A pioneering ASX-listed technology development company, in 2019 Hazer Group Limited was awarded matching IMCRC funding to support its successful R&D collaboration with the University of Sydney’s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering into advanced carbon materials applications.

Specifically, the project would accelerate the commercialisation of the HAZER^® Process, a low-emission hydrogen and graphite production process focusing on applications including Li-ion batteries, water purification, and various energy storage products.

According to Hazer Group’s Co-founder and Chief Technical Officer, Dr Andrew Cornejo, IMCRC’s streamlined approach to facilitation minimised the project administration while still maintaining rigour.

“As an early-stage company with a big vision, we need to maximise the R&D impact of every dollar spent,” he said.

“IMCRC understood this from the very beginning and, as well as their eagerness to facilitate, they constantly sought to add value to the project and Hazer beyond just the provision of funding.”

“Whether it was helping us to understand the potential of Industry 4.0 technologies for our business, or opening doors to other industry contacts with complementary capabilities, the team at IMCRC were invested in our success,” said Cornejo.

With the project now nearing completion, Cornejo points to new capital investment and the potential for further collaborations as indications of its success.

“As a direct outcome of this project we are progressing engineering studies of selected breakthroughs for further development through to demonstration plant scales.” he said

“We’re also looking at the potential for another short-term research project with the IMCRC.”

Looking further into the future, Cornejo believes continued investment in innovative manufacturing will be critical if we are to retain the best talent and ultimately reduce Australia’s reliance on “dig and ship it” industries.

“Funding for industry research collaborations is key, but unless we can create attractive, sustainable career opportunities here in Australia we will lose our best and brightest,” he said.

“Focussing our R&D efforts on those areas where you can cut significant complexity from a production process and then develop innovative manufacturing and assembly capacity around it, will allow Australian companies to move forward globally.”

IMCRC understands research is not a linear process. Their accessibility and flexibility has ensured the project’s success, while their ability to challenge our thinking and open doors has been invaluable to Hazer Group as an early stage company.

Dr Andrew Cornejo
Co-founder and Chief Technical Officer, Hazer Group