2025 Excellence Awards Finalists

Accessing health care in rural Australia is a persistent challenge, compounded by workforce shortages and geographic isolation. The Community Paramedicine Program, CP@clinic, reimagines paramedics’ roles to deliver preventative care in underserved communities. CP@clinic offers free walk-in health clinics in rural community settings run by paramedics, resulting in improved health outcomes, reduced ambulance callouts, and expanded career pathways for paramedics. Based on strong community engagement and delivered in partnership with La Trobe University’s Violet Vines Marshman Centre for Rural Health Research, Safer Care Victoria, McMaster University Canada, and the Alliance of Rural and Regional Community Health, CP@clinic exemplifies how universities and communities co-design scalable, impactful solutions for rural Australia.

Transforming to An Age‑Friendly World is a cross‑sector partnership led by the University of South Australia (UniSA) with the City of Unley, Tract Consultants, South Australia’s Office for Ageing Well, and—most importantly—older residents themselves. Over 12 months, seniors became citizen scientists (350+ park audits) and co‑designers (2D/Virtual Reality /Augmented Reality) to create evidence‑based, age‑friendly public green spaces. The collaboration has already shaped Unley’s park‑renewal program, informed Tract’s national design practice, and reached 350 000 seniors via state policy channels.

Described as “a godsend” by Financial Counselling Australia, the international award-winning UNSW Tax and Business Advisory Clinic provides free tax advice to people in serious financial hardship, often at critical risk of bankruptcy or homelessness. Working ‘hand in glove’ with the community sector, the Clinic’s state-wide casework and nation-wide research-driven advocacy has reshaped national policy on vulnerability and lifted the lid on the weaponisation of the tax system by perpetrators of intimate partner financial abuse. Our high-impact, cross-sector coalition of community, industry and academia has catalysed national tax frameworks for the benefit of millions of disadvantaged and marginalised Australians.

Curtin University’s Autism Academy for Software Quality Assurance (AASQA), Curtin Specialist Mentoring Program (CSMP) and Curtin Autism Research Group (CARG) form an integrated, strengths-based ecosystem collaboratively empowering autistic people from secondary school through to graduate employment. Since 2014 these programs have co-designed technology outreach programs, bootcamps, peer-mentoring, internships, and participatory research that translates lived experience into evidence-informed practice. More than 600 youth have completed STEM skills training, 150 internships have been created with industry partners, and 75 university students receive one-to-one mentoring each year. The model delivers measurable gains in education, employment and wellbeing shifting community attitudes towards neurodiversity.

This project developed an AI tool with Justice Connect to improve access to free legal assistance for vulnerable Australians, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, seniors, low-income earners, and LGBTQI+ individuals. The AI semi-automates triaging of people seeking legal help, increasing conversion to legal services by 10% and reducing dropouts by 48%. Enhancements like highlighting relevant text spans and incorporating lawyer judgement variations holistically during training boost accuracy across demographics. With a 15% rise in senior applications and 35% more services delivered to seniors, the outcome of this collaboration demonstrates outstanding community engagement to address unmet legal needs equitably.

For 16 years, La Trobe University’s Cert IV in Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Management has provided pathways to employment and further education for First Nations students, who are traditionally under-represented in higher education.  The nationally-accredited qualification celebrated its 250th graduate in 2024, with 95% of participants employed in cultural heritage management roles. Designed and delivered in strong partnership between Indigenous communities and organisations, and government, its impact goes beyond individual participants to Victoria’s Registered Aboriginal Parties (RAPs), industry and government. Year after year, the course strengthens the capacity of Aboriginal Victorians in cultural heritage management and legislative compliance.

Indigenous Game Changers is a transformative, community-led research partnership between Australian Catholic University (ACU) and the Wonnarua Nation Aboriginal Corporation (WNAC). Its mission is to transform and enrich Indigenous lives and futures—from preschool to university- building strong foundations for employment and fulfilling lives. Co-designed with community, it integrates Indigenous knowledge and rigorous research to deliver measurable gains in literacy, numeracy, school attendance, wellbeing, and cultural identity, while creating pathways to post-school education, training, and employment. To date, it has supported over 750 young people, strengthened local leadership, and developed a scalable, evidence-based model reshaping educational equity and cultural pride.

