Winners in the sixth round of CRC Projects were announced by Karen Andrews on December 24. No, this was not a case of a seasonal taking out the trash. Rather, the minister for Industry, Technology and Science was yo-ho-hoing, at least for the 19 consortiums that will share $40m for researchers and industry partners to develop products and address specific problems over three years.

Some 13 focus on use of AI, funded by a budget allocation for artificial intelligence research, including, detecting brain aneurisms and grading almonds. One that doesn’t is the OrpeusPod, to be developed by UNSW, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and tech consultants Hydrix. It will extend the preservation of hearts to get them to more people in need of a transplant.

There are university participants in 16 projects, with UNSW a member of five and Monash U four. CSIRO is part of five.