NSSN Grand Challenge Fund 2026 winners announced
From AI-powered bird monitoring at wind farms and a low-cost hearing screening test for newborns to satellite-enabled forest monitoring in remote areas and an early warning system for electric vehicle battery fires, five innovative projects have secured funding through this year’s NSSN Grand Challenge Fund.
Five collaborative teams across NSSN’s member universities will share $455,000 of NSSN funding, matched by a further $487,000 in industry partner funding, to develop impactful solutions in net zero, human health, environment and smart places.
The research and development projects which have secured funding this year are:
AI Vision Sensor Networks for Monitoring Avian Activities at Wind Farms led by University of Sydney, in partnership with UNSW and industry partner Hoeksec.
Transformative Ear Sensing for Fast, Low-Cost Diagnostics led by Macquarie University, in partnership with University of Sydney and industry partners Cochlear, National Acoustic Laboratories, Intelligent Hearing Systems and the University of Iowa.
Nanosensor Array-on-a-Chip: An Early Warning System for EV Thermal Runaway led by UNSW, in partnership with University of Sydney and industry partner Flame Security International.
Space-Enabled Smart Sensing for Forest Monitoring led by Western Sydney University, in partnership with UNSW and industry partners OQ Technology Australia, Scenic World, Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute and NSW Space Research Network.
AI-Enabled Plug-In Smart Sensing Device for Household Load Monitoring led by Macquarie University, in partnership with UTS and industry partner Smartizer.
The 2026 Grand Challenge Fund projects will:
MAIN: monitor the health of Scenic World’s rainforest estate in the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area by space-enabled smart sensors;
TOP LEFT: develop a sensor chip which can detect the hazardous gases released by lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles before fires occur;
TOP RIGHT: develop a plug-and-play smart sensing device which helps renters monitor and reduce household energy use without the need for smart meters;
BOTTOM RIGHT: develop a low-cost hearing screening test for newborns which could transform the early detection of hearing impairment;
BOTTOM LEFT: use AI-powered vision systems to accurately monitor bird activity around wind farms and help researchers quantify the impact of wind turbines on bird populations. CREDITS: AdobeStock
NSSN Co-Director Professor Julien Epps congratulated this year’s successful teams.
“The Grand Challenge Fund is designed to help researchers take ambitious ideas beyond the laboratory and into real-world settings. We are proud to support projects that have the potential to deliver tangible benefits for industry, communities and the economy.”
NSSN Co-Director Professor Benjamin Eggleton saidthe successful teams are bringing together diverse expertise to tackle important challenges facing society and industry.
“What stands out about this year’s successful projects is their strong focus on translation. Each team has brought together the expertise, industry connections and end-user perspectives needed to accelerate the pathway from discovery to impact.”
The NSSN Grand Challenge Fund is now in its sixth year and allows NSSN member universities from across New South Wales and the ACT to compete for funding that fosters innovative research in collaboration with industry, government and other universities.
The Fund promotes the development of innovative, collaborative research projects that advance smart sensing solutions to the five NSSN Priority Themes in human health, natural hazards, net zero, environment & agriculture, and smart places.
As part of the Fund, co-funded grants of up to $100,000 per project support the development of R&D projects that link industry or government partners with NSSN member universities to translate world-class research into impactful smart sensing solutions, either through commercialisation or operationalisation.
The next round of the NSSN Grand Challenges Fund will be offered in November 2026.