide University will deliver five major SAF conferences across Australia and Greater China, planned for Beijing, Adelaide, Brisbane, Hong Kong and Sydney. These events will bring together industry, government, academia and international institutions.
A flagship component of the project is a student exchange and competition program, to be launched across 5–10 universities in Australia, mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Selected students will be supported to attend ACCSA conferences, helping to build the next generation of SAF researchers, industry specialists and policy leaders.
A key legacy outcome will be the establishment of a long-term SAF industry networking platform, connecting stakeholders across Australia and China to support collaboration beyond the grant period.
“This project enables us to scale what has already been proven to work – bringing industry, government and research together across Australia and China to accelerate SAF readiness, certification alignment and investment-relevant collaboration.”
Australia–China Cooperation for Sustainable Aviation (ACCSA): Scaling up Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from 2026 to 2028 is one of 22 grants announced this week by Senator Wong that support cooperation and engagement between Australia and China.