Hub Program Enables $1M in Sustainable Solutions Projects

Smarter soil sensing, land regeneration for biochar, an AI soil carbon advisor and new ways of financing nature-positive cities are among six projects awarded funding in the 2025 round of the NSW Decarbonisation Innovation Hub’s Collaborative Projects Funding Program.

Led by the Hub’s Land and Primary Industries Network (LPIN), the program brings together researchers, industry partners and government agencies to develop practical decarbonisation solutions that will potentially deliver environmental, economic and social co-benefits for NSW.

LPIN provided almost $220,000 in direct financing, with additional industry and institutional funding bringing the total investment across these projects to nearly $1 million.

The support will help the successful teams pilot new technologies, explore emerging and novel approaches and accelerate the development of on-the-ground innovations for emissions reduction and carbon abatement.

LPIN Network Lead Uffe Nielsen congratulated the successful applicants and highlighted the strength of this year’s proposals.

The initiative forms part of LPIN’s broader strategy to deliver decarbonisation outcomes for the land sector and dependent industries in NSW. The funding provided through the program is seed funding, supporting scoping studies and pilot-phase initiatives designed to explore feasibility, test new approaches and lay the groundwork for larger-scale deployment.

The successful projects

Biochar‑mineral interactions in soil carbon stabilisation
Project lead: Dr Shamim Mia
Lead organisation: University of New England
Partners: University of Sydney, Tohoku University, Waste Circology

Much of the carbon added to soil breaks down quickly, limiting its potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This project will use field and laboratory trials, along with advanced chemical and spectroscopic techniques, to understand how biochar interacts with soil minerals to store carbon more securely over the long term. The research will help farmers and policymakers optimise biochar use to boost soil carbon storage, improve soil health and cut emissions across NSW.

Native biomass crops on degraded lands for biochar: An opportunity for land regeneration
Project lead: Dr Fabiano Ximenes
Lead organisation: Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
Partners: Western Sydney University, Seata Group, Catalyst Environment Management, Skye Point Innovation

Many degraded and marginal lands in the Hunter Valley are unsuitable for conventional cropping, limiting their potential to store carbon or support productive use. This project will test short-rotation native biomass crops in a mosaic approach, converting the harvested biomass into biochar and syngas. The initiative aims to sequester carbon, regenerate degraded land and produce renewable energy, while demonstrating a scalable, nature-positive solution with multiple co-benefits for rural communities and hard-to-abate industries.

Virtual Soil Carbon Advisor: Trusted advice for farmers and rural communities
Project lead: Nodoka Nakamichi
Project collaborators: Chris Lee, Sina Lengelsen-Brown
Lead organisations: University of Technology Sydney, Climate-KIC Australia
Partners: AgriProve (matched funding), University of Southern Queensland

Farmers and rural advisors face growing complexity in adopting decarbonisation and carbon farming practices, with existing information often fragmented and difficult to apply. This project will prototype a Virtual Soil Carbon Advisor, a conversational AI tool co-designed with farmers and advisors to provide trusted, accessible guidance. By making complex knowledge interactive and easy to use, the tool aims to strengthen on-farm decision-making, support regional resilience and accelerate adoption of soil carbon and climate-smart practices across NSW.

Reliable Soil Intelligence: Integrated Sensing and MRV‑Plus for NSW Decarbonisation
Project lead: Dr Negin Shariati
Project collaborator: Dr Rasool Keshavarz
Lead organisation: University of Technology Sydney
Partner: NTT Australia Solutions (matched funding)

Measuring and verifying soil carbon in NSW is costly, fragmented and uncertain. Traditional soil coring is accurate but labour-intensive, while satellite and sensor methods can be cheaper but need calibration and have limited depth coverage. This project will combine in-situ soil sensors with remote-sensing technology to create a unified, calibrated system for NSW, and apply machine learning to generate evidence-grade datasets. By producing reliable, easy-to-use soil data, the project will help farmers, advisors and policymakers make better decisions, lower monitoring costs and support wider adoption of carbon farming practices.

Innovative 3D Photovoltaic Panel Systems for Agrivoltaic Applications
Project lead: Dr Mahesh Suryawanshi
Lead organisation: University of New South Wales
Partner: Composite Reinforcement Solutions (CRS)

Conventional solar panels on farms often create uneven shading and limit land-use efficiency, reducing both crop yields and energy output. This project will design and prototype three-dimensional photovoltaic panels that capture sunlight from multiple angles while maintaining crop-friendly light distribution. By producing validated lab-scale prototypes and simulation data, the project will provide evidence for higher-yielding, crop-compatible AgriPV systems that could increase renewable energy generation on farms while maintaining agricultural productivity.

Funding nature-positive cities: Unlocking sustainability bonds for urban green infrastructure
Project lead: Prof Nicky Morrison
Lead organisation: Western Sydney University
Partners: NSW Treasury, NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, Business NSW, Urban Development Institute of Australia NSW, Blacktown City Council

Councils face funding barriers to delivering parks, tree canopy and other green infrastructure that support urban cooling, biodiversity and liveability. This project will explore how sustainability bonds and other innovative financing mechanisms can be adapted to fund these nature-based solutions. By developing practical funding models and place-based demonstrators in high-growth precincts, the project will show how financial tools can accelerate adoption, overcome delivery barriers and enable long-term, equitable investment in urban green infrastructure.

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