Research Ready for the Real World: The ECA Startup Fellowship
The Early Career Academic (ECA) Startup Fellowship helps academics become entrepreneurs.
For the last three months a group of early career researchers have been working fulltime to explore the commercial potential of their research.
26 Nov, 2024
Australia is a land of discovery.
Australians are curious and we’re innovators, which means no one should be surprised that Australia is Ranked 4th in the world for research complexity. At UNSW we have collected some of the brightest innovators, being namedd #1 in Asia Pacific Region for most Entrepreneurial University in 2024.
At the heart of this excellence lies the fundamental belief that there is always a better way to solve a problem.
That is the motto of the Michael Crouch Innovation Center, but also is at the heart of the Faculty of Engineering, where visionary ideas transform into world-changing innovations. From Scientia Professor Martin Green's pioneering work in photovoltaics, who’s research opened up solar panels to the world, changing solar energy globally, or the late Emeritus Professor Chris Fell’s membrane filtration technology, which allows all Australians drink clean tap water, the engineers from UNSW have shaped the world.
Yet, when it comes to translating their academic insights and innovations into the real world, and bringing the value into our home, Australia has historically struggled. Despite having all the raw ingredients for success—world-class research institutions, ambitious researchers, and a hunger for innovation—we’ve been missing the recipe to turn potential into progress.
With a bold vision to bridge the gap between academic research and market application, the UNSW Faculty of Engineering launched the Early Career Academic (ECA) Startup Fellowship which is redefining what’s possible for our nation’s brightest engineers.
The Early Career Academic Startup Fellowship
The ECA Startup Fellowship helps academics become entrepreneurs. In partnership with UNSW Engineering and TRaCE, UNSW Founders has developed a program specifically for fixed-term Engineering postdoc to turn their research into valuable products that benefit humanity, with full time current salary covered by the fellowship.
“UNSW Engineering has a distinguished history of developing groundbreaking technologies that benefit society, and successfully bringing them to market. Our longstanding culture of entrepreneurship has led to the creation of more spin-out companies than any other university in Australia. I am thrilled about this next step, as we are confident that our ECAs will drive the creation of the next generation of successful technologies emerging from our Faculty.”
- Professor Julien Epps Dean of Engineering (UNSW)
Who are the fellows?
The inaugural cohort is a group of 13 Early Career Academics, come from a diverse array of research.
These 13 Fellows are tackling challenges across multiple critical areas—from improving solar panel recycling and enabling a renewable energy transition to designing innovative preclinical toxicity tests for pharmaceuticals. Their projects are as varied as their expertise, but they share one common goal: creating tangible, scalable solutions that deliver real-world impact.
Take Jonny, who pivoted from industrial CO2 capture to indoor air quality solutions after his customer discovery interviews in China revealed a lack of market readiness for his initial idea. Or Amr, who uncovered key gaps in preclinical research through targeted interviews and is now refining his scientific instrument with early-stage industry partnerships.
Register your Free Ticket to attend!
Monday December 9th
12pm – 4pm
The Michael Crouch Innovation Centre, UNSW.
Spotlight on Mentors
The fellows couldn’t achieve the ambitious milestones without guidance of mentors. The each fellow has been paired with a dedicated mentor, these mentors are industry leaders, seasoned entrepreneurs, and successful researchers. Over the three months they provide invaluable advice and actively work to help open doors to new opportunities.
The visionaries behind the Fellowship
The ECA Fellowship stands as a testament to the collaborative vision and dedication of Ian Gibson, Deputy Dean, and Julian Epps, Dean of UNSW Faculty of Engineering. This isn’t an overnight success story. For the past two years Ian has been advocating for a program that ensures engineering solutions don’t just solve problems but reach the world and Julien has been a steadfast enabler.
Together they are changing the narrative. As Julien aptly put it;
“Entrepreneurship is a critical pathway for realising the tremendous impact that breakthrough engineering technologies can produce. Flourishing deep tech spinout companies are a hallmark of the very top engineering universities internationally, and this program helps UNSW to reach a similar level of success and impact.”
The ECA Fellowship stands as the flagship program in what promises to be a broader suite of entrepreneurial initiatives under their leadership, positioning UNSW at the forefront of research commercialisation in Australia.
Why you should be at the showcase
We invite you to see this transformative journey in action at the ECA Fellowship Showcase. Meet the Fellows, hear their stories, and see how their innovations are taking shape. This isn’t just about the success of individual projects—
"it’s about creating a broader entrepreneurial community where success is a shared story”
- Linda Koschier, Head of Entrepreneurship at Faculty of Engineering.