ANFF-supported researchers made a strong showing in the AEA Ignite program, with 20% of all recipients making use of ANFF facilities. This highlights the value of ANFF’s infrastructure and expertise in accelerating research translation. We applaud these clients for advancing innovations with real-world impact.
The Australia’s Economic Accelerator (AEA) Ignite grant program helps fast-track groundbreaking research from the lab to the real world. The program supports university researchers in proving their ideas can work in practical, industry-like settings. Focused on national priorities such as critical minerals, digital agriculture, AI and quantum tech and advanced manufacturing, AEA Ignite is a launchpad for innovation with commercial potential. In its first round, over $59 million has been awarded to 28 universities, backing 155 high-impact projects set to shape Australia’s future economy.
Here are a few standout examples from the 31 ANFF-supported clients who received AEA Ignite awards.
ANFF-VIC users Sarah Bamford and Paul Pigram (La Trobe University) are developing user-friendly software powered by machine learning to analyse complex materials like coatings, plastics and pharmaceuticals. Their work will help scientists identify what materials are made of, where they come from and how they were made. The goal is to improve our ability to solve material-related problems, uncover why things break down and guide the design of new materials.
At the University of Wollongong, Kara Vine-Perrow and team, including former and current ANFF-Materials Node Directors Gordon Wallace and Peter Innis, are working with FivepHusion to develop ResectAssist™ – a biodegradable, drug-releasing implant for treating inoperable pancreatic cancer. The device delivers targeted chemotherapy directly to tumours, aiming to improve outcomes with fewer side effects
University of Adelaide’s Jillian Moffat and Nigel Spooner are collaborating with industry partner Loughan Technology Group to create a fluorescence-based sensor to detect and quantify spodumene, Australia’s primary lithium-bearing mineral. With support from ANFF-OptoFab Adelaide, the team is prototyping a device that will enable selective lithium mining, helping reduce both economic and environmental costs.
In addition to these standout projects, the work of these additional ANFF-supported researchers demonstrates the breadth and depth of innovation across the network. Each entry includes the lead researcher associated with the award:
ANFF-ACT
Lan Fu (ANU): A breath ketone sensor for non-invasive monitoring of diabetes and metabolic health
Shankar Dutt (ANU): A solid state nanopore sensor for rapid, inexpensive, and non-invasive early-stage detection of Alzheimer’s disease
ANFF-OPTOFAB
Danielle Questiaux (Adelaide): Development of new source of cancer treatment radiopharmaceuticals for targeted alpha therapy (TAT) from radioactive mine waste
ANFF-NSW
Antonio Tricoli (USyd): Advanced manufacturing of environmentally friendly PFAS-free non-stick optical coatings
Edward Yang (USyd): A novel medical device (LesioLogic) to improve catheter ablation outcomes in treating lethal heart rhythm disorders
Xiaoke Yi (USyd): Innovative gas sensor for low-emission energy applications
ANFF-QLD
Mia Woodruff (QUT): AI-based 3D scanning and analysis technologies for healthcare and industry
Alan Rowan (UQ): SerpenSeal, next generation wound management
Peng Chen (UQ): Developing lead-free perovskites for low-cost and environmentally friendly solar panels
Ruth Knibbe (UQ): Printable zinc ion batteries for flexible devices
Karl Bertling (UQ): Terahertz virtual skin biopsy: Quantum cascade laser imaging of early melanoma
ANFF-SA
Mats Anderson (Flinders) and Sparc Technologies: Graphene-enhanced netting: A cost-effective solution to prevent biofouling in aquaculture
Bin Guan (UniSA): A robust chemical sensing platform for optimized process control in mineral processing operations
Shahraam Afshar (UniSA): A photonic rheometer for blood characterisation
Nicole Dmochowska (UniSA): Development and preclinical validation of a laparoscopic magnetometer probe based on quantum sensors for intraoperative mapping of the spread of gastrointestinal tumours
ANFF-VIC
Perpetual Pigments (Deakin): Textile waste to paint for sustainable coloured products
Farin Yazdan Parast (Monash): Advanced injection molding for scalable manufacturing of high-throughput 3D microfluidic devices
Sudha Mokkapati (Monash): BrainAssure: A low-cost, electrochemical-sensor-based, point-of-care system for diagnosing dementia
Taimur Ahmed (RMIT): Visible-Short wave infrared (SWIR) imaging platform for a circular solar economy
Saffron Bryant (RMIT): Developing next-generation eutectic gels (Egels) for on-demand front-line wound healing and infection control
Luke Broadley (RMIT): Chip integration for advanced fibre sensors
Irfan Abidi (RMIT): Piezoelectric paints for next-generation smart buildings
Kevin Gang Li and Yuhan Men (UniMelb): Novel hybrid direct air capture technology enabling distributed 100% green methanol production
Nikolai Dontschuk and Chromos Labs (UniMelb): Quantum voltage imaging assays for neuro-pharmacology
Amanda Ellis and Mehrdad Parsa (UniMelb): Development of a novel turbostratic carbon film for electrode materials in batteries and supercapacitors
David Collins (UniMelb): Validation of dynamic interface printing for high-throughput manufacturing of biological tissue models
Shanaka Baduge (UniMelb): X-Retina: A real-time cloud-based AI-vision and cognitive factory digital twin to maximise plastic recycling
ANFF-WA
Magic Wavelength (UWA): Implementation of a low-cost spectroscopic sensing solution for autonomous farm management
Congratulation to these AEA Ignite grant recipients on their latest success. ANFF is proud to support their work to move their innovations out of the lab and into the world. Their success is another great example of how stable and well-resourced research infrastructure, embedded with smart people, can have impressive outcomes!
For more information on the AEA Ignite program, visit https://www.aea.gov.au/researcher-applicant/grants/aea-ignite
For a full list of this year’s 155 recipients, visit https://www.aea.gov.au/resources/aea-ignite-round-1-projects
Posted 09 May 2025
