The Hallmark Research Initiatives address significant local and global challenges that cannot be solved by one discipline alone. The initiatives encourage the maturing of interdisciplinary research communities through research projects, workshops, fellowships and events.
Researchers work with industry, government and not-for profit organisations in Australia and internationally. In turn they challenge current thinking and offer new solutions to change our world
Explore the initiatives and find out how you, your organisation or community group can get involved.
Current Hallmark Research Initiatives
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Anti-racism
The Anti-Racism HRI is researching interventions to combat racism at both the interpersonal and structural levels, with government, community and businesses.
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Fighting Harmful Online Communication
The Fighting Harmful Online Communication HRI explores harms resulting from mistaken, misleading, exaggerated, polemic and deliberately false online communications.
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Pollution and Health
The Pollution and Health Hallmark Research Initiative aims to develop a research program for environmental pollutant monitoring and health impact assessment.
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Reproductive Justice
The Reproductive Justice HRI conducts research and advocacy so Australians can maintain personal bodily autonomy, birth and parent in safe and healthy environments.
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Wildfire Futures
The Wildfire Futures HRI takes an interdisciplinary approach to link new ways of predicting changes in fire, climate, and ecosystems with the preferences and knowledge of communities.
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Work Futures
The Work Futures Hallmark aims to build understanding of how technologies such as AI and digital platforms are profoundly shaping the nature of work, workplaces and working lives.
Hallmark research in the spotlight
Making sustainable building material – with mushrooms
Cladding is used to protect and insulate buildings. Usually, cladding ‘sandwich’ panels are made with aluminium and synthetic materials. This makes them cheap, light and easy to install. But they leave a large carbon footprint.
Mycelium, a network of fibres from which mushrooms flower, has the required properties for sandwich panels while being biodegradable. It is used in packaging and interior building linings and fittings.
Former Hallmarks
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Affordable Housing
This Hallmark acknowledges the complexity of housing systems and their role in supporting or inhibiting sustainability, social justice and economic stability.
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Ageing
The Ageing Hallmark Research Initiative researched creative solutions to the challenges that come with an ageing population.
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BioInspiration
The BioInspiration HRI works with institutes and industry partners to find bioinspired solutions to technological and design challenges.
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Children’s Lives
The Children’s Lives Hallmark Research Initiative put the voices of children at the centre of the research and policy agenda.
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Computational Biology
The Computational Biology Hallmark Research Initiative strengthened cross-disciplinary and external collaborations in computational biology.
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Creativity and Wellbeing
The Creativity and Wellbeing Hallmark Research Initiative is uncovering ways that creativity can help people live happier and healthier lives.
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Disability
The Disability Hallmark Research Initiative brought disciplines together to focus on changing the social, economic and physical environments that impact people with disability.
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Economic and Social Participation
The Economic and Social Participation Hallmark Research Initiative (ESPRIt) investigated how participation in social, economic and political institutions can be enabled across the life span
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Future Food
Environmental concerns and consumer demands are driving the need for alternative food production. To be successful, new food solutions require input from the sciences, business and beyond.
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Indigenous
The Indigenous Hallmark Research Initiative built a stronger Indigenous research cohort within and beyond the University.
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Indonesia Democracy
The Indonesia Democracy Hallmark was created to develop deeper understandings of Indonesia's democratic system and how Islam interacts with liberal democracy.
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Materials
The Materials Hallmark Research Initiative supported interdisciplinary research and development in scalable nano to meso-materials.
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Statelessness
The Statelessness Hallmark Research initiative worked across disciplines to understand gaps in understanding of stateless populations.
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Therapeutic Technologies
The Therapeutic Technologies Research Initiative focused on new applications of mechano-pharmacology and organ-on-a-chip technology to transform drug screening processes.
First published on 14 May 2024.
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