Welcome to the first edition of the UniQuest newsletter for 2026 - a collaborative initiative of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation) and UniQuest, The University of Queensland's commercialisation company.

This edition reflects the many ways UQ research is creating impact in the world, and the role UniQuest plays in helping those ideas take shape. Today we share stories of research making a difference, from new tools supporting koala conservation nationally, to UQ-founded startups taking biomedical technologies to patients and markets around the world.

Learn more about SHAPE Maker, a new UniQuest initiative supporting impact beyond traditional commercialisation for researchers in the humanities, arts and social sciences; celebrate another strong outcome from the Navigator program for researchers in the physical sciences; and explore the upcoming launch of SPARK at UQ, a global program from Stanford University designed to accelerate the translation of biomedical research from bench to bedside.

We hope this edition sparks ideas, connections and conversations, no matter where you are on your impact journey.

Koalas are under growing pressure from disease, habitat loss and a changing climate. Tracking how they respond to these pressures depends on detailed understanding of genetics, health and resilience.

Dr Lyndal Hulse from UQ School of Environment has developed a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) technology to help researchers analyse genetic variation across koala populations.

UniQuest has licensed the intellectual property to not-for-profit Australian Genome Research Facility (AGRF), making the standardised genetic test for koalas available for national use.

These insights have the potential to inform conservation strategies, support disease management and contribute to long-term outcomes for the species, which is listed as endangered in Queensland, NSW and the ACT.

Hot takes

• Big in Japan: UQ startup Q-Sera, founded by UniQuest in 2012, has taken a venom-inspired research discovery from the lab to the clinic, with its blood-clotting technology rolled out to patients in Japan by leading medical device company, Terumo Medical Corporation. The technology was backed by The UniQuest Extension Fund. Read the media release or share on LinkedIn.

• Global AMR spotlight: Hear from UQCCR researcher Dr Leah Roberts in episode two of the BBC's new antimicrobial resistance podcast series, exploring why antibiotic discovery remains one of the toughest challenges in medicine. Listen here.

• Top of the class: TIME Magazine has ranked UQ #1 in Australia and 30th globally for innovation and economic impact, recognising the work that translates research and teaching into benefit for society, including that of  UniQuest.

• Making waves: Founded by UniQuest in 2025, UQ startup Cortisonic is attracting national attention for its phonon-based chip technology powering next-generation computing beyond data centres. Read more here.

• No risky business: LiberoAI has signed a 6-month evaluation licensing agreement with UniQuest to use CaNeTA in its suite of heavy-industry business solutions. Developed by Dr Ben Seligmann and his team at UQ's Sustainable Minerals Institute, CaNeTA is a causal risk analysis platform bringing advanced risk network modelling into enterprise decision-making.

• Vicebio:  Sanofi has now completed its acquisition of the company commercialising UQ's Molecular Clamp technology. ICYMI, read UniQuest CEO Dr Dean Moss's editorial about this landmark deal.

Navigator win: Shaping real-world learning for a second year 

Last year's Navigator-CM pilot brought together UQ research teams for a fast-paced validation sprint, challenging participants to look beyond the lab and test their assumptions in the market.

Designed and delivered by Peter Kambouris and UniQuest, the program saw teams refine their concepts, engage with real-world needs and pitch their learnings to expert judges.

Congratulations to Zhiliang Wang and Yuchen Li from the School of Chemical Engineering, whose plastic recycling technology was awarded $25,000 in commercialisation support after demonstrating the strongest learning velocity, moving from theory to evidence, fast.

With the Navigator Program now open for 2026, UQ researchers in the physical sciences have the opportunity to sharpen their commercial thinking, test demand early and build evidence around product-market fit alongside a UniQuest project manager.

Teams have the opportunity to be secure $25,000 in follow-on funding to support the commercialisation strategy for their innovation.

Read here for more info and to apply.

Sarah Chalmers

Manager, Commercialisation Operations

Sarah joined UniQuest in 2015 in the Contracts team and has worked across multiple roles including in contract administration, as an executive assistant to the Executive Director and as Manager, Commercialisation Operations.

Most recently, Sarah has been seconded to the Resources Technology and Critical Minerals Trailblazer program, strengthening the investability of early-stage ventures.

Originally from Rockhampton in Central Queensland, Sarah moved to Brisbane as a teenager, before commencing a degree majoring in archaeology at The University of Queensland.

"I think I had a very cinematic idea of what archaeology would be," she said. "The reality is a little less Indiana Jones, a bit slower and more methodical and, as it turns out, was not a good fit for me."

Sarah's early career gave her a strong operational foundation across franchising and legal services. At the Australian Franchising Corporation, she supported new store openings and worked closely with underperforming sites across Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne to improve operations and drive revenue. She moved into property law as a paralegal, building further experience in contracts and structured, process-driven work.

Since joining UniQuest Sarah has recommenced her studies while working full-time, undertaking a Bachelor of Business.

"I've always learned best by doing and coming back to study at this point of my life feels meaningful as it's connected to the work I'm doing every day," she said.

"Before UniQuest, I didn't even know what a startup was. Now I get to work with people who are trying to solve genuinely complex problems, which is incredibly rewarding."

A recent highlight for Sarah was attending the AUTM Annual Conference in Seattle and visiting leading universities in San Francisco, which she revisited for the first time since travelling to the US as an exchange student some 20 years earlier.

"As a kid from regional Queensland, those places felt completely out of reach and like another world away in terms of innovation," she said.

"Returning years later and being able to contribute meaningfully to conversations about research commercialisation, and to share what we're doing at UniQuest, was a real full-circle moment."

Contact Sarah.

UniQuest acknowledges the Traditional Owners and their custodianship of the lands on which The University of Queensland and UniQuest are situated.
We pay our respects to their Ancestors and their descendants, who continue cultural and spiritual connections to Country. ​​We recognise their valuable contributions to Australian and global society.