The ARC Training Centre for Bioplastics and Biocomposites is proud to congratulate Centre Director Professor Steven Pratt and Centre Manager Dr Lisa Pope on receiving the UQ Award for Excellence in Promoting Industry Engagement in Graduate Research.
Presented during UQ Research and Innovation Week, the award recognises their contribution to creating meaningful industry engagement opportunities for Higher Degree by Research (HDR) candidates through the Centre’s extensive network of industry, government, NGO, startup and international partners.
Industry Engagement as a Core Part of HDR Training
Industry engagement is a core part of the Centre’s approach to HDR training and researcher development.
Through placements, internships and collaborative research activities, HDR candidates have opportunities to contribute to real-world projects, apply their research skills, build professional networks and gain experience beyond the university environment.
These experiences help students better understand how research is applied in practice while strengthening connections between universities and external organisations.
A Flexible Approach to Industry Engagement
One of the Centre’s guiding principles is that meaningful industry engagement can take many forms.
While some HDR candidates undertake traditional industry placements, others participate in internships, collaborative projects, international exchanges or industry-connected research activities. By working closely with students and partner organisations, the Centre seeks to create opportunities that align with research objectives while delivering value for host organisations.
This flexible approach recognises that students bring different levels of industry experience, research needs and career aspirations, while partner organisations have diverse priorities, projects and ways of working. The result is industry engagement that goes beyond observation, enabling students to make meaningful contributions while gaining valuable experience beyond academia.
A Collective Achievement
While the award was presented to Professor Steven Pratt and Dr Lisa Pope, the achievement reflects the efforts of many people across the Centre community.
Meaningful industry engagement relies on the contributions of HDR candidates, supervisors, professional staff, industry hosts, partner investigators and collaborating organisations who generously invest their time, knowledge and expertise to create high-quality learning experiences for students.
The Centre is particularly grateful to the many organisations that have hosted placements, internships and collaborative research activities throughout the life of the Centre. Their commitment has helped create valuable opportunities for HDR candidates while strengthening connections between research and industry.
This recognition reflects a shared commitment to developing the next generation of researchers and ensuring they have opportunities to apply their skills beyond the university environment.