The National Indigenous Space Academy (NISA), led by Monash University, is a groundbreaking program empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in STEM through unparalleled access to global aerospace research and industry experience. Each year, high-achieving students undertake a 10-week internship at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory or RAL Space in the UK, supported by a one of a kind Space Boot Camp held at Monash University, that provides mentoring, and cultural guidance. Since 2019, NISA has produced PhD graduates, Fulbright Scholars, and leaders in aerospace and defence. Through the unique combination of Research excellence, world leading laboratories and Indigenous.

The Cracks in the Ice Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lived Experience Project addresses stigma through community co-produced culturally appropriate video resources highlighting the lived experience of people impacted by crystal methamphetamine. In partnership with GARUWA, a First Nations-led creative agency, the project engaged with 240 First Nations community members and was guided by an Expert Advisory Group. The resources have reached >900,000+ people, received >1 million views, and fostered key partnerships with ICTV, 13YARN and AHTV, and engagement with health networks. This initiative amplifies First Nations lived experience, fosters understanding, and represents best practice in Indigenous-led health communication.

Curtin University, Bringing Them Home WA, and the Western Australian Stolen Generations Aboriginal Corporation have co-created The Healing Tool — an Aboriginal-led Virtual Reality and exposure therapy model for truth-telling and healing among Stolen Generations Survivors. Using immersive reconstructions of former mission sites, the initiative provides culturally safe spaces where Survivors can voice hidden traumas, rebuild personal and family narratives, and strengthen cultural identity. This groundbreaking, community-governed approach demonstrates the transformative potential of Aboriginal–tertiary partnerships, delivering sustained, life-changing impacts that extend far beyond policy or symbolism into the deeply personal and often fragile terrain of Survivors’ own hearts and minds.

‘Daughters and Dads Active and Empowered’ is an evidence-based program that engages fathers/father-figures & their primary school-aged daughters to promote physical activity, enhance sport skills and wellbeing, strengthen family bonds, and advance gender equity. Developed at the University of Newcastle, the initiative is driven by innovative, collaborative partnerships across the sporting, government, community and education sectors. Over 6,800 participants have experienced the program’s profound multifaceted benefits. 5 sport-specific variations have been developed in partnership with peak sporting bodies with the program receiving global recognition and accolades for research excellence and benefitting society, including commendation by the World Health Organization.

TransformUs is a nationally recognised, evidence-based education and health initiative that empowers teachers to create active and engaging classrooms. Deakin University’s Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition co-designed TransformUs with partners from the education, health, and sport sectors. TransformUs supports primary and secondary school students of all abilities to be more engaged in their learning. It offers professional learning and hundreds of curriculum-aligned resources to build educator capacity and confidence. TransformUs currently reaches >860 schools, ~2500 teachers, and >52,000 students nationally. TransformUs is embedded in Initial Teacher Education across five universities—ensuring long-term impact across the education system.

Scientia Professor Gangadhara (Ganga) Prusty (UNSW, Sydney), in collaboration with SDI Limited, has successfully developed a dental composite filling material that is an alternative to mercury-based dental restoration amalgams, marking a significant breakthrough in dental care. This product, known as Stela, is delivering safer, faster, healthier, stronger and more efficient dental restoration for dental patients around the world. Stela is a mercury-free, self-curing resin based flowable dental filling material and is more durable than other composites currently available on the market. It was launched in March 2023 and is now being marketed internationally, with demand outstripping supply.

The utilisation of mining byproducts with recycled rubber tyres for railway construction is an Australian innovation. Embracing circular economy perspectives, the new design and construction procedure developed by the UTS Transport Research Centre in collaboration with industry (Ecoflex Australia, Sydney Trains, Bridgestone, SMEC etc.) can replace traditionally quarried gravel (sub-ballast) in the track with a novel energy-absorbing layer of recycled tyres infilled with granular waste. Following large-scale testing and computer modelling, this tyre cell foundation built in the Chullora rail precinct (Western Sydney) eliminates noise and vibrations, while minimising particle breakage and track instability upon the passage of freight trains.

Food insecurity affects 11% of Australians, and 16% of South Australians. This ARC Linkage Project (2021-2025) built on collaborations since 2016, uniting researchers, government agencies, and food relief NGOs to address this persistent challenge. Through co-produced research and engagement, the team translated the SA Food Relief Charter into practical tools and service reforms–catalysing sector-wide innovation and influencing $7.5 million in government investment to improve financial wellbeing programs reaching >7,000 people in 12 regions. By shifting food relief from unsustainable handouts to a gateway for addressing root causes, this university-policy-community collaboration offers a scalable model, gaining interstate and global interest.

