The Go8 and the united states

Navigating strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific

The United States Studies Centre (USSC) at the University of Sydney has become one of the Indo-Pacific’s leading institutions dedicated to understanding the United States and strengthening the Australia–US relationship. Since its establishment in 2007, the Centre has built a reputation as a trusted, non-partisan source of analysis on American politics, foreign policy, defence strategy, economics, technology and the changing regional order.

Guided by its mission of Analysis of America. Insight for Australia. Solutions for the Alliance, the Centre provides policymakers, industry leaders and strategic communities in both Australia and the United States with rigorous research on the challenges shaping the future of the Indo-Pacific. Its work helps decision-makers better understand issues including defence strategy, economic security, technological competition and regional stability.

Today, the USSC is recognised as a leading voice on the Australia-US alliance and the broader Indo-Pacific strategic environment, providing independent analysis that informs policy and contributes to more effective cooperation between partners.

Taking Australian Innovation to the Moon

Australia is preparing to send its first lunar rover to the Moon, marking a significant milestone in the nation’s growing contribution to international space exploration. Adelaide University is playing a key role in the project as part of a national consortium working alongside the Australian Space Agency and NASA.

The rover known as Roo-Ver, will travel to the Moon’s south polar region in 2030 as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. Its mission will be to collect valuable scientific data and support future exploration activities on the lunar surface. 

The project builds on Adelaide University’s long-standing collaboration with NASA and the broader US space sector through initiatives such as the SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre and the Andy Thomas Centre for Space Resources. These partnerships continue to strengthen Australia’s contribution to future lunar and deep-space missions

MAVERIC: Building Australia’s AI Future

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping science, healthcare, industry and national capability. As researchers tackle increasingly complex challenges, access to advanced computing infrastructure has become essential. Monash University is helping position Australia at the forefront of this transformation through MAVERIC, the nation’s first university-led AI supercomputer.

Developed in partnership with NVIDIA, Dell Technologies and CDC Data Centres, MAVERIC, was launched in  2026, to provide researchers with unprecedented computing power for AI-enabled discovery. Designed as both ahigh-performing AI platform and a secure Trusted Research Environment, MAVERIC enables authorised researchers to work with sensitive data under strict governance and security controls.

Beyond individual projects, MAVERIC is strengthening Australia’s sovereign capability in advanced computing and ensuring researchers have access to the tools needed to remain globally competitive in the age of AI. It provides the scale, speed and security required to translate vast quantities of data into practical solutions with real-world impact.

World-First Fire Resistant Paint

Wildfires are an increasing threat in both Australia and the United States, causing catastrophic loss of life, environmental destruction, and billions of dollars in damage. The University of New South Wales (UNSW) and Flame Security International (FSI) have jointly developed intumescent paint technology with the potential to significantly reduce the spread and impact of bushfires.

Led by Professor Guan Yeoh from UNSW’s School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, the research team spent five years refining a formula that delivers superior fire‑retardant performance. The resulting product, FSA FIRECOAT, expands under extreme heat, produces a thick layer of char which offers an insulating barrier and effectively deflects the heat from the fire away.

FIRECOAT is the first coating to pass the stringent Australian Standard AS 3959 bushfire simulation test, achieving a Bushfire Attack Level‑40 rating. Commercially launched in 2023, it is now distributed nationally through Bunnings and internationally through Ace Hardware.

Mt Stromlo to the Moon

As humanity prepares for a new era of deep-space exploration, reliable high-speed communication between spacecraft and Earth is becoming increasingly important. The Australian National University (ANU) played a central role in helping NASA demonstrate a breakthrough technology during the Artemis II mission – the first crewed mission beyond Earth’s orbit in more than 50 years.

In April 2026, four astronauts aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft travelled further from Earth than any human mission since the Apollo era.  For the first time, optical communications using laser technology were employed to transmit high-definition video, flight data, photos and voice communications over vast distances in space.

ANU’s Quantum Optical Ground Station (QOGS) at Mt Stromlo was one of only three ground stations worldwide selected to receive the laser signals. Working alongside NASA facilities in California and New Mexico, the Australian station provided critical geographic coverage that improved the reliability and performance of the communication network.

BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart

The Monash University-led Artificial Heart Frontiers Program partners with US-based BiVACOR Inc and BiVACOR Australia and leading Australian universities (including two other Group of Eight members The University of Queensland and UNSW Sydney), research institutes, and hospitals. The consortium is developing and commercialising next‑generation cardiac devices to address the most common forms of heart failure and strengthen Australia’s sovereign capability in cardiac‑device innovation.

At the centre of the program is the BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart, invented by Australian biomedical engineer Dr Daniel Timms. The compact implant replaces both ventricles and uses a magnetically levitated rotor to pump blood throughout the body.

In July 2024, the collaboration reached a global milestone when surgeons at the Texas Heart Institute at Baylor St Luke’s Medical Center in Houston implanted the world’s first BiVACOR Total Artificial Heart.

Listening for one of the rarest events in the universe

Some of the most important discoveries in astronomy come from events that occur only once in a generation. University of Melbourne researchers are working with leading US and international partners to ensure scientists are ready when the next supernova explodes within our galaxy.

The University of Melbourne is part of the LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA Collaboration an international network of gravitational-wave observatories including that includes the US- Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), Virgo in Italy, and KAGRA in Japan. Together, researchers are preparing for the first-ever detection of gravitational waves from a core-collapse supernova – the explosive death of a star at least eight times the mass of the Sun.

