Excellence in Collaborative Innovation 2026 Finalists

Flinders University

SAMCARTT (the South Australian Motor Neurone Disease Clinical and Research Translational Team) of scientists, doctors, and health professionals are working together to improve the lives of patients with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and their families. By combining hospital care, research, and patient advocacy, the team has transformed how MND is managed in South Australia and informed international practice.

One of SAMCARTT’s major achievements is the creation of the statewide, multidisciplinary MND clinic, giving people access to coordinated, compassionate care both in hospital and at home, as well as access to clinical trials that were previously unavailable. The team has also developed life‑extending home ventilation services, allowing people with MND, especially those in regional areas, to receive expert respiratory support in their own homes.

Through research and an innovative holistic collaborative model, SAMCARTT has helped discover new ways to monitor MND progression and response to treatment, including a simple urine test, and the development of innovative home‑based technologies to detect health changes earlier. These advances have helped improve quality of life, reduced hospital visits, supported families and carers, and attracted global research investment to South Australia.

SPARC Hydrogen

SPARC Hydrogen is accelerating world‑leading photocatalysis research at Adelaide University and elevating it with a strong commercial focus. Although photocatalysis was first discovered in the 1950s, Sparc Hydrogen is helping bring the technology closer to commercialisation.

The company’s work in building the infrastructure and deployment pathways for concentrated solar photocatalytic hydrogen, complements cutting‑edge advances in materials synthesis, creating a unified ecosystem with photocatalysis at its core. By providing the commercial, technical, and strategic foundations, they’re enabling breakthrough research to move beyond the lab and into industry.

For a start-up company less than four years old, delivering a working prototype in 2024, and progressing to a pilot plant in 2025, are remarkable achievements. Through global conferences, exhibitions, and industry events, the company has showcased its vision and progress, raising awareness, building partnerships, and positioning SPARC Hydrogen as a global leader in photocatalytic hydrogen production.

With green hydrogen key in decarbonising the energy sector, the technology promises cost effective, reliable and abundant supply, with economic benefits for South, Australia and the world.