Chief of Inspiring Australia NSW Emily Jateff, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Wollongong Professor Max Lu AO, NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer, Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology Anoulack Chanthivong and Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte at the official launch of Science Week NSW at the university’s Science Space. Photo: Michael Gray.
The University of Wollongong (UOW) is set to play a starring role in a scientific push that could help reshape Australia’s energy future, with the Illawarra emerging as one of the nation’s key hydrogen innovation hubs.
Coinciding with the launch of Science Week, the NSW Government has announced a $650,000 injection into UOW’s research on hydrogen pipeline safety — a niche but critical field where the university is not only the sole player in Australia, but one of just five institutions worldwide capable of conducting this level of testing.
On campus for the announcement, Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology Anoulack Chanthivong said the NSW Government was excited to see UOW, in partnership with industry, pave the way for a more sustainable and innovative future.
“The University of Wollongong has produced nation-leading and globally-recognised work on hydrogen in the past,” he said. “This project sits at the intersection of our Industry Policy and Innovation Blueprint, reflecting the importance of investing in scientific research to help solve the challenges shaping the future of some of our biggest industries,” he said.
The research will run for two years, drilling into the leading cause of hydrogen pipeline failures and creating new risk assessment and design tools to prevent them. The goal is safer, more reliable pipelines that could reduce infrastructure costs and accelerate the global shift to hydrogen as a clean fuel.
By zeroing in on the engineering challenges that come with transporting hydrogen — an element that is both promising and notoriously difficult to handle — the project is positioning NSW at the front of the global race for safe, scalable hydrogen infrastructure.
Minister for the Illawarra and South Coast Ryan Park called the funding a catalyst for the region’s scientific standing.
“Through this $650,000 grant to the University of Wollongong, the Illawarra is poised to become a hub for scientific innovation,” he said.
“It’s fantastic to support the University of Wollongong in vital research that could address global challenges and positions the Illawarra as a leader in sustainable energy innovation.”
That ambition is already building on a foundation of local breakthroughs.
Member for Wollongong Paul Scully pointed out that Wollongong had been a test bed for hydrogen-powered buses, garbage trucks, and the state’s first heavy vehicle hydrogen refuelling station, as well as the Illawarra Hydrogen Technology Hub.
He said the latest funding was a natural next step.
“Building from this success, the grant to the University of Wollongong is a welcome means to further advance this research and innovation,” he said.
Hydrogen’s appeal is simple but transformative: it produces only water when used as fuel, making it a zero-emission alternative to fossil fuels. But getting it from production sites to where it’s needed means dealing with its tiny, leak-prone molecules, high flammability, and the risk of embrittling metals over time — challenges that UOW is uniquely equipped to study.
The project will work closely with industry collaborators including Inspiring Australia NSW and Science Space, ensuring its findings are not only cutting-edge but grounded in real-world application.
