Impactful research stories

Our co-developed driver advice system is now on-board more than 4,000 trains worldwide

Trains across the world are running to timetable and arriving at their destinations safely using innovative technology developed by mathematicians at UniSA.

We partnered with the auto industry to create the world’s first shatterproof car mirrors

UniSA researchers have helped to develop a new type of car wing mirror, creating economic, safety and environmental benefits along with a new lease of life for South Australia’s automotive industry.

Our research in sustainability has built the foundation for 66% greener living

An inter-disciplinary taskforce at UniSA’s Barbara Hardy Institute is influencing environmental sustainability in urban developments across Australia. In fact, it’s now an acknowledged world leader in the transition to low-carbon housing.

Three decades of research has unearthed a $1.2 billion better way to process minerals

In 1988, UniSA initiated the AMIRA P260 project to help the mining industry improve the way it processes minerals. Who would think that 30 years later, it would be still be finding refinements after already achieving over $1.2 billion in benefits?

We unearthed the world's most accurate way to gauge exposure to soil contamination

UniSA’s accurate and reliable assessment tools have given environmental agencies better solutions for managing and/or remediating soils without compromising human health and safety.

Our research is navigating a safe future for self-driving cars

An idea developed by UniSA’s Institute for Telecommunications Research (ITR) is steering us towards driverless cars that talk to one another.

Our research has contributed to major reforms of Australia’s child protection system

Child abuse and neglect is one of Australia’s greatest social and public health crises. Its impact has been wide-ranging, devastating and intergenerational.

We’re driving legislative change to protect the human rights of older Australians

In 2017, the World Health Organization estimated that more than 15 per cent of people over the age of 60 suffer some form of abuse in any given year, with this likely to worsen as the population ages.

We contributed to intercultural community action along the River Murray through art and design

An exhibition mounted by UniSA in 2002 was not only the launching place and fount of inspiration for a new wave of artists; but also created a groundswell of public interest in environmental and cultural issues, the ripples of which are still felt to this day.

Our research has transformed the way languages are taught in Australia

Research driven by UniSA has been embedded in the professional practice of more than 10,000 language teachers nationwide, adding a cultural focus to the way languages are learned across Australia.

Our research gives children a voice in government policy and practice

What’s important to children about their communities and what do they want in their lives? To find out, UniSA researchers have asked children directly, and their responses are influencing state policies, community planning, children’s literacy, and the provision of educational resources both in Australia and overseas.

Depressing statistics stimulate a strategy to create less stress in the workplace

Figures show that untreated depression and anxiety costs Australian businesses $10.9 billion per year in reduced productivity, increased absenteeism and WorkCover claims.

Keeping patients alive by monitoring their medication

Every year, the inappropriate use of medicines triggers more than 230,000 hospital admissions, with many Australians suffering adverse reactions. But it’s not just our health suffering: the attendant cost to taxpayers and insurance companies is around $1.2 billion.

Brand aid: why the world’s biggest corporations come to Adelaide to grow

It makes sense that the world’s biggest corporations would flock to the world’s largest marketing science centre for guidance. More surprising, perhaps, is that it’s not in New York, but here in Adelaide: the Ehrenberg Bass Institute (EBI) at UniSA.

Faster drug development a shot in the arm for health and the SA economy

The pharmaceutical industry is one of the most highly regulated. New drugs require clinical trials and complex legal processes, often over several years. This costs significant time and money, increases the price of medicines, and delays the availability of potentially life-saving therapies.

The South Australian idea that’s growing in sub-Saharan Africa

Farming families in Mozambique, Tanzania and Zimbabwe are quite literally reaping the benefits of a breakthrough in irrigation, nurturing previously unused land to flourish and new communities to grow.