Circular Economy Research and Development Fund – Funded projects
Last updated: 18 September 2025
Number of recipients to date:
5 Organics; 20 Materials
Total funding awarded to date:
$1,294,776 Organics; $3,319,168 Materials
All projects to be completed by:
2025
These grants were part of the funding under the Victorian Government’s circular economy policy, Recycling Victoria: a new economy.
Prior to 1 July 2022, this fund was named the Recycling Victoria Research and Development Fund.
Organics
The fund supported research projects that explored new ways to use valuable recycled organic products, generating economic and environmental value from organics that previously ended up in landfill.
Grants focused on projects that:
- increased the value and effectiveness of existing recycled organics
- strengthened the recycled organics market
- improved soil quality and crop yields
- overcame commercial barriers to success in the recycled organics sector.
Materials
These grants funded projects that enabled research institutes to partner with the industry to research and develop new uses for recycled priority materials.
The fund aimed to accelerate markets, confidence and demand for recycled products in Victoria.
Grants focused on projects that:
- support research institutes and industry to collaborate on innovative solutions that increase use of recycled materials
- identify and develop new domestic markets for recycled materials
- diversify products and processes using recycled priority materials – both existing and emerging
- improve confidence and demand for recycled priority materials
- support Victoria’s transition to a circular economy.
Fund recipients
-
Announcement date: 21 June 2022
Agpath Pty Ltd
Project proposal
- Better understand the potential for a range of organic amendments to improve soil health and plant yield.
Funding
$297,000
Cirque du Soil
Project proposal
- Develop fertiliser products derived from food waste diverted from landfill through rigorous soil and plant testing trials
Funding
$165,776
Elmore Compost and Organics
Project proposal
- Establish a deep soil amelioration research and demonstration trial site in dryland grains cropping on clay soil in north central Victoria.
Funding
$232,000
Gaia EnviroTech
Project proposal
- Address two key barriers that currently prevent anaerobic digestion from being commercially viable in Australia.
Funding
$300,000
Terra Nova Ag
Project proposal
- Develop an integrated recycled organics Sub Soil Amelioration (SSA) solution that can be easily deployed across a wide range of cropping operations in the medium and high rainfall zones of Victoria.
Funding
$300,000
-
Announcement date: 6 October 2021
ARRB Group
Project proposal
- Investigate the use of an aggregate blend incorporating recycled glass to reduce the volume of imported treated natural aggregate and the add value to recycled glass fines to make the use of High Friction Surface Treatment (HFST) more sustainable and affordable by road agencies and local governments.
Funding
$81,000
CSIRO
Project proposal
- Develop material specifications for uPVC recyclate with PVC compounders and manufacturers
- Develop a prototype device that will analyse the composition of PVC recyclate and determine what compounds need to be added to a particular input blend to achieve an output that meets the developed standard.
Funding
$300,000
Deakin University
Project proposal
- Maximise the amount of recycled polypropylene (PP) that can be incorporated into Gale Pacific’s existing product the ‘Landmark polyfabric’.
- Undertake testing and evaluation to determine the maximum amount of recycled PP that can be used without adversely impacting the final product.
Funding
$255,000
Monash University
This research project will develop reinforced recycled plastic modular platform elements for tram stop platforms.
Funding: $300,000
RMIT
Project proposal
- Develop an innovative approach to control the dimensional instability of cardboard sections from core engineering principles.
- Augment this theoretical approach by strengthening and testing cardboards in the laboratory.
- Use these strengthened sections with proper connections to construct a truss.
- Test this proof-of-concept design and application to Australian Standard loading conditions in the laboratory and evaluated by industry partners with practical application to case study sites.
Funding
$91,168
RMIT
Project proposal
- Develop a low carbon concrete containing pre-treated cardboard waste as partial replacement for natural coarse and fine aggregates.
- Develop this mix-design for adoption in a light and efficient precast wall panel system that is capable of being used in multi-unit residential and commercial constructions.
