QCAS previous recipients

Successful grant recipients

The Queensland–Chinese Academy of Sciences Collaborative Science Fund has provided grants of $125,000 over two years to Queensland research organisations in a series of funding rounds since 2014.

View the list below of previous Q-CAS recipients and their project details.

Q-CAS Collaborative Science Fund recipients

Round	Project	Location	Priority	Amount
2022	Seawater-Degradable Plastic Materials The University of Queensland This project aims to develop a cost-effective seawater-degradable plastic material that will reduce marine plastic pollution and ultimately benefit marine environment management in both Australia and China	Brisbane	Environment	$125,000
2022	Nitrogen Cycle Under Climate Change Griffith University This project aims to develop and test novel Nitrogen-15 (N-15) technologies to improve our understanding of the nitrogen cycle in terrestrial ecosystems under climate change. It will also develop and apply tree ring N-15 technologies for fingerprinting climate extremes and bushfires; and will develop and apply climate smart and biochar (charcoal)-based technologies for dragon fruit by improving water- and nitrogen-use efficiency.	Brisbane	Environment	$125,000
2022	Past Asian-Australian Monsoon Variability Griffith University This project aims to develop monsoon strength indices from environmental records of rainfall, regional ecology, and fire, using strategically selected lakes in China and Australia. These million-year sediment records allow identification of environmental drivers of the monsoons through major changes in ocean-land configuration, CO2 and earth climates. The project will result in a better prediction of tropical rainfall in both China and Australia.	Brisbane	Environment	$125,000
2022	Green Peroxide for Pollutants Removal The University of Queensland This project aims to develop a sustainable technology for emerging micropollutants removal in water, achieved by an innovative process to couple on-site hydrogen peroxide production and advanced oxidation processes together, resulting in the development of a prototype device driven by renewable electricity for efficient on-site hydrogen peroxide production; and an in-depth scientific understanding of selective degradation pathways of organic micropollutants.	Brisbane	Environment	$125,000
2020	Antimicrobial nanoadditive for poultry feed The University of Queensland This project aims to develop a high-value natural nanoadditive containing natural plant extracts for foodborne bacteria control in chickens.	Brisbane	Agricultural biotechnology and food research, including food safety	$125,000
2020	COVID-19 vaccines and inhibitors The University of Queensland This project will use structural biology to help develop new potential vaccines and inhibitors (both neutralising antibodies and small molecules) for SARS-CoV-2.	Brisbane	Human Health and Medical Research	$125,000
2020	Targeted liver cancer therapy Mater Research Institute–University of Queensland This project aims to develop targeted therapies for liver cancer, generating new agents that home specifically to and accumulate in this cancer.	Brisbane	Human Health and Medical Research	$125,000
2017–18	Multifunctional nanomedicines for Alzheimer's disease The University of Queensland This project is developing novel multifunctional nanomedicines for efficient Alzheimer's Disease treatment, through enhancing brain blood barrier penetration and brain cell uptake via targeting technology and simultaneously delivering four carefully-selected therapeutics to the brain intracellular and extracellular milieu for combinational Alzheimer's Disease treatment.	Brisbane	Agricultural biotechnology and food research, including food safety	$125,000
2017–18	Therapeutics for stroke and pain The University of Queensland This project is using structural biological approaches to determine the molecular mechanism by which particular compounds inhibit acid-sensing ion channels, and use this information to rationally engineer optimised compounds for development as drugs for the treatment of chronic pain and stroke.	Brisbane	Human health: immunology or neuroscience	$125,000
2016–17	Predicting crop yield from space The University of Queensland This project sought to develop crop yield prediction systems using remotely-sensed data from satellite platforms in combination with crop modelling and simulation technologies.	Brisbane	Agricultural biotechnology and food research, including food safety	$125,000
2016–17	Better, cheaper, rechargeable batteries The University of Queensland This project sought to develop a new generation of high performance, cost-effective cathode materials for rechargeable lithium ion batteries for use in large-scale applications of importance to Queensland and China including household solar-charged batteries and electric vehicle batteries.	Brisbane	Energy	$125,000
2016–17	Nanoparticle-mediated brain iron chelation QIMR Berghofer This project investigated a novel approach for delivering iron chelators to the brain by encapsulating them in nanoparticles or nano-sized vesicles.	Brisbane	Human health: immunology or neuroscience	$125,000
2015–16	Liposomal semi-synthetic whole-parasite malaria vaccine Griffith University This project brought together two separate technologies that the partners independently pioneered to develop an advanced whole-parasite malaria vaccine.	Brisbane	Human health: immunology or neuroscience	$125,000
2015–16	Advancing ultrahigh-field MRI based neuroimaging The University of Queensland This project sought to develop new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to significantly improve how we view the development of schizophrenia in the human brain.	Brisbane	Human health: immunology or neuroscience	$125,000
2015–16	Graphene-based thin film supercapacitors Queensland University of Technology This project was focussed on developing advanced nanotechnology to make thin film supercapacitors based on graphene.	Brisbane	Energy	$125,000
2015	Ancient knowledge, modern methods Griffith University This project analysed and tested Traditional Chinese medicines, specifically those that protect the central nervous system against damage or degeneration caused by diseases such as Parkinson’s Disease, to determine their mechanism of action and then accelerate their acceptance by Western regulatory agencies.	Brisbane	Human health: immunology or neuroscience	$125,000
2015	Clean, low cost solar electricity Queensland University of Technology This project focused on developing new materials and technologies to make durable, non-toxic, high-efficiency solar cells using a low-cost method.	Brisbane	Energy	$125,000
2014	Sweet sorghum for valuable sugars The University of Queensland This project focussed on identifying elite sweet sorghum lines with high and stable sucrose production and transform the stem into an industrial model for value-added sugars such as isomaltulose (low glycaemic and insulin indices and low tooth decay).	Brisbane	Agricultural biotechnology and food research, including food safety	$125,000
2014	Immune responses in the development of bone substitute biomaterials (immune responses in biomaterials development) Queensland University of Technology This project focussed on using materials-based strategies to design bone grafts that regulate the innate immune response for the purpose of reconstructing and regenerating skeletal tissue.	Brisbane	Human health: immunology or neuroscience	$125,000