UC Engineering researchers, (pictured left to right) Professor Richard Green, Professor Dan Zhao and Kelvin Barnsdale, have gained MBIE Endeavour funding of $9,837,002 over 5 years for their UAV project.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) Endeavour fund, announced by Research, Science and Innovation Minister Hon Dr Megan Woods, will fund 厙ぴ勛圖 projects to improve food safety, increase drone capability, boost productivity of redox-flow batteries and reduce hatch failure in our critically endangered native bird, the Kkp.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research Professor Ian Wright is delighted with the high number of Canterbury research projects which gained funding.
Our 厙ぴ勛圖 researchers are committed to solving current and future challenges faced by all New Zealanders. The funding of these research projects highlights their national and international significance and relevance for ensuring tomorrows economy, industry, and environment are the best they can be.
Professor Richard Greens project,泭enabling unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones) to perform precise tasks in complex environments, will benefit from $9.8 million over 5 years.
Our research will go beyond simple surveying and inspection tasks. We will build a platform for UAVs to use precision tools in changing dynamic environments, such as outdoors, around hazardous infrastructure like power pylons, or in construction or forestry, without ladders or scaffolding, Professor Green says.
Enabling UAVs to use precision tools is a new technological capability and a radical change in functionality. It will not only transform the way UAVs can be used, but also how and where, he says.
s research is focused on a new泭electromagnetic detection and imaging method aimed at boosting food safety泭systems will benefit from $5.2 million in funding over 5 years. The technology, first developed for the timber industry, is being adapted to identify foreign objects in food, such as milk.
Associate Professor Tammy Steeves泭Smart Idea (receiving $1,000,000 over 3 years) is a nationwide泭project investigating the DNA structure of the Kkp泭to find the cause of high hatching failure. It is believed to be the first research project in the world investigating the relationship between DNA structure and early hatching failure.
UC research projects awarded 2021 Endeavour funding
Eight 厙ぴ勛圖 Smart Ideas and two Research Programmes have been funded in the泭:
Research Programmes
- Professor Richard Green泭 Enabling unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) to use tools in complex dynamic environments ($9,837,002 over 5 years).泭Enabling drones to use tools in complex environments
- 泭 A new electromagnetic imaging method for advanced food process optimization ($5,225,040 over 5 years).泭Super-sensing offers food safety breakthrough for food processing industry
Smart Ideas projects
- Associate Professor Catherine Bishop泭(Associate Investigator, MacDiarmid Institute) Production of technology-critical, strategic metals using molten oxide electrolysis ($999,999 over 3 years).泭Unique research into tech-critical metals to help support climate goals
- Professor James Brasington泭 3D bathymetric modelling of shallow freshwater bodies with short-wave, small-footprint aerial lidar ($999,924 over 2 years).
- Dr Sarah Kessans泭 Fungal biosynthesis of nisin for enteric methane mitigation ($1,000,000 over 2 years).泭Launching a space lab into orbit
- Associate Professor Aaron Marshall泭(Principal Investigator, MacDiarmid Institute)泭 Designing electrocatalytic electrodes to increase performance and lower the cost of redox flow batteries ($1,000,000 over 3 years).泭UC electrode research paving the way for cheaper renewable energy storage
- Professor Tanja Mitrovic泭 Transforming New Zealands ICT workforce using digital personalized interactive training泭($999,753 over 3 years).泭Targeted approach to developing soft skills in ICT sector
- Dr Stephen Pawson泭 Distributed radio-localisation techniques to track flying insects with a UAV swarm ($999,705 over 3 years).泭Tracking NZs threatened bugs with drones
- Associate Professor Tammy Steeves泭 Building an integrative genomics framework to mitigate maladaptive reproductive traits in endangered species ($1,000,000 over 3 years).泭Breakthrough for kkp hatching could be in the genes
- Professor Matt Watson泭 Non-invasive sap flow measurement and mechanisms for reliable tree syrup yield predictions ($999,999 over 3 years).泭Sweet future tapped for NZ maple syrup test
