Community Engagement and Partnerships

As a Platinum member of the Committee for Adelaide, Flinders University is heavily involved in the SA Zero initiative. This initiative is Adelaide’s’ first net zero cluster for public-private-academia collaboration with the mission to accelerate South Australia’s zero carbon and zero waste pathways. 

Flinders University and the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), with support from 39 research partners including local and regional farming and agri-business communities, have developed South South Australian Climate Resilience Discovery Farms and Innovator Sites – a $11.7 million program pioneering climate-resilient solutions for sustainable agriculture. This initiative leverages innovative applied science to improve the climate resilience of cropping, livestock, and mixed farming systems through extensive, long-term trials across South Australia's pastoral, low, medium, and high rainfall zones. Dr. Rhiannon Schilling, Flinders Affiliate Associate Professor and SARDI Agronomy Program Leader, highlights the program's collaborative nature, bringing together the farming community and leading researchers through a network of research trials designed to test practical science and climate-resilient solutions.

Flinders academics contribute expertise in various areas, including dryland farming systems, crop and pasture agronomy (focusing on cereals and legumes), weed management, soil health and microbiomes, soil constraints and amelioration, social science, hydrology, and AgTech. This multidisciplinary team possesses a wealth of skills and scientific knowledge.

The Centre for Social Impact at Flinders University worked with Wellbeing SA and the Department of Human Services to develop an evidence-informed response to addressing food insecurity in South Australia. This initiative produced a discussion paper with recommendations to inform policy and action. Together with three food relief service providers and two state government agencies, the Centre collaborated in a research project to Translate Food Relief Service Principles into Practice.

The Goyder Institute for Water Research develops and adopts sustainable, innovative and integrated solutions for complex water management challenges. This collaboration between government, industry and leading researchers drives policy through such projects as the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth (CLLMM) Research Centre’s Approach to Tackle Climate Challenges. This project is developed and delivered in an inclusive, collaborative manner, providing opportunity for increased involvement of local and regional First Nations and community in the design, delivery and dissemination of knowledge to inform decision making in the region. It includes local education activities on conservation, and climate action.

Flinders University plays a vital role as a partner in the newly formed Coorong, Lower Lakes, and Murray Mouth (CLLMM) Research Centre. As part of the Goyder Institute, this centre is developing a locally driven, innovative research portfolio that emphasizes inclusivity and collaboration, encouraging greater participation from First Nations communities in the creation, implementation, and sharing of knowledge to guide regional decision-making.

The CLLMM region, designated a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention in 1985, is home to many iconic and endangered species. Flinders University has a longstanding commitment to conservation in this area, collaborating with the Department for Environment and Water and/or the Goyder Institute on projects like the CLLMM Recovery Project and the Healthy Coorong, Healthy Basin program. The CLLMM region holds significant cultural importance for the Ngarrindjeri and First Nations of the South-East, having been their home for thousands of years. Their traditional knowledge will be essential for the CLLMM Research Centre to understand the potential impacts of climate change in the area, as their oral histories and Creation stories connect them to their land, heritage, and ancestors. The CLLMM region supports a wide variety of nationally threatened and migratory iconic species, which are significant to both the community and the culture. Many of these species are listed as threatened under Australia’s EPBC Act (1999) and at the state level under the National Parks and Wildlife Act (1972). Flinders University is collaborating with the Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal Corporation, Burrandies Aboriginal Corporation, University of Adelaide, and others to to guide future research priorities for management and conservation.

Projects being undertaken by Flinders University researchers include Blue/Teal Carbon (part of the Climate Mitigation Theme), led by Professor Sabine Dittmann, and the Iconic Species project (part of the Threatened Species & Biodiversity theme), led by Dr. Ryan Baring, with numerous Flinders academics and students actively participating in the design and execution of these initiatives.

The program includes various volunteer opportunities and initiatives to give back to the community, such as school programs integrated into the Year 10-12 SACE curriculum and multiple knowledge-sharing events, including an annual science forum.

The Torrens Resilience Initiative assist governments with disaster management plans, especially to include people living with disability, older people, CALD communities, and communities in remote and rural areas.

The diversity of Australian landscapes puts the country at risk of a wide range of natural hazard events; from bushfires to cyclones, flooding to drought. This risk is increased due to climate change. TRI research highlights the importance of community cohesion in disaster planning. TRI addresses local co-operative planning for climate change disasters through a balanced Community Disaster Resilience Scorecard, which helps communities work together to prepare for disaster threats, and a Drought Resilience Mapping Toolkit that provides a holistic approach to help regional communities and farmers ahead of crises.

TRI have supported the implementation of the Scorecard in communities around Australia as part of community-based emergency preparedness. Melton and Wyndham Councils won the Resilient Australia Award for a coordinated community response to potential emergencies after more 124 community members and leaders joined workshops and completed the Scorecard.

TRI developed a Drought Resilience Toolkit with strategies that can assist regional communities and farmers ahead of time. The Toolkit represents a transformative approach to assessing the resilience of human systems in surviving and recovering from drought events. Most preparations for drought have looked at for example water conservation, enhanced crops and soil conservation, but little work has been done around the underlying resilience of rural communities. Central to the toolkit's innovation is its holistic approach, encompassing social capital, economic capital, locational capital, asset capital, and preparedness capital in co-operative planning. The team is now working with communities and local government to implement the toolkit, e.g. with the District Council of Loxton Waikerie.

To fuel acceptance of green energy innovations, Flinders University will play a leading role in presenting Future Energy Week – the leading annual energy solutions showcase in South Australia. This event facilitates essential links between government, academia, and industries striving to advance clean energy usage in Australia, fostering cross-sectoral dialogue. The event has evolved from the collaboration and combined input of 16 organisations at the Tonsley Innovation District, and after 4 years, with support of the World Energy Council, Future Energy Week attracts up to 300 participants from federal and state governments, academia and industry. Inspirational speakers at Future Energy Week share cutting-edge ideas and insights, sparking rich discussions among attendees. These dynamic exchanges have led to regular meet-ups, providing a springboard for innovative companies to implement initiatives in the wake of Future Energy Week, thereby driving forward the clean energy agenda in Australia.

In addition to this showcase, Flinders University is actively promoting clean energy solutions through innovative projects and research initiatives. One such initiative focuses on harnessing renewable energy sources and developing sustainable practices that can be integrated into various sectors. The university is dedicated to training the next generation of professionals equipped to tackle the challenges of climate change and energy transition.

The College of Medicine and Public Health examined increasing difficulties facing people from refugee and asylum-seeker backgrounds to enter local housing markets making resettlement increasingly difficult, and provide recommendations. In an additional project they developed a co-produced framework to better support the mental health of young refugees.