The Queensland government has launched the 2022 Advanced Queensland Industry Research Fellowships in a bid to establish more secure jobs and open better business opportunities in the state.
Innovation Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the fellowships, which are open to PhD qualified researchers based in the state, will look into research projects with real-world application potential.
Hinchcliffe noted researchers need to secure an industry partner to qualify for a fellowship in order to ensure that research translates to practical uses for industry.
“Fellowships backed by industry are a proven way of fast-tracking research from the lab to commercialisation,” Hinchcliffe said.
“We’re keen to see fellowships focused on new technology and innovation to drive solutions from climate change, food and water security to environmental sustainability and industry resilience.”
Since 2016, the state government has invested approximately $45 million in six rounds of Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellowships with funding for 197 fellowships.
The projects included a wide variety of studies from reducing plastic in landfill to improving cobalt and copper recovery from tailing dams.
Science Minister Meaghan Scanlon said the state has allocated $12 million over three years for the fellowship program as part of the Advanced Queensland— Innovation for a Future Economy 2022-2032 Roadmap.
“The fellowships have a track record of job creation – with each fellowship on average creating about three jobs per research project and with 12 additional jobs forecast post-completion,” Scanlon said.
The research projects aligned with the state’s efforts to strengthen growing industrial sectors, including advanced manufacturing, agtech, aerospace, digital economy, and circular economy, Scanlon further noted.
