Pharmacy raises $10,000 of products for charity

Star Discount Chemist recently donated $10,000 worth of sanitary products to KickStart for Kids Against Period Poverty, a local charity distributing sanitary items to around 360 public schools.

KickStart for Kids founder Ian Steele said he had been “overwhelmed by the support”.

“It’s through amazing businesses, like Star Discount Chemist, that we are able to continue supplying sanitary products to the girls that need them most,” he said.

A 2020 survey showed one in four South Australians with periods had missed out on school due to no access to sanitary products. One in two did not know how to access the items at school.

– Isabella Kelly 

Renascor scores $5 million grant

Renascor Resources has received a $5 million grant under the Australian Government’s International Partnerships in Critical Minerals Program for its Battery Anode Material graphite mine and manufacturing operation (BAM Project).

The grant will co-fund the $10 million demonstration processing plant, which will produce Purified Spherical Graphite for lithium-ion battery anodes.

Renascor managing director David Christensen said the grant “recognises the strategic significance of the Siviour Battery Anode Material Project and its potential to become a long-term producer of Purified Spherical Graphite”.

“We will now be able to build upon the significant work already completed on our downstream processing designs and further demonstrate that our eco-friendly, Hf-free purification technology can deliver a globally competitive PSG production operation,” he said.

– Isabella Kelly

Power Minerals raises $2.4 million

Power Minerals has raised $2.4 million to advance South American exploration, with a focus on the company’s newly acquired Lítio project.

The Placement amount had been increased from $2 million to $2.4 million due to strong investor support, with the company’s managing director Mena Habib subscribing for $50,000 worth of shares, subject to shareholder approval.

“This project is sitting adjacent to Summit Minerals’ Ecuador Project which has returned high-grade niobium results up to 53.07 per cent niobium pentoxide and 47.17 per cent tantalum pentoxide from sampling, and our Lítio project has been assessed as having similar geology,” Habib said.

“We are awaiting initial assay results from sampling at Lítio, and proceeds from the Placement will allow us to complete more on-ground work including an extensive sampling program.”

– Isabella Kelly

Photo: supplied

Penfolds grant recipients announced

Penfolds announced the inaugural Penfolds Evermore Grant Program recipients last week, with four Australian projects chosen for their contributions to community and culture.

The recipients will share $200,000, with more than 80 applicants vying for the funding.

Victoria’s A Fitting Connection was awarded $66,000, New South Wales’ Planting Seeds will get $50,000, Mobius Farms in South Australia is getting $54,000 and the Barossa Farmers Market will receive $30,000.

Penfolds chief marketing officer Kristy Keyte said the program was Penfolds’ “opportunity to use our business as a force for good and continue to look to the future for our communities around the world”.

– Isabella Kelly

SA dementia tech lands grant funding

Adelaide-based Goldilocks is one of five Australian businesses sharing in $1.485 million of grant funding from the Primary Health Network’s ‘Game Change’ program.

The grants were introduced in response to demands on healthcare systems and the need for innovative approaches.

Goldilocks, based at Marden, is currently developing smart clothing for babies but the funding will allow it to expand into integrated sensors for patients living with dementia in rural and remote areas.

“This project, in collaboration with Dementia Support Australia, University of Adelaide and Goldilocks, will leverage innovative technology and specialised support to provide continuous, data-driven care and timely interventions for patients living with dementia,” said Goldilocks director Shem Richards.

– David Simmons

2023 bursary recipient Syuzanna Mosikyan in France. Photo: supplied

Applications open for Great Wine Capitals exchange program

The Outbound Knowledge Exchange Bursary Program applications have opened, inviting wine industry professionals to apply to travel to another Great Wine Capital around the world.

Those with expertise in tourism, sustainability, research and academia, winemaking, and/or viticulture are able to apply.

Recipients of the bursary will meet with professionals around the world to exchange and compare knowledge.

Applications close on August 23.

– Isabella Kelly 

Inspiring Women of South Australia, a Collective event with a panel of business women, including Edible Blooms co-founder Kelly Jamieson and Palas Jewellery managing director Anna Dimond, at the Wolf Blass Event Centre at Morphetville Racecourse on July 17.

SA State of the State: focus on critical service delivery, a CEDA event exploring critical services, the economy, government regulation, health and ageing with Ministers Nick Champion, Chris Picton and Nat Cook at the Adelaide Convention Centre on July 24.

