Affordable and Clean Energy
Local Community Outreach for Energy Efficiency
The University of Newcastle delivers community and school outreach that helps people explore energy efficiency, clean energy technologies and the role of engineering in a lower-emissions future.
Clean energy innovation in the Hunter
On 2 April 2025, the University's I2N Startup Stories program at the Honeysuckle Innovation Hub featured University alumnus Peter Richardson, founder and CEO of Facet Amtech. The public event explored how a Newcastle cleantech startup is making ammonia production cleaner and more energy efficient, using less energy while reducing emissions and manufacturing costs.
The session connected clean-energy research and entrepreneurship with the Hunter's startup community, showing how energy-efficiency innovation can move from the laboratory into practical industrial applications.
Peter Richardson, founder and CEO of Facet Amtech.
Energy learning through the Science and Engineering Challenge
The University's Science and Engineering Challenge is a nationwide STEM outreach program delivered in partnership with communities, Rotary clubs, universities and sponsors. In 2025, more than 26,800 students from over 873 schools took part, including Challenge and Discovery Days in Newcastle, the Central Coast and other regional communities.
Energy and sustainability are built into the program's hands-on activities. In ElectraCITY, students design an electricity network for a model city and must find the most efficient, lowest-cost way to supply buildings while accounting for cable resistance and infrastructure costs. Other activities include wind-turbine design and environmentally responsive housing.
The 2025 event calendar included Newcastle Challenge Days from 4-10 April and Newcastle Discovery Days from 8-12 September, alongside events throughout New South Wales and every Australian state and territory.
The National Science and Engineering Challenge
Building energy literacy through practical outreach
These programs give school students, community members, innovators and local industry practical ways to engage with energy efficiency and clean-energy solutions. They connect technical concepts with real-world decisions about electricity use, industrial processes, renewable technologies and sustainable design.
2024 Annual Spring School
The University of Newcastle's centre for organic electronics (COE) successfully hosted its 14th annual spring school. In 2024, this three-day event provided undergraduate students from various disciplines, including Science, Math, IT, Engineering, and Medical Sciences, with an opportunity to explore cutting-edge research in organic electronics. The program featured lectures from local and international experts, hands-on experiences in COE labs, and interactive think tank sessions aimed at inspiring students to pursue research careers. Highlights included fabricating organic solar cells, operating advanced microscopes, racing simulated EV cars, and learning about Printed Solar and its recycling. Accredited by CIFAL Newcastle and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), students received formal recognition for their participation. The event, sponsored by Spruson & Ferguson Intellectual Property and the Australian National Fabrication Facility, saw students awarded for solar cell efficiency and EV racing. Following the event’s success, many students expressed interest in continuing their research journey with the COE.
COE, the University of Newcastle Australia 5:43
Learn more
News • 21 May 2020
More than $10 million to support innovations in health service delivery
Six projects led by Hunter researchers have been successful in attracting a combined total of $10.6 million in the latest round of competitive National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funding.
News • 19 May 2020
Unique Women in STEMM scholarship program supports Early Career Researchers
In a first for an Australian university to help redress some of the systemic biases female academics face, the University of Newcastle has awarded fully-funded PhD candidate scholarships to six Women in STEMM Early Career Researchers.
News • 19 May 2020
Researchers map emerging disadvantage in Australia due to COVID-19 job loss
A new report reveals the areas that are most at risk of COVID-19 related job loss, with researchers pinpointing more than 100 locations of emerging disadvantage in Australia.
News • 12 May 2020
University expertise sees lifesaving ventilator prototype secure state backing
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of almost thirty Hunter-based alumni and staff have contributed to one of two ventilator prototype projects selected by the state government for pre-production.
News • 08 May 2020
Repurposing existing drugs to tackle ovarian cancer
Associate Professor Nikola Bowden, Professor Jennifer Martin, Dr Michelle Wong-Brown and Dr Penny Reeves from the University of Newcastle and the Hunter Medical Research Institute have successfully been awarded $2.69 million for their Australian Program for Drug-repurposing for Treatment-resistant O
News • 07 May 2020
Hearty success in NSW Medical Research Cardiovascular grants
Heart disease kills one person every 12 minutes in Australia, and is still the leading cause of death globally. Despite enormous improvements in health outcomes over the years, heart disease is still one of the biggest health burdens on our economy.
News • 05 May 2020
Building the recovery workforce through short courses
The University of Newcastle has unveiled a suite of short courses to give displaced workers a chance to upskill or reskill and help build a thriving workforce in the post COVID-19 recovery phase.
News • 04 May 2020
A sustainable future in health: ensuring as health professionals our own house is in order and leading by example
It is time for health professionals to step up and lead to ensure a sustainable environment and health, according to …
News • 16 Apr 2020
Drug repurposing potential for COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for anti-viral therapies to treat respiratory virus infections. With a vaccine at least 12 months away, drug repurposing offers hope in fast-tracking therapies to treat infected people and save lives.
News • 08 Apr 2020
FluTracking survey reveals social distancing is working
FluTracking, the national online surveillance system for tracking symptoms of COVID-19 and flu in Australia and New Zealand has revealed some important insights into the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
News • 30 Mar 2020
OPINION: The human cost - psychological impact of the bushfires
This summer's bushfire crisis has been unprecedented in its scale and duration. While the physical effects of the fires are tangible - images of decimated bush land, injured wildlife, and homes and livelihoods damaged or burnt to the ground – the psychological impacts can be more difficult to grasp.
News • 27 Mar 2020
High levels of iron in the lung linked to increased asthma severity
A new study, led by Jay Horvat, Associate Professor of Immunology and Microbiology at the University of Newcastle and HMRI …
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.