Funding
$200,000
RMIT
Project proposal
- Develop roof purlins by sandwiching reinforced plastics between two timber veneers, and lightweight composite panels for roof solar systems using recycled glass for integrating Photovoltaics.
- Optimise capture and use of recycled materials in standard building and construction materials and processes.
Funding
$200,000
Swinburne University of Technology
Project proposal
- Develop a new process for recycling polystyrene with tyre crumbs to manufacture performance enhanced composite products.
- Develop waffle pod spacers and reinforcing alignment products for residential housing slabs made out of recycled expanded polystyrene (EPS) and tyre crumb.
Funding
$200,000
Swinburne University of Technology
Project proposal
- Explore new applications for utilisation of recycled plastics in innovative bedding solutions, including frames and mattresses.
- Employ micro fibre reinforced recycled plastic with the novel design of modular ROBOBED features to enable manufacturing of bedding componentry with structural performance equivalent or exceeding the existing solutions made of foamed plastics or wood timber features.
Funding
$300,000
Victoria University
Project proposal
- Investigate the utilisation of blends of recycled glass, plastic, and tyre, as well as construction and demolition wastes (CDW) as backfilling materials in sewer infrastructure embedded in expansive clay in order to minimise the potential subsidence or settlements in “trafficable areas”.
Funding
$220,000
-
Deakin University
Project proposal
- Purchase a granulator, as part of a pigment micro-factory with the ability to produce pigments from textile waste.
- Build on previous research into producing and trialling pigments derived from textile waste for use in packaging, wood paint, textile and footwear production and craft colour.
Funding
$42,000
Monash Institute of Railway Technology
Project proposal
- Partner with Integrated Recycling, Advanced Circular Polymers, Pandrol and the Australian Rail Track Corporation to develop the next generation advanced composite plastic railway sleeper, as a concrete sleeper alternative for mainline railway networks in Victoria.
Funding
$500,000
Porous Lane
Project proposal
- Develop, prepare and obtain Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for Porous Lane's waste tyre permeable pavement products.
- Build upon the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Porous Lane previously completed with funding received from Sustainability Victoria.
Funding
$30,000
Robovoid Pty Ltd
Project proposal
- Enhance previous research, testing and prototype production undertaken, by completing demonstration and commercialisation activities of Robovoid’s 100% recycled plastic solution for bed bases.
Funding
$100,000
Sequence Digital
Project proposal
- Further develop and support IP protection for Sequence Digital’s battery management system, which allows the reuse of discarded lithium-ion batteries, to extend the useful life of these batteries.
Funding
$6,260
Swinburne University of Technology
Project proposal
- Develop full-scale prototyping of the manufactured roller barriers, which is required for mass production.
- Further develop and test foaming technology to increase the waste tyre recycled content of the barriers from 50% to 75%.
Funding
$111,037
Swinburne University of Technology
Project proposal
- Build on previous research to explore the scalability of recycled/recyclable mattress components, by investigating the performance characteristics available waste materials, undertaking further design modification and developing production methodologies for mass manufacturing of recycled plastic mattress components.
Funding
$195,000
University of Melbourne
Project proposal
- Undertake field monitoring of a waste tyre permeable kerb prototype. Additional rounds of testing will provide data on in-situ performance, water quality and microplastics for a complete seasonal climactic cycle. This data will allow for a more comprehensive evaluation of the waste tyre permeable kerb prototype over time and build confidence among industry stakeholders and end-users.
Funding
$56,899
Victoria University
Project proposal
- With project partners Greater Western Water and Ground Science Pty Ltd, conduct a full-scale trial for backfilling excavated trenches under trafficable areas using recycled material blends.
- Trial construction, monitoring and additional life cycle analysis for the product.
Funding
$61,710
Victoria University
- Deliver a full-scale trial and testing of a car park with concrete incorporating textile and cardboard fibres.
- Validate previous experimental and software simulations of the product and provide benchmarking for commercial use of the product in low-stress applications such as driveways, car parks and footpaths.
Funding
$69,094
More information
This grant program is closed, but you can email us if you have any queries.