About SAGE-M

Why this Centre, why now

Catalysts are the invisible workhorses of modern chemistry — it's estimated that ~90% of commercially produced chemical products involve catalysts at some stage of manufacture. They make reactions faster, more selective, and dramatically less energy-intensive.

But not all catalysts are "green". Many rely on scarce precious metals or produce hazardous waste. As Europe's REACH regulations tighten and circular-economy goals reshape global supply chains, Australia's manufacturers need catalysts — and the scientists who design them — that last longer, pollute less, and use abundant materials.

Our vision

To establish Australia as a leader in sustainable and green-economy manufacturing by producing a critical mass of highly skilled, industry-ready, entrepreneurial scientists expert in cutting-edge catalysis.

Aims

• Research: Exploit cutting-edge catalysis to develop novel products and processes with industrial applicability.
• Train the next generation: Produce industry-ready PhD graduates and postdocs expert in sustainable manufacturing, bioactives, and energy catalysis.
• Upskill the existing workforce: Offer professional training in modern catalytic technology and regulatory affairs.

Centre structure

SAGE-M is hosted by Monash University with nodes at Deakin University, RMIT University, and the University of Melbourne. The Centre runs for five years and is governed by a Director, Executive Committee, a full-time Centre Manager, and an Advisory Board.

How we're different

• A bespoke, formal training program that goes beyond individual PhD supervision — covering regulatory affairs, commercialisation, and industry practice.
• Every student works directly with an industry partner organisation, with placement opportunities built in.
• Direct links to the UK Catalysis Hub, UniSysCat (TU Berlin) and SC² (Bayreuth) for global mobility.
• ML- and AI-assisted reaction discovery and materials design built into the research workflow.

Funded by

SAGE-M is supported by the Australian Research Council (ARC) under the Industrial Transformation Training Centres (ITTC) scheme, project IC250100004, and by cash and in-kind contributions from each university node, CSIRO and the industry partner organisations.