17th Australian Space Forum, hosted by The Andy Thomas Space Foundation, a forum event to stimulate ideas and share information about emerging technologies, at the Adelaide Convention Centre on July 24 and July 25.

SA Food Waste Reduction, An AACCI and FACCI event designed to highlight the export and overseas investment prospects for South Australia, with Susan Close and End Food Waste Australia CEO Steve Lapidge, at Oui Chef on July 31.

2024 CEDA Economic Outlook, an event presenting the latest on the global, national and state economies with CEDA’s senior economist Melissa Wilson at KPMG on August 15.

Tech Harvest – Ingenuity in Agri-Business, an AmCham event on technology’s role in improving agricultural productivity with Elders managing director and CEO Mark Allison, at the Adelaide Convention Centre on August 29.

Australia’s Space Future Conference, a French-Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry event with REDARC Defence & Space and Neumann Space, at REDARC Electronics on September 5.

South Australian Business Index, an InDaily event presenting an independent ranking of South Australia’s top 100 companies, with Premier Peter Malinauskas, at the Adelaide Convention Centre on September 20.

Pink Yellow Blue Disco, a Flinders Foundation event raising funds for cancer research and care, at the Adelaide Convention Centre on October 12.

Public health platform receives funding

Researchers at Flinders University are establishing Australia’s first integrated public health and clinical data platform, with a $2.9 million grant received from the Medical Research Future Fund 2023 National Critical Research Infrastructure.

The AI-driven platform aims to address emerging health priorities, such as pandemics and natural disasters.

Associate professor Courtney Ryder said the “COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the power of innovative AI to real-time public health data, improving the speed and reach of public health interventions”.

“We want to employ the same principles to construct a cohesive public health framework that unites relevant authorities, healthcare institutions and laboratories to be more efficient, agile and effective,” Ryder said.

“SMART-PH will function as a common digital infrastructure to eliminate data siloes and improve healthcare decision-making by enabling real-time collaboration and communication of information.”

– Isabella Kelly

National food donation tax incentive tabled in Parliament

WA senator Dean Smith recently tabled a private Senators Bill in federal parliament which would amend the tax system, offering deductions for businesses that donate food and essential services to food rescue organisations, such as Foodbank Australia and OzHarvest.

End Food Waste Australia CEO Steven Lapidge said the bill was a “critical milestone in our mission to combat food waste and hunger in Australia”.

“With more than 7.6 million tonnes of food wasted annually in Australia – 70 per cent of which is edible – this initiative is not just timely but essential,” he said.

“The tax incentive will encourage businesses to donate surplus food and essential services, dramatically increasing the support for food rescue organisations and ensuring that surplus food reaches those who need it most.”

– Isabella Kelly

Photo: supplied

Brewing partnership for National Tree Day

Cloud-based control platform Frigid.Cloud has partnered with Bowden Brewing and more local businesses for an event at Bowden Brewing for National Tree Day on July 28.

The collaboration will showcase sustainable brewing practices, with Bowden Brewing’s limited edition New World Pale Ale on offer.

For every pint purchased on the day, Bowden Brewing said they will plant a tree, in partnership with EverGreen Gardening and the City of Charles Sturt Council.

– Isabella Kelly

STEMM finalists announced

A collection of professionals have been announced as finalists in the 2024 SA Science Excellence and Innovation Awards, competing for the 2024 SA Scientist of the Year.

Jamie Craig, one nominee, has been developing tests to improve glaucoma detection and management.

Joining Craig is Heike Ebendorff-Heidepriem, who has been developing new optical glass and fibres with the potential to revolutionise global internet connectivity and data transfer.

The pair are joined by Matthew Gilliham, who has been innovating in the agriculture industry, including at the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space.

South Australia’s chief scientist Craig Simmons said the awards were “a tiny window into what research, science and innovation brings to South Australia, and the world”.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony on November 8.

– Isabella Kelly

Adelaide students win national Cyber Battle

Jordan Trieu Lor, Christopher Lovell and Mehdi Mirzaie from 42 Adelaide took out the Cyber Battle Australia in a final against 50 of Australia’s best ethical hackers.

Held at the Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre in Lot Fourteen, students from around the country competed by solving a collection of cyber challenges based on potential real-life situations.

The winning students had previously competed in a national BootCamp with over 250 people, to become one of the 120 in the qualifying final.

Aus3C CEO Matthew Salier said the event “confirmed the country’s vocational and education training system is developing some of the best cyber specialists who will go on to contribute to the stability and security of our country”.

– Isabella Kelly