Adelaide University’s Research Strategy released today is set to accelerate at-scale research and its commercialisation – advancing industries through transformational investments into nation-critical and globally relevant priorities.
The five-year strategy will be spearheaded by more than 180 years of collective institutional experience and 5,000 talented researchers, backed by $500 million per annum of combined external research revenue and a $200 million dedicated Research Fund from the South Australian Government.
Through five Signature Research Themes, Adelaide University’s research will tackle areas such as green energy transition, improving access to quality healthcare, increasing our understanding of place and creative practice, making contemporary advances in agriculture and AgTech, and building resilient and secure communities in an increasingly difficult world.
An Accelerator Research Fund will see rapid seed investment for high-potential research projects aligned to the SRTs, with access to an additional $50 million fund in support from the State Government to amplify outcomes, strengthening South Australia’s position as a critical testbed for innovation.
Adelaide University Deputy Vice Chancellor Research and Innovation, Professor Anton Middelberg FTSE is proud of the significant strides the new university is already undertaking as a differentiated member of the research-intensive Group of Eight ahead of its doors officially opening.
“We are reimagining how we conduct and target research and are recasting our focus to think deeply, challenge assumptions and progress the most pressing national and global demands”, he said.
“Australia certainly punches above its weight when it comes to research productivity and performance, but collectively we can do more to support global research relevance and impact and Adelaide University is leading from the front.
“We are first in the nation’s Cooperative Research Centre activity, with our foundation universities’ combined CRC research income more than $60 million from 2019-2023 – significantly more than any other Australian university.
“Adelaide University has also received an award of more than $20 million through the latest Federal Government grant programs to accelerate Australia’s economy, the highest in the country.”
With a bold ambition to become the most connected university in the nation, Adelaide University will work across the value chain from research discovery to translation and commercialisation, with its broader activities injecting an estimated $4.7 billion a year to the economy.
A centrepiece of the strategy is the launch of ReAL (Research-engaged Action Laboratories) Innovation, physical and virtual locations that will connect researchers, industry and the community to propel partnered research outcomes.
“ReAL Innovation will anchor our multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach to research and will also redefine the existing innovation ecosystems of the foundation universities for Adelaide University to better enable idea incubation and support local startups”, he said.
“Through this strategy, Adelaide University will power the investment to drive for-purpose research and innovation that will improve lives through greater prosperity, jobs growth and groundbreaking discoveries linked to priority industries, balancing economic imperatives and social licence.”
Also released today is the Adelaide University Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research Strategy, which will advance First Nations knowledges to answer complex questions and drive research that is self-determined and impactful. A First Nations Academy will be established to further support inclusive higher education and research pathways.
Adelaide University’s five SRTs are:
- Creative & Cultural
- Defence & National Security
- Food, Agriculture & Wine
- Personal & Societal Health; and
- Sustainable Green Transition.
A series of new graduate project-based PhD research scholarships will be aligned to the SRTs. This includes the Defence cohort-based PhD with linkages to the $60 million Australian Defence Technologies Academy (ADTA) operated by Adelaide University – the first of its kind in the nation based in the world-class Lot Fourteen innovation district.
A place for excellence and equity, Adelaide University has redesigned its research degrees to further attract global talent and increase accessibility to more diverse candidates through fast-tracked, nested and bridging qualifications across more than 400 new research projects.
The University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia are combining to form Adelaide University, which will open on 1 January 2026.
For more information, visit: adelaideuni.edu.au/research
