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 • 13 Dec 2019
Hone takes research to the real world
A platform that helps farmers test the chemical properties of soil, crops and grain samples in-field and developed by a team of University of Newcastle graduates has secured funding for commercialisation.
News • 12 Dec 2019
New Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) joins in 2020
Professor Mark Hoffman will join the University of Newcastle's executive leadership team as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) in March 2020.
News • 11 Dec 2019
2019 Excellence Awards celebrated
Congratulations to all winners and finalists in the University of Newcastle 2019 Excellence Awards.
News • 11 Dec 2019
Hydro Harvester is making a splash to solve global water shortage
In what could be a game-changer for solving the world’s water shortage problem, an atmospheric water generator (AWG) developed at the University of Newcastle is one step closer to commercialisation.
News • 04 Dec 2019
Bequest to support education and training of rural healthcare professionals
Aspiring doctors and nurses from regional and remote areas will have greater opportunity to fulfil their career aspirations thanks to new scholarships being offered by the University of Newcastle.
News • 03 Dec 2019
‘Being first’ thesis wins prestigious award
Dr Sally Patfield from the University of Newcastle’s Teachers and Teaching Research Centre has received the prestigious Ray Debus Award for Doctoral Research in Education at the 2019 Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) Conference.
News • 29 Nov 2019
Showcasing the latest engineering solutions
From a shark-proof wetsuit to an interactive boxing robot, a public exhibition taking place in Newcastle over the next nine days will showcase cutting-edge engineering and computing innovations from the University of Newcastle.
News • 29 Nov 2019
University part of winning Walkley Award for coverage of Indigenous Affairs
The Killing Times, a collaboration between The Guardian Australia and the University of Newcastle’s Colonial Frontier Massacres research team has been awarded the 2019 Walkley Award for Coverage of Indigenous Affairs.
News • 28 Nov 2019
Boundless opportunities on the African horizon
A new centre that will drive Australia-Africa education, research and innovation with the hope of improving life in both continents …
News • 27 Nov 2019
NRL pledges support to head injury research
The National Rugby League (NRL) will partner with the University of Newcastle and the Spaulding Research Institute at Harvard Medical …
News • 27 Nov 2019
Local researchers shine in global Highly Cited Researchers list
Four University of Newcastle researchers have been announced as Highly Cited Researchers for 2019 by Clarivate Analytics' Web of Science Group.
News • 26 Nov 2019
War dead research and geometric flows the focus from $800,000 funding
Two early career researchers have received around $800,000 to enable them to conduct research into areas of national importance at …
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.