The UQ–IITD Research Academy recently conducted a series of engagements with industries focused on accelerating research, innovation, and industry collaboration across the India–Australia energy ecosystem.
These 3 key engagements explored expertise and synergies on energy transitions spanning energy storage, digital engineering, hydrogen, battery storage, EV infrastructure, pollution mitigation, and road safety, demonstrating the Academy’s role as a strategic bridge between bilateral research capabilities and emerging industry needs.
Strengthening Bilateral Research on Energy Storage and Pollution Mitigation
The Academy hosted its inaugural workshop on “Australia–India Research Partnerships on Energy Storage and Pollution Mitigation”as part of the first Industry-Academia Connect Workshop Series.
The event, held on 30 October 2025, at both The University of Queensland (UQ) and the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) brought together more than 80 participants from government agencies, industry, academia, startups, and joint PhD scholars, highlighting a shared commitment to developing scalable and sustainable energy solutions.
Senior leaders Mr Brett Lovegrove, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global Partnerships) at UQ, and Professor Anil Verma, Dean (International Relations) at IIT Delhi, emphasised the importance of research partnerships in addressing decarbonisation challenges. Policy insights were provided by Dr Neelima Alam, Senior Advisor from India’s Department of Science and Technology, who outlined national decarbonisation priorities and CCUS initiatives. Professor Adrian Panow, Director of UQ’s Energy Transition Network, also discussed alignment between India and Australia’s decarbonisation pathways.
Industry partners including Elecseed, Jindal Steel, India Energy Storage Alliance, InfigoLabs, and Baud Resources, presented innovations spanning hydrogen technology, wastewater treatment, gravity-based energy storage, and low-carbon steelmaking. UQ and IITD faculty and PhD scholars showcased research in AI-led solar forecasting, sodium–sulfur batteries, renewable energy systems modelling, air pollution monitoring, and Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR).
Priority collaboration areas were identified including grid resilience, next-generation gravity storage, low-carbon manufacturing, hydrogen production and supply chains, renewable integration, PFAS remediation, mine waste valorisation, and air pollution solutions. Post-workshop actions include exploring India Australia collaborative DST grants, facilitating technical meetings between researchers and industry, and sharing research outputs to support future pilot projects.
Exploring Synergies with Rockfield Technologies
On 5 January 2026, the Academy welcomed Dr Govinda Pandey, Executive Director of Rockfield Technologies Australia, and Mr Chakravarthi S. Anne from Clove Technologies to IIT Delhi campus. Discussions focused on collaborative opportunities in energy, digital futures, AI, advanced manufacturing, and materials, and highlighted the value of jointly supervised research within the Academy.
IIT Delhi Dean Corporate Relations, Professor Preeti Ranjan Panda, commended the strong uptake of the UQ–IITD Research Academy joint PhD program and expressed interest in developing targeted pathways for industry engagement, including sponsored internships in Australia for Academy scholars. Faculty members and researchers engaged in dialogue on interdisciplinary applications, while joint PhD scholar Abhinav Dewangan presented his research on underground infrastructure resilience using digital engineering.
The meeting reinforced the potential for deeper collaboration between Rockfield Technologies, IIT Delhi, and UQ, with practical steps under consideration to convert research strengths into real‑world impact.
Building the India–Australia Energy Corridor: Insights from Ador Powertron and Ascensus Ltd.
As part of the Knowledge Nexus Seminar Series, the Academy hosted Mr Ravin Mirchandani, Chairperson of Ador Powertron & Ascensus Ltd. and Global Ambassador for Queensland State, for a leadership talk titled “India–Australia Energy Corridor: Energy Transition in Practice” on 13 January 2026.
Mr Mirchandani highlighted the rapid growth of India’s hydrogen sector projected to reach 60–100 GW by 2030 and showcased Ador’s innovations in hydrogen systems, EV charging, and battery technologies. He emphasised the complementary strengths of India and Australia, noting that Australia’s critical minerals and research capabilities can pair effectively with India’s expanding manufacturing ecosystem. Opportunities for collaboration include EV charging infrastructure, hydrogen generation technologies, and rare‑earth‑based components.
The Academy’s joint PhD scholars presented research on cybersecurity for in-vehicle networks and autonomous vehicle safety, with potential applications extending to electric vehicle infrastructure and road safety technologies. The session concluded with a proposal for an accelerated 270‑days prototype-to-commercialisation model and upcoming engagements including a seminar with Ador’s traffic management team and a planned visit to NATRAX facilities.
Together, these engagements underscore the Academy’s growing role as a bilateral platform for advancing clean energy, deep-tech innovation, and industry-ready research. The knowledge exchange and partnership opportunities emerging from these events set a strong foundation for impactful collaboration in the future.
To discuss partnership and collaboration opportunities with the Academy, please contact Ms Aashita Apporva, Program Director for Partnerships and Development at uqiitd_par@admin.iitd.ac.in.