Working with researchers from the University of Florida, Georgia Institute of Technology and other international partners, Dr Yi Shuen Christine Lee and her team have developed new methods for identifying the faint signatures expected from a supernova event. Their work combines advanced analysis tools to improve scientists’ ability to extract valuable information when the next signal arrives.

Targeting one of America’s deadliest health crises

For over a decade, opioid overdose has been a leading cause of preventable death in the US, responsible for more deaths  than car accidents. Kinoxis Therapeutics, with funding from the  US National Institutes of Health (NIH) is developing solutions to one of America’s most urgent public health challenges.

Born out of basic research at Sydney University, Kinoxis  developed KNX100, an ALOX15 inhibitor with the potential to treat addiction and other disorders of the brain and mind. KNX100 demonstrated potent anti-addictive properties in numerous pre-clinical studies.

KNX100 is now being evaluated in an active Phase 2 clinical trial for treating agitation associated with dementia. Kinoxis is also exploring opportunities to fund further clinical development targeting opioid and other substance use disorders.

Preparing leaders for the AUKUS Era

The success of major international security partnerships depends not only on technology and capability, but also on people. Adelaide University’s Global Executive MBA in Defence and Space (GEMBA) has been designed to develop the leaders needed for an increasingly complex strategic environment.

Delivered in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University’s – Tepper School of Business in the United States and the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, the program combines advanced business education with specialised training in defence, space, cybersecurity, geopolitics and procurement.

The program attracts high-calibre professionals from across government, defence industry and the military, including participants from leading organisations such as Boeing, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin and the European Space Agency.  Through an intensive international format, participants develop strategic leadership skills while building trusted professional networks across allied nations. 

Shaping the Future of Scalable Quantum Computing

Most quantum platforms are still experimental, expensive and hard to scale. The University of New South Wales’ silicon‑based quantum technologies are among the few globally recognised pathways capable of scaling to useful, fault‑tolerant quantum computers — shaping investment, strategy and the future quantum ecosystem.

UNSW spinouts Diraq (led by Professor Andrew Dzurak) and Silicon Quantum Computing (led by Professor Michelle Simmons AC) have been selected by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to progress to Stage B of its Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, a major global effort assessing which quantum technologies can achieve practical, utility-scale performance by 2033. As part of Stage B, both companies will develop detailed R&D plans and risk-reduction prototypes on the path toward useful, fault-tolerant quantum computers.

Grant to address brain aging

As the population ages, demand for treatments that can repair and regenerate damaged nerves, bones and tendons by promoting the body’s natural healing processes is increasing.  Orthocell, a spin‑out from the University of Western Australia, is expanding access to these regenerative therapies for patients in the United States.

Using technologies developed by Professor Minghao Zheng and his team at UWA, Orthocell is introducing Australian regenerative medicine into US clinical practice. Its collagen barrier membrane, Striate+™, is registered by the FDA for guided bone and tissue regeneration in dental procedures.

In 2025, Orthocell received FDA clearance for Remplir™, a collagen nerve wrap used in peripheral nerve repair. Remplir reduces the need for sutures, supports nerve regeneration and shortens healing time.

Wonder vaccine for cervical cancer

Few university–industry collaborations have delivered global impact at the scale of Gardasil, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine developed at The University of Queensland (UQ) which is reducing cancer rates in the US. and around the world.

More than two decades after its invention, Gardasil stands as one of the most powerful examples of UQ’s enduring engagement with the United States, linking Australian biomedical research to US industry leadership, public health policy and long-term cancer prevention outcomes.

Gardasil originated from pioneering work conducted at UQ by Professor Ian Frazer, Dr Jian Zhou and collaborators, who developed the foundational technology that made the world’s first HPV vaccines possible.

The intellectual property was patented and licensed by UniQuest, UQ’s commercialisation arm, to CSL for early clinical development who on-licensed to Merck & Co., one of the largest US pharmaceutical companies, to undertake the large final stages of clinical development: to manufacture and sell the product at global scale.

Plants for Space

As NASA prepares for long-duration missions to the Moon and eventually Mars, one of the biggest challenges is ensuring astronauts can produce nutritious food and essential material far from earth. Adelaide University is helping solve that challenge through the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space (P4S).

Led by Professor Matthew Gilliham, P4S brings together researchers across plant science, nutrition, engineering, psychology and space law, alongside 36 partners including NASA and the University of California (UC Berkeley and Davis).

The Centre is developing technologies that will enable humans to live and work sustainably in space. The goal is to reduce reliance on resupply from Earth and so enabling sustainable human exploration far beyond our home planet.

Symbol of good health

The low GI diet is a household word and an eating pattern around the world – and is the result of research at Go8 member the University of Sydney. The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates more than 30.3 million Americans have diabetes and a low GI symbol has been developed to assist Americans make nutritionally healthy food purchases; with a low GI diet proven to lower blood pressure in diabetes sufferers. A low GI diet was initially developed for such people before its wider role in healthy eating and weight loss was established.

Microscopic scanner

Using technology similar to a barcode scanner, a sophisticated microscope will enable scientists to better analyse complex medical problems. With a US-based industry optics partner, Go8 member ANU is working to further expand the invention’s capacity. The microscope can speed up or slow down to capture the slow-moving cells in a blood stream or the live neutrons firing rapidly in a brain.