HILT CRC ANNUAL CONFERENCE
thursday 17 OCTOBER and friday 18 OCTOBER 2024
HILT CRC’s 3rd Annual Conference – De-risking Decarbonisation – brought together research, industry and government partners in Adelaide, South Australia, to connect and discuss HILT’s activities and progress in helping heavy industry’s transition to a low-carbon future.
With a mixture of speakers, breakout sessions and networking opportunities, the conference included ‘deep dive’ presentations on current projects and research outcomes and discussion on next steps, and fostered collaboration between industry, research and government partners.
View the conference photo galleries
Watch the conference video:
conference highlights
151 DELEGATES ACROSS 2 DAYS
- 12 research institutions
- 29 industry organisations
- 6 government organisations
AWARD WINNERS
- Best contribution to industry-research collaboration: Swinburne University for Project RP1.009
- Best contribution to de-risking and accelerating decarbonisation: Dr Tara Hosseini, CSIRO for Project RP2.006
- Best contribution to research quality: Uni of Adelaide, Curtin University and ANU for Projects RP1.008 and RP1.011
- Best PhD presentation: Chris Cooper, ANU
QUOTE OF THE CONFERENCE
“Timing, timing, timing! There’s a lot happening and we’re doing great work, but we need to make sure we get results in time to … have an impact.“
HILT CRC Program 3 Research Leader Associate Professor Fiona Beck, ANU
Guest speakers
- The Hon Tom Koutsantonis MP, Minister for Energy and Mining
- Tanya Hodgson, Business Development and Transactions Director, Australian Renewable Energy Agency
- The Hon Susan Close MP, Deputy Premier of SA; Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science; Minister for Climate, Environment and Water
- Paul Cobden, Swerim.
Conference Program at a glance
GUEST SPEAKERS
Hon Tom Koutsantonis MP, SA Minister for Energy and Mining
SA Government perspective
9.30am, Thursday 17 October
Tom Koutsantonis has been the Member of Parliament for the seat of West Torrens since 1997 and is currently Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Energy and Mining and the Leader of Government Business in the House of Assembly.
Tom previously held ministerial appointments for Transport and Infrastructure between 2013 and 2014 and Mineral Resources and Energy between 2011 and 2018. He was also responsible for these portfolios in the Shadow Ministry between 2018 and 2022.
Tanya Hodgson, Investment Manager, ARENA
ARENA’s role in the decarbonisation of heavy industry
9.45am, Thursday 17 October
Tanya Hodgson is an Investment Manager at the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), working across ARENA’s low emissions metals and hydrogen portfolios. Tanya works with start-ups to incumbents, developing and executing early-stage renewable energy technology investment opportunities. This industry exposure provides unique perspectives on the challenges and opportunities facing hard-to-abate industrial sectors in Australia.
Tanya has a technical background in the sciences, holding a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Applied Biology, and a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering, from the University of Cape Town. Prior to ARENA, Tanya was at management consulting firm Bain & Company, working on over 20 cases across South Africa and Australia.
Hon Susan Close MP, SA Deputy Premier
Guest Speaker
Conference Dinner, Thursday 17 October
Susan Close is the Deputy Premier of South Australia and the Minister for Climate, Environment and Water; Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science; and Minister for Workforce and Population Strategy.
Susan has been the Member for Port Adelaide since 2012.
Before entering parliament, Susan was an executive in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and played a key role in the establishment of the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary as a community advocate. She previously worked at the University of Adelaide managing student services and holds a PhD from Flinders University.
Paul Cobden, Swerim
Industry perspective – Research facilities to support decarbonisation priorities
4:00pm, Friday 18 October
Paul Cobden is a trained chemist, having graduated from the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK, in 1992. After gaining experience in catalysis at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands, he spent 20 years at ECN (later TNO), specialising in CO2 capture technology using solid sorbents across various industries. Since 2019, he has been with Swerim, focusing on decarbonisation efforts, particularly within the metallurgy industry. Paul has authored over 70 publications, holds an H-index of 35, and has 7 patents to his name. He has played a significant role in 19 large European research projects, primarily in the TRL5-7 space, securing €195 million in funding for the involved companies and over €35 million for his employing organisation at the time.
