Resourcing Decarbonisation Strategic Program

About the Resourcing Decarbonisation Strategic Program

Resourcing Decarbonisation (RD) is a seed-funding initiative from The University of Queensland designed to catalyse impact-driven research into fundamental questions underpinning the transition to a net-zero carbon economy. This strategic program acknowledges the thematic diversity of the challenges in achieving net-zero and has supported research across multiple disciplines including science, engineering, economics and social sciences. Five core themes have been identified as foundational in understanding and surmounting these challenges.

The Resourcing Decarbonisation program ran from 2023 to 2025 and funded 27 research projects. It was particularly successful in attracting and securing external financial support for these projects. UQ provided $1.5M of seed funding over the Program’s 3-year term, which was leveraged to secure an additional $4M of external funding – a 268% return on investment. This significantly exceeded the Program’s target of $2.5M in external funding. Funding partners included the United Nations, Australian State and Federal Governments, BHP, Rio Tinto, Codelco, Volkswagen Auto Group and Accenture.

Generated over $4M of external investment from seed capital of $1.5M, significantly exceeding target.
Produced a substantial policy brief presented to global thought leaders within the T20 group that charted a people-centred strategy to critical minerals project development designed safeguard local and indigenous communities. This was part of the 2024 G20 summit
Contributed to the development of several novel technologies designed to reduce the energy intensity and carbon footprint of the resources sector
Identification of novel sources of critical metals from existing base metal resources and mine waste.
Mapped the global footprint of the Australian critical metal industry and its supply chains, looking at strengths, weaknesses risks and opportunities for Australia, with comparison to industries developed in comparable jurisdictions.
Created and delivered a new professional development services to industry, highlighting the need for responsible organisational behaviour and ESG practises in the mineral resources sector and providing pathways to achieve it.

Several projects initiated with funding from Resourcing Decarbonisation are ongoing or have been rolled over into larger, externally funded projects. These include the coarse particle recovery PhD research, which has evolved into a larger, post-doctoral research project assessing the suitability of conventional flotation cells for their use in the highly promising energy-saving technology of coarse particle flotation and recovery.

Energy minerals: complexities of supply and risk

The suite of natural resources that are required to build the infrastructure to transition to a net-zero carbon economy. These range from metals with well-established existing supply chains such as copper, to specialty elements that are supply-constrained, such as the magnet rare earth metals like neodymium.

Mitigating the carbon intensity of resource production

Reducing the carbon intensity of resources production has the dual benefits of lessening the industry’s global impact on climate change, while also potentially shielding the industry against rising energy and fuel costs.

Market incentives and business readiness

The transition to a net-zero carbon economy not only requires the development of new technologies but will also hinge on challenging and re-defining existing structures and strategies in our productive industries.

Policy protections and social safeguards

A crucial aspect to managing the transition to a net-zero carbon future is to identify potential social and environmental impacts that arise or are exacerbated by the transition.

Risk interactions and complex system behaviour

Finding and developing the critical resources needed to build a zero-carbon future by 2050 will necessarily require a rapid acceleration of the pace of exploration, permitting and mine development. This acceleration will bring with it a host of interrelated risks.

The Resourcing Decarbonisation Strategic Program works closely with partners in government, industry and other academic insititutions including:

Euclideon Pty Ltd, a Brisbane based 3D data solution company on A National Digital Twin for Critical Metals and ESG
University of Exeter, via the QUEX program on Circular Economics of Climate Induced Innovation in Mining Regions
BHP on High Voltage Pulse-Enhanced Leaching of Mineral Ores
Queensland Government on Improving Circularity in Queensland’s New Economy Minerals
Queensland Government and ICMM on Tools to Support Climate Resilient Resource Development

Research lead

Associate Professor Steven Micklethwaite
Principal Research Fellow, Sustainable Minerals Institute
View Steven Micklethwaite's research profile

Leadership panel

Associate Professor Simon Smart
School of Chemical Engineering
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
View Simon Smart's research profile

Associate Professor Laura Sonter
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Faculty of Science
View Laura Sonter's research profile

Caroline Stott
Associate Director, Energy Transitions
Strategic Partnerships – Government and Industry
View Caroline Stott's profile

Professor Greg Marston
Centre Director, Centre for Policy Futures
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
View Greg Marston's profile