The Adelaide-Nottingham Alliance (ANA) is an exemplar of excellence in international engagement. A partnership between the University of Adelaide and University of Nottingham, it has delivered clear and measurable outcomes across a number of nationally significant areas in both nations. It is also contributing to tangible and lasting impacts on communities globally, tackling some of our planet’s most significant issues, including food supply, health and sustainability. A new and modern approach to  international collaboration between higher education institutions, the Alliance is advancing the shared ambitions of the collaborating universities and responding to global challenges that neither could address alone.

The annual Solomon Islands (SI) Immersion Program places Australian pre-service teachers (PSTs) alongside Solomon Islander teachers for 3-4 weeks of classroom collaboration. Rooted in mutual respect and authentic cultural exchange, the co-designed program fosters Pacific regional partnerships while addressing critical needs in literacy, general education, and teacher professional learning. Living and teaching in the SI context challenges PSTs’ worldviews, fostering personal growth and agency for change. The program’s reciprocal design transforms Australian and Solomon Island teachers’ professional practice and intercultural understanding, ultimately generating lasting educational benefits for students, strengthening cross-cultural relationships , and addressing urgent Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This international engagement program holistically addresses community development in disadvantaged areas locally and overseas. Through three phases, it integrates online technologies with traditional knowledge to foster collaboration. By simultaneously supporting cultural conservation, nutrition, employment, and education, the program has created a local-global network of knowledge exchange. It incorporates community experiences into university curricula, establishing a bi-directional learning model. Involving academic, governmental, and community partners, the initiative transcends typical development projects, creating lasting impact through cultural awareness and diplomatic engagement. This comprehensive strategy bridges local and global contexts, empowering communities while enriching academic research and teaching for public benefit.

Over the past six years, Griffith University has led a series of interwoven projects to build counselling capacity in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Through co-design and delivery of Graduate Certificates, Short Courses in Counselling and culturally contextualised psychosocial resources, Griffith has partnered with Australian Awards PNG, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the National Department of Education, UNICEF, and ChildFund. These efforts have made significant inroads in addressing PNG’s critical need for counselling services, achieving exemplary outcomes for individuals, organisations, and communities as a result of this program of work.

Elevate is La Trobe’s comprehensive entrepreneurship program for students and alumni, building critical entrepreneurial skills and supporting the creation of startups. Since 2024, Elevate has engaged over 2,400 students and 100 alumni through nine industry innovation sprints, entrepreneurial mindset and market validation programs, embedded curriculum activities across three subjects, and two pre-accelerators: Startup Year and Ind-Aus LaunchPad with Bangalore Bioinnovation Centre. The program demonstrates La Trobe’s commitment to developing entrepreneurial capability from mindset development to startup launch, with participation contributing credit towards La Trobe’s Career Ready Advantage employability award.

UTS SOUL Award is a transformative extra-curricular program in social justice and leadership, open to all UTS students. It empowers students to step beyond their degrees and into the community, developing skills, giving back, and driving meaningful change. Through volunteering with purpose-driven organisations and projects, students contribute to real-world impact. In 2024, SOUL students logged 19,600+ hours of social impact action. Alongside this hands-on work, participants engage in workshops that build cultural and social agility, critical self-reflection, and collaborative leadership. Since its inception in 2013, the program has recognised 2,430 students for their commitment to social justice and community engagement.

Let’s Talk Teaching, a podcast from Monash University’s Faculty of Education, engages alumni and academic voices to explore the real-world complexities of teaching. Now in its third season, each six-episode series connects cutting-edge research with classroom practice, offering time-poor educators practical, evidence-informed insights. Hosted by Associate Professor Rebecca Cooper, Assistant Dean, Initial Teacher Education, the podcast features alumni working in diverse educational contexts and researchers from the Faculty. With over 12,000 listens to date, it has become a vital professional learning and engagement tool, building community, supporting early-career teachers, and amplifying Monash’s leadership in research translation

Lead with Impact is a high-quality online leadership program developed for Griffith alumni, delivering MBA-level content through flexible, self-paced learning and expert-led live sessions. In its first year, the program engaged nearly 2,000 alumni and achieved a Net Promoter Score of 64. Designed in response to the 2023 Alumni Survey, it meets demand for professional development and stronger university connections. Leveraging existing resources, the program focuses on accessibility and inclusion, boosting Griffith’s reputation in lifelong learning, supporting donor engagement, and building key partnerships. As a scalable model for alumni engagement, future plans include micro-credentials and expanded networking opportunities.

