3 key outcomes emerge from ACM CRC’s latest Partner Meeting
Late last year, ACM CRC held its second Partner Meeting, bringing together industry, research, and government representatives to reflect on and review the future of Australia’s composites manufacturing industry.
The research centre’s rebrand from SoMAC CRC to the Australian Composites Manufacturing CRC (ACM CRC) was a major focus, with this change of identity better capturing the impressive breadth of targets the CRC has set out to achieve.
In addition, several significant insights and updates were provided, with three of the key meeting outcomes presenting as follows.
1. 9x projects worth $30m
As of October 2023, nine CRC projects had been approved, worth an accumulative total of $30 million. The projects fall across the CRC’s four research programs – Composite Materials; Manufacturing Processes; Simulation, Performance Prediction; and Design, Integration – each with the ultimate aim to help Australia reposition its manufacturing and sovereign engineering capability to capture emergent markets.
Projects include:
- Polymer Matrix Composite Thermal Protection Liners
- Ceramic Matrix Composite Components for Hypersonic Flight
- Quickstep Aero-line Future Factory Simulation
- Omi Tanker Smart Composite Factory
- Industrialisation of Carbon Fibre Wheel Production for the Global OEM market
- Circular Design 4.0 - AI-based Quality Control, Manufacturing
- Structural Health Monitoring for Tubular Joints
- Advanced manufacturing of MOF-enabled carbon composite H2 tanks for heavy mobility
- Next Generation Composite Flipper
2. 3x RISE Fellowships
It’s a known fact that female inequality in STEM is limiting opportunities, and that this issue has not yet been adequately addressed.
This drove the ACM CRC to develop its RISE Fellowship – an active commitment to supporting women in the consortium, and in STEM more generally. The Fellowship opportunity was launched to the CRC’s Partners late 2023, and is open to all female employees – including academic researchers and HDR candidates. Recipients are awarded an all-expenses paid trip to participate in the forthcoming Annual ACM CRC Partners Meeting.
In its first year, three Fellowships were awarded to three very deserving female students/engineers, who proudly joined us at this Partners Meeting:
Chiara Fois, Process Engineer, Rux Energy
“I am enjoying every step of this incredible STEM journey! Each day brings me new opportunities to contribute to society, nurture my curiosity and help advance technology."
Hasliza Omar, PhD Candidate, UNSW
“It's a great start if solving today's toughest challenges is your calling. It builds character in perseverance and resilience as I navigate my way through solving one of our biggest and most complex challenges: 'How will energy security and supply chains look in a decarbonised future?’”
Sara Ahmed, FUZE Solutions, and PhD Candidate, UWA
“My journey in civil engineering, from graduation to master’s degree, symbolises my commitment to innovation and sustainability. In this regard, I have chosen to elevate my educational skills and commence a PhD program at the University of Western Australia. Now, as I delve into the rehabilitation and monitoring of offshore structures, my journey is more than just a pursuit of academic excellence; it is more of a dedicated effort to contribute to a sustainable future in the field of structural engineering.“
We congratulate all recipients and other strong nominees, and look forward to launching Round 2 later this year.
3. 4x measurable goals
The CRC is striving towards four significant goals:
- 100x HDR students (40% female)
- Projects reaching Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3-7
- Composites automation
- Sovereign capability development
With nine PhD students and nine projects already in motion, the CRC is already well-placed to tackle the barriers that span the current composites development lifecycle, and to start working towards its composites automation and sovereign capability development goals.
Visit our research page to learn more about the work we’re doing, and our impact page for more on our vision.
