ARC Linkage Grants reward cutting-edge research

1 July 2013 - Innovative systems to support cancer survivors and young people with mental health conditions, new alloys to benefit the mining industry, and technology to secure water for drought-affected regions are some of the University of Sydney research projects to benefit from the latest round of Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project grants. ARC Linkage Projects link researchers with partner organisations outside of the higher education sector to carry out collaborative research in any discipline. Professor Jill Trewhella , Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) said: "Our linkage projects are important platforms for research translation. We are pleased to see that Sydney's success in the latest linkage round will enable our researchers to work with industry and community partners to benefit Australians by providing solutions to diverse societal challenges such as water management, materials in mining, improving literacy, recovering from cancer, mental health, and supporting people with disabilities." The University of Sydney will receive $4.3 million over the next four years from the Australian Research Council for 14 projects , some of which are outlined below: A team led by Associate Professor Julie Cairney , Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies , will receive $300,000 for collaborating with Weir Minerals to create new wear-resistant alloys for use in the Australian mining industry. Dr Catalina Lawsin , Faculty of Science , and her team, will receive $302,000 to collaborate with Cancer Council NSW on a project to develop Rekindle, the first web-based resource that addresses sexual concerns of both cancer survivors and their partners, across all cancer types and tailored to the concerns of each user.