Funding announcement: NSSN Grand Challenge Fund
NSSN Grand Challenges span across ageing, bushfires, clean tech, water, and smart places & buildings. Photo: Pexels.
Round 3 of the Grand Challenge Fund is now closed. Applications for Round 4 will open in November 2023.
The NSSN is now accepting collaborative proposal applications from research, industry and government for this year’s NSSN Grand Challenge Fund.
The scheme aims to promote the development of innovative, collaborative research projects that respond to the NSSN Grand Challenges.
These challenges are in response to some of the most complex challenges we face in the environment, health, economy and society – which demand innovative solutions that will benefit future generations.
Grants of up to $100,000 per project will support the development of projects that link with industry or government partners and devise a smart sensing solution that has a defined pathway to genuine impact, either through commercialisation or operationalisation.
This year, there are five NSSN Grand Challenges across ageing, bushfires, clean tech, water, and smart places & buildings.
NSSN Co-Director Professor Julien Epps said smart sensing had an important role in responding to these issues where technological innovation holds the promise of creating significant change.
“The NSSN excels at bringing together the ground-breaking research across its member universities to work with industry and government to develop innovative solutions to key challenges,” said Prof. Epps.
“We hope once again this year to see the NSSN Grand Challenge Fund foster collaboration and innovation to find unique approaches to address our Grand Challenges.”
NSSN Chief Operating Officer, Nicholas Haskins said the NSSN Grand Challenge Fund targets real-world problems.
“We have an ageing and growing population, global climate change and weather events, and economies undergoing green transitions,” said Haskins.
“The opportunities for smart sensing to help solve these wicked problems through novel solutions that NSSN Grand Challenges Fund cultivates are boundless.”
Eligibility
To be eligible, funding proposals must meet the following eligibility criteria:
Leadership: be led by an NSSN member university.
Collaboration: involve a minimum of two NSSN member universities (incl. the lead).
Partnership: partner with at least one industry or government partner.
Co-investment: attract cash co-investment from industry/government partners at least equal to the requested amount.
Proposals that do not meet these criteria will not be assessed.
Assessment criteria
Proposals will be assessed on the following criteria:
Significance: how the proposal represents a significant and novel approach to addressing the defined Grand Challenge.
Collaboration: how the proposal integrates and fosters genuine collaboration between NSSN member universities.
Partnership: how the proposal integrates genuine partnership with industry and government partners and responds to a defined industry or government need.
Governance: how the proposal defines a realistic research plan and the measures that will ensure delivery on milestones.
Impact pathway: how the proposal defines a pathway to subsequent funding, commercialisation and/or operationalisation.
Diversity: How does the proposal champion diversity in the team or address diversity as an issue?
Applicants are encouraged to contact the relevant NSSN Theme Leader and local NSSN Coordinator before submitting a proposal. The NSSN can help connect eligible applicants with relevant industry and government partners.
NSSN Theme Leaders
Ageing Grand Challenge: Catherine Oates-Smith
Bushfire Grand Challenge: Peter Runcie
Clean Tech Grand Challenge: Sam Ashby
Smart Places & Buildings: Peter Runcie
Water Grand Challenge: Dr Tomonori Hu
Submission time frame
Applications closed on Monday 20 February 2023. Round 4 will open in November 2023.