Commercial Achievements

Whether providing expert opinion or specialist testing services, conducting professional short training courses, or solving the previously thought unsolvable, Adelaide Research & Innovation (ARI) can connect their clients with a network of more than 2000 researchers across the entire range of the University’s research footprint.

The University is committed to local and international education and research partnerships, and engages with government and industry in many areas:

Agriculture

New wheat, barley, triticale and faba bean varieties produced at the Waite and Roseworthy Campuses with improved production qualities and drought resistance have been widely adopted by growers and have contributed to billions of dollars worth of harvested production. Research in this area has also resulted in the establishment of the plant breeding company Australian Grain Technologies (AGT) and the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics.

Defence & Security

A Strategic Alliance with the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) has continued to enhance research at the University, in particular in high technology fields such as photonics and radar systems. The University has also had success through the Defence Department’s Capability Technology Demonstrator (CTD) program including working with defence and industry in the development of novel optical fibres, global positioning systems and engine noise abatement. The Defence Systems Innovation Centre was established in 2009 with $3.6 million funding from State Government to this joint venture with the University of South Australia.

Environment

The University has world recognised strengths in environmental and sustainability research, strengths that are also recognised by our local partners who include the Department for Environment and Heritage, Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation, SARDI, CSIRO and the SA Museum. Key areas of focus include: climate change and sustainability, natural resource management (including water resource management, environmental engineering and resource economics), sustainable agriculture, biodiversity, evolutionary biology and ecology.

Mining & Resources

In 2003 the University established the Australian School of Petroleum (ASP) following a $25 million commitment from the Australian petroleum exploration and production giant Santos Ltd. This is the largest petroleum-focused university program in the Southern Hemisphere, with about 30 full-time staff, 100 undergraduate students and more than 50 postgraduate students, and one of only a few Schools in the world offering fully integrated teaching and research programs covering petroleum geosciences, engineering and management.

Biotechnology

The University is a major centre of innovation in biotechnology with areas of expertise spanning human, agricultural, industrial and plant biotechnology. We have produced three successful biotechnology companies including two which have been listed on the stock exchange, BresGen Ltd, GroPep Ltd and GeneWorks. The University is home to the ARC Special Research Centre for Molecular Genetics of Development, and our commercial agricultural bioscience partners including the Molecular Plant Breeding Cooperative Research Centre (MPB CRC), Bio Innovation SA, Lifeprint Australia, South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) and the Agricultural node of the Australian Genome Facility.

Health & Medicine

The University of Adelaide’s research expertise in health and medicine encompasses a broad spectrum of research interests, from laboratory-based biochemical research to clinical research and the study of broader populations. Our expertise and facilities are spread over eight main sites in the Adelaide metropolitan area, which enables close interaction of researchers and students with the staff of our affiliated research institutes and hospitals, including: SA Pathology (IMVS, Hanson Institute), CSIRO Human Nutrition, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Lyell McEwin Hospital and Modbury Hospital.

Wine

Host of the National Wine Centre, Adelaide is Australia’s pre-eminent wine industry educator and has produced many of the country’s greatest winemakers. Along with its partners, CSIRO, SARDI, the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) and the Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation (GWRDC), the University engages is research in viticultural practices, pigments and tannins in grapes and wines and distillation technologies.

Trade & Enterprise

In time of economic uncertainty, a source of sound understanding and astute advice in relation to financial issues, economic development and the role of government is critical. Our researchers in economics, business and law are playing a key role in solving global economic problems, with customers such as the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and state and federal governments.