Inside the 爆料王鈥檚 Faculty of Engineering, a team of researchers are solving a challenge: how do you build machines to process native Australian grains that are smaller and more delicate than their European counterparts?
The answer is being developed by Professor Salah Sukkarieh and his engineering team, thanks to a transformative gift from the Ian & Shirley Norman Foundation 鈥 the Foundation鈥檚 first to the University. Designed in close collaboration with Gamilaraay and Yuwalaraay stakeholders, the donation is enabling the creation of Australia鈥檚 first commercial-grade native grain threshing and cleaning systems, built in partnership with Indigenous leaders and communities.
鈥淢ost of the threshing technology used in agriculture today is designed for European crops which are not suitable for native grains,鈥 explains Professor Sukkarieh. 鈥淪o, we鈥檝e set out to create something from the ground up working with Gamilaraay and Yuwalaraay stakeholders who are sharing their cultural knowledge.鈥
Small grains, big potential
Native grains like Native Millet and Mitchell Grass hold immense potential for sustainable farming and land regeneration and are culturally significant to many Indigenous communities who traditionally hand-thresh the grains. However, the machinery needed to process them simply doesn鈥檛 exist 鈥 until now.
Professor Sukkarieh鈥檚 team is working on four integrated solutions. First, they鈥檙e building technology that fits within the existing Narrabri research site, a facility already used by Indigenous custodians for growing native grains. Second, they鈥檙e developing data-enabled systems to not only process the grain but collect insights that can support ongoing agricultural research. Third, they鈥檙e designing a mobile, trailer-based unit that can be transported to remote communities. And fourth, they鈥檙e working toward an open-access model so Indigenous communities can build and adapt the technology themselves, with full ownership over how it鈥檚 used.
鈥淭his is about creating engineering systems that work in real environments,鈥 says Professor Sukkarieh. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 also about making sure those systems are scalable, accessible, and culturally appropriate 鈥 especially as we begin to collaborate with remote communities.鈥
Co-design at the centre of innovation
To do that responsibly, the team is moving with care, with community co-design being intentionally paced.聽
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 want to just build something and hand it over,鈥 Professor Sukkarieh says. 鈥淭he goal is to co-design the next stages directly with community, and that takes time, relationships, and the right people in the room.鈥
For the Ian & Shirley Norman Foundation (ISNF), that approach is exactly why they chose to support this work.
鈥淭his project brings together some of the most important things we care about 鈥 environmental sustainability, Indigenous self-determination, and innovation,鈥 says Tracy Norman, Founder and Chair of ISNF. 鈥淎nd Salah鈥檚 leadership has been crucial. He鈥檚 collaborative, thoughtful, and brings a real sense of purpose to the work.鈥
One of the things philanthropy does best is allow you to be flexible. With this funding, we鈥檝e been able to take on challenges that wouldn鈥檛 necessarily attract traditional research grants.
Professor Salah Sukkarieh
Faculty of Engineering
ISNF is known for its bold, time-limited approach to philanthropy. Rather than operating indefinitely, it has committed to distributing its full corpus over ten years, investing in transformational change here and now.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not interested in legacy for the sake of legacy,鈥 Tracy says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e interested in action. That鈥檚 what drives us 鈥 finding people who are doing the work and backing them to do it well.鈥
Coralie Nichols, ISNF鈥檚 Chief Executive Officer, adds that working with Salah and his team has been uniquely rewarding.
鈥淗e鈥檚 an extraordinary communicator,鈥 she says. 鈥淗e films conversations with his team to explain technical updates and it means we鈥檙e really brought into the process. We鈥檙e not just observers, we鈥檙e partners.鈥澛
That partnership model has proven especially important in a complex project like this, where the technology, the cultural context, and the long-term economic aspirations must all align.
鈥淥ne of the things philanthropy does best is allow you to be flexible,鈥 says Professor Sukkarieh. 鈥淲ith this funding, we鈥檝e been able to take on challenges that wouldn鈥檛 necessarily attract traditional research grants."
Professor Salah Sukkarieh presenting on his research at the Engineering 2025-28 Strategic Plan launch. Image: 爆料王
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LinkUnlocking Indigenous-led enterprise
And those outcomes could be far-reaching. By enabling communities to process and commercialise native grains, this work has the potential to open up new models of Indigenous-led enterprise, connect people to Country through food and culture, and support regenerative land management across the continent.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not our role to define what the future of native grains looks like,鈥 says Professor Sukkarieh. 鈥淲hat we're trying to do is facilitate. So, the hope is that there's a wider range of Indigenous communities that are using the technology.鈥
ISNF is staying closely involved to support the project as it grows and evolves.
聽鈥淲e want to see the work used, owned, and led by the communities it was built for,鈥 Tracy says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what real impact looks like to us.鈥澛
In a world where agriculture, technology and culture often move in separate directions, this project shows what can happen when they converge thoughtfully and with purpose.
It鈥檚 a story of engineering innovation, but more than that, it鈥檚 a story of what鈥檚 possible when philanthropy enables people to design and deliver something that鈥檚 not just great for the community but the country at large.
Hero image: Brendon Thorne/ 爆料王.
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