The awards celebrate university partnerships that deliver benefits for communities, industry and international partners.
UNSW Sydney researchers have won three 2026 Engagement Australia Awards for work in First Nations health, international solar repair and marine conservation.
The Engagement Australia Awards recognise the impact universities make through partnerships with communities, industry and international organisations. This year’s awards attracted 121 applications across eight categories.
Engagement Australia Chair and UNSW Vice-President, Societal Impact, Equity and Engagement, Professor Verity Firth AM, said the awards highlighted the impact universities have on society.
“Too often, the extraordinary partnerships happening between universities and their communities go unseen,” Prof. Firth said. “These awards are about what happens when university research makes it out of the lab and into the lives of people who need it most. They are about real people, real problems and practical solutions. This is what universities are here for.”
First Nations Health
The Kirby Institute’s First Nations Molecular Point-of-Care Testing Program won the Award for Excellence in Indigenous Engagement. The program supports more than 90 Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations across six jurisdictions, improving access to testing for nine infectious diseases that disproportionately affect First Nations communities. It was developed through partnership, co-design and community leadership, and has strengthened local capacity for diagnosis and care.
“The success and growth of the program reflects the commitment and leadership of the many First Nations communities, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, health professionals and government agencies who have partnered with the Kirby Institute over more than a decade. We also recognise the important contribution of our longstanding partner, Flinders University’s International Centre for Point-of-Care Testing, whose collaboration has helped support the program’s impact and reach,” said Kim Gates, Community Relations Lead for the First Nations Molecular Point-of-Care Testing Program at the Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney.
“We share this recognition with everyone who has contributed their knowledge, trust and support along the way. We are incredibly proud to work alongside people who continue to drive better health outcomes in ways that are locally led and responsive to community needs.”
Solar repairs in the Pacific
UNSW’s Beyond the Switch-On: Building a Global Solar Repair Ecosystem Across Africa and the Pacific won the Award for Excellence in International Engagement. In Vanuatu, the program has trained 141 people across eight islands, helping establish repair businesses and improve access to solar repair services for more than 93,000 people. The collaboration also connects local technical capability with industry practice and global policy.
Associate Professor Paul Munro from UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture, said the award would help the team expand its solar repair work across the Pacific.
“We’re looking to extend our work in the Pacific by building on what we’ve done in Vanuatu and scaling it across Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Timor-Leste and other locations. The prize gives us the profile and impetus to focus on these expansions and broaden the impact of the work,” A/Prof. Munro said.
Restoration of marine ecosystems
Professor Adriana Vergés received the Award for Outstanding Leadership in Engagement for her work regenerating marine ecosystems. Over the past decade, Prof. Vergés has developed a distinctive engagement model that brings together Indigenous communities, government agencies, industry, and conservation organisations to address complex environmental challenges.
Her work focuses on the restoration of marine ecosystems that have been degraded by pollution, coastal development and climate change, while creating opportunities for communities and partner organisations to participate in, contribute to and ultimately lead environmental recovery efforts.
Protecting against fires
UNSW Professor Guan Yeoh was also shortlisted as a finalist for the Award for Outstanding Engagement for Research Impact for a project with Flame Security International to develop non-toxic fire-retardant paint. Since 2018, the partnership has combined fire science and industry-led product development, including the creation of FSA FIRECOAT, described by the organisers as the world’s first BAL-40-rated fire-retardant paint. The collaboration aims to translate research into practical fire-safety solutions for Australian homes and infrastructure.