The Melbourne Data Analytics Platform (MDAP) Internship Program is a competitive, interdisciplinary initiative preparing Masters students for careers in technology, academia, and research. Each semester, interns from several faculties engage in real-world, impact-driven projects under expert supervision, gaining technical, analytical, and professional skills. With strong ties to industry and academia, the program fosters employability and leadership, with 91% of alumni securing roles in tech, government, or research sectors. Alumni success stories span global institutions and companies. The program continues to expand, with future pathways for Arts, Law, and Indigenous students being developed, supporting sustainability, diversity, and innovation in digital research.

The Global Immersion Guarantee (GIG) is Australia’s first fully-funded study tour, and one of the world’s largest global mobility programs, offering first-year students from 88 degrees the chance to tackle global challenges through hands-on learning. Over two weeks, students collaborate with more than 50 international partners to explore sustainability across the Indo-Pacific, building intercultural skills and interdisciplinary teamwork. Since 2018, over 4,000 students have partaken with powerful outcomes. GIG is an inclusive, scalable model for global education, co-created with local communities, driven by a commitment to empower regional partners, educators, and students to make positive, tangible change.

Aligned with the University of Canberra’s ‘Connected’ strategy, the Information Technology and Systems (ITS) Capstone Program exemplifies outstanding engagement for student learning by embedding industry exposure into the curriculum. Final-year students tackle real-world problems through experiential learning in teams, developing solutions under expert supervision. This fosters win–win outcomes for students and project sponsors. Internationally recognised with the 2025 Global Triple E Award, winner of the UC Teaching Award 2024, and highly commended by Engagement Australia 2024, this program has prepared over 2,500 industry-ready graduates who have delivered more than 500 projects since 2019, setting a benchmark for impactful industry engagement in education.

La Trobe University’s Nexus program redefines teacher education through an innovative employment-based model. Since 2020, close to 200 career changers have gained real-world experience while completing their teacher qualifications, progressing from education support roles to paraprofessional teaching. Nexus partners with over 110 schools across Victoria and NSW, placing 96% of participants in schools below the national ICSEA media. This scaffolded, socially conscious approach equips graduates to thrive in complex, disadvantaged educational settings. Nexus exemplifies how universities can transform professional preparation through deep, sustained collaboration with schools, government and community – delivering scalable, equity-driven impact in teacher workforce development.

The UN SDG Challenge for First-Years is a distinguished co-curricular program, running since 2020 that empowers first-year undergraduate students to tackle real-world social and environmental challenges aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through team-based problem solving, students engage with authentic ‘live case’ challenges from community partners, guided by mentorship from industry professionals and senior student leaders from UNSW Business School. Designed to foster leadership, critical thinking, and purpose, the program builds students’ confidence and global awareness. It offers a transformative learning experience beyond the classroom, cultivating future changemakers to drive positive impact in their communities and beyond.

The ‘Digital Transformation Hackathon’ is a work-integrated teaching innovation that empowered over 2,100 undergraduate and postgraduate Information Systems students with essential skills for the future digital workforce. Initiated in 2021 through a partnership between The University of Queensland’s UQ Business School and ORACLE, this structured five-week program fosters job-readiness of students by enabling them to address complex societal challenges – including Australia’s housing crisis or the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – using ORACLE’s suite of cloud technologies.

Liveworm is a Work Integrated Learning design incubator based at Griffith University’s Queensland College of Art and Design. Operating since 1984, the studio facilitates structured collaboration between students and not-for-profit organisations, government agencies, select for-profit companies, and university researchers. Guided by expert mentorship, students engage in an authentic studio environment to create innovative design solutions that promote positive social change while enhancing their professional skills, experience, and confidence. With over 5,000 projects completed across four decades, Liveworm’s hands-on partnership model positions it as one of Australia’s longest-running design education programs—effectively bridging academic learning with real-world community engagement.

The Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) program is an innovative partnership between Monash University, Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV), and Ambulance Victoria. The program trains firefighters to provide medical care in out-of-hospital emergencies, such as out-of-hospital cardiac arrests and trauma. The EMR program is a collaborative model that creates unique learning opportunities for Monash Paramedicine students, provides simulation practice for firefighters and improves community care alongside the ambulance service.  This Australia-first program is a novel approach to industry engagement and interdisciplinary workforce development in emergency healthcare.

Cogniti is a generative AI platform developed at the University of Sydney that empowers educators to steer custom AI tools tailored to their students’ learning needs, without needing technical expertise. Through a global consortium of over 60 institutions and partnerships with Microsoft, Insight Enterprises, and the Catholic Education Network of Australia, Cogniti supports ethical, educator-led AI innovation across higher education and K-12. Our partners gain reputation and reach across and into the education sector through AI infrastructure and managed services. The platform enables the creation of thousands of curriculum-aligned agents, enhancing AI literacy, personalising learning, and promoting equity at scale.

The Australian Fungicide Resistance Extension Network (AFREN), led by Curtin University and supported by the Grains Research Development Corporation (GRDC), unites experts across the grains industry to raise awareness, and mitigate the impact of fungicide resistance. Since 2019, AFREN has delivered regionally tailored messages through over 160 in-person events, engaging more than 16,000 participants via workshops, forums, field days, webinars and seminars. The AFREN website (afren.com.au) hosts a suite of digital resources including factsheets, videos, and podcasts. By promoting effective fungicide resistance management, AFREN supports grower profitability, enhances industry sustainability, and contributes to national food security and public safety.

The Clinician Entrepreneurship Change Agent Program (CECAP) is a collaborative initiative launched in 2022 to equip clinicians with entrepreneurial capabilities and commercialisation pathways. Funded by Advance Queensland and delivered with Griffith University, Gold Coast Health, and the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct, it trained over 470 clinicians and 25 clinician students across Gold Coast and Townsville. CECAP has sparked clinician-led innovations, created three startups, secured two grants, and boosted clinical confidence. Through strategic partnerships, immersive experiences, and tailored support, the program is building systemic capacity and advancing Queensland’s health innovation ecosystem by translating bedside ideas into impactful solutions.

Restoration often stops at the surface: canopy cover, planting targets, visible growth. But resilience begins belowground. This project shifts focus to the microbial and nutrient-cycling processes that underpin recovery yet rarely count as success. In partnership with industry, we embed long-term soil microbiome monitoring into undergraduate teaching, generating real-time data from revegetation sites. The model is rare: applied microbial ecology, sustainability education, and industry collaboration woven together. Students gain hands-on experience in environmental genomics; partners gain insight into soil processes shaping recovery. Together, we shift the narrative, expanding what counts as evidence, and what restoration looks like when soil matters.

Dr Changlong Wang convenes and leads the global taskforce on hydrogen-based decarbonisation of iron and steelmaking under the International Energy Agency’s Hydrogen Technology Collaboration Programme. The recent task scoping workshop in Berlin brought together more than 60 organisations from 17 countries, spanning government, industry, and research, to map technology readiness, model supply chains, and assess global competitiveness. Over two years, from initial proposal to final approval, Dr Wang secured government funding and forged international partnerships through extensive global engagement, positioning Australia at the forefront of green steel collaboration in a sector responsible for 9% of global emissions.

Dr Joshua Pate is a nationally and internationally recognised leader in paediatric pain science engagement. Since 2019, he has created validated assessment tools, bestselling picture books and a most-viewed pain lesson on TED-Ed, all co-designed with families and clinicians. His resources are now embedded in >100 clinics and schools, he has reviewed a paediatric pain World Health Organization guideline, and championed community campaigns. By translating complex science into child-friendly stories, teacher workshops and multimedia content, he is already reducing preventable school absence and reshaping policy. His collaborative, impact-first model is inspiring researchers, educators and health professionals across Australia and beyond.

Through visionary and sustained leadership, Diana Heatherich transformed the Connected Motorcycle Safety initiative from a technical trial into a nationally recognised example of grassroots engagement. Diana led the coordination of over 700 rider engagements, shaping everything from co-design workshops to simulator and track testing. Her work bridged researchers, riders, industry, and government with authenticity, empathy, and precision. Under her guidance, sceptical riders became advocates, and stakeholder collaboration flourished. Diana’s leadership redefined how rider safety technology is developed, with the community, not just for it, creating a blueprint for connected transport that puts people at the centre of innovation.