The Discovery Translation Fund 3.0 was launched in January 2018 with the funding support of The Australian National University (ANU) and University of Canberra (UC) , with Charles Sturt University (CSU)  joining the Fund in May 2017. Project proposals are currently accepted through ANU, UC and CSU.

Projects Awarded during 2018

DTF301

ANU College of Science, Research School of Physics and Engineering, Professor Dragomir Neshev Ultra-thin optical systems for enhanced low-light and night vision

Project Summary

Night vision devices provide us with the ability to see in low-light environments and have numerous applications, both military and civilian. Current technologies are based conversion of light to electrons, which are multiplied and then converted back into an image. This process results in devices that are bulky, heavy, monochrome and opaque in the visible. This project aims to solve these limitations and prototype novel ultra-thin optical systems, which can enable seeing in the dark or enhance our vision at low-light conditions. These are based on our patented technology of nanostructured dielectric materials – called metasurfaces, which can enhance the light-matter interactions over a billion times and enable frequency up-conversion and edge detection

DTF303	CSU Faculty of Science, Graham Centre, Dr Susan Robertson Establishing meat residue levels after GC16 supplementation
Project Summary	Lamb survival can be increased by supplementing ewes with GC16.  This project will establish meat residue levels of GC16 as a step towards registration for use and to obtain a permit for large-scale studies.  In addition, collaboration with pharmaceutical companies will be sought for future development of a commercial product and marketing.

DTF304

ANU College of Health and Medicine, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Professor Ted Maddess Validating novel means of quantifying blood vessel networks and similar micro-structures for quantitative 3D imaging

Project Summary

The project aims to provide novel morphometric analysis methods for emerging types of 3D image data, particularly data from biological specimens. An extension of the method produces accurate models of 3D images of tubular networks such as capillaries or neurons to which the novel morphometric analysis is applied.  Data types to which the new methods can be applied include 3D output from microscopy, optical coherence tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. The methods can be applied to brain images or angiography. Applications include diagnosis and management of a variety of health problems including eye, brain and cardiovascular diseases.

DTF305	UC Faculty of Science and Technology, Professor Sudha Rao University of Canberra Immunotherapy Technology Suite – Commercial and Business Plan Development
Project Summary	Development of a commercialisation and business plan for the University of Canberra’s immuno-therapy technology suite developed by Professor Sudha Rao’s research laboratory.  This will be accompanied by testing two gold standard mouse metastatic models as part of further proof of concept and data package generation.