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Energy savings on the home front a research winner for UniSA ARC Linkage grant supports research into home energy savingsThe University of South Australia has won strong support for research projects that will contribute domestic energy savings and better health outcomes as part of a package of Australian Research Council (ARC) funding announced by Minister Julie Bishop today. The grants announced under the ARC Linkage program, which supports university research undertaken in partnership with industry, will provide funding over the next three to four years. The total allocation of funding for the seven successful projects for UniSA is almost $1.8 million from the ARC matched by almost $2.5 million from industry. UniSA was successful in winning support for 58 per cent of its research applications under the Linkage Grants scheme. A UniSA industrial engineering project that aims to advance the thermal insulation performance of Australian roofing systems will hone in on what is being touted in the climate change debate as, all-important energy efficiencies. Director of UniSA’s Institute for Sustainable Systems and Technologies, Professor Wasim Saman, says the potential to save substantial amounts of energy with the development of advanced insulation systems is enormous. “We will be working with our industry partners Air-Cell Innovations Pty Ltd and R&D Services Inc to develop cost efficient products and systems that will bring about measurable savings in the residential context – also reducing peak power demand and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” he said. Another energy saver for SA’s valuable wine industry is a research project looking into the application of high powered ultrasound (HPU) technology. The research will look at applying HPU technology to the disinfection and cleaning of wine barrels and to improving and enhancing wine fermentation and the extraction of flavours and colours. Lead researcher for the project and UniSA research fellow Dr Mark Barnes, says the technology has the potential to lower production costs for wine makers and at the same time contribute to energy efficiencies. “This technology has high potential to provide, not only improved processing, but also a better product,” he said. “We believe HPU can play a vital role in lowering costs, reducing environmental pollution, increasing water re-use and efficiency and replacing carbon emitting or dirty energy with a cleaner alternative. “This is the right time for industry and government to invest in this sort of research and we are delighted to have won their support and the strong support of our industry partner, Cavitus Pty Ltd.” In the area of health, a team from UniSA’s Nutritional Physiology Research Centre has won funding for a project to examine the cognitive and behavioural benefits of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation across the lifespan. The project will build on work already done at the centre to look at the impact of omega-3 on ADHA. This new research will test the effects of omega-3 supplements on older people in terms of cognitive processes and behaviours. Industry partner for the project is Novasel Australia Pty Ltd. Professor Barbara Pocock from UniSA’s Centre for Work + Life has also won more support for her research into work life balance and its impacts. Building on the first Australian Work Life Balance Index, this new research will look at how to translate work-life balance issues into practical policies designed to improve community health and well-being and the social and economic frabric of Australia. The project, being supported by the State Health Advisory Committee on Work Life and SafeWork SA, will also examine pre-retirement work-life issues linking in with the “ageing well, ageing productively” agenda. Other successful UniSA projects include a collaboration with the National Institute of Forensic Science, the NSW Police Electronic Evidence Branch, the Australian Federal Police and the SA Police, to look developing and testing a framework for the validation and verification of electronic evidence. A high tech particles research project to be carried out by UniSA’s Ian Wark Research Institute with support from Adelaide colour printing manufacturers Research Laboratories Australia, will focus on a developing an instrument for characterising the properties of liquid inks. Once developed the instrument will have potential to be commercialised and marketed worldwide across a wide range of industries including foods, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. UniSA researchers will also work with Australia’s largest trade and industrial union, the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association, on developing a best practice model for enterprise bargaining in the retail sector with the aim of developing effective processes for unions and employers to effectively implement agreements. |