ERICA is a council of Australia's major energy research institutes that provides research-led advice on the nation's energy future
State of Energy Research Conference
The 2025 State of Energy Research Conference (SoERC) brought together researchers, industry, government and investors to discuss:
“The Need for Speed: research in the race to net zero.”
A conference proceeding paper summarises the key messages across the sessions, including the need for stronger research investment, interdisciplinary collaboration and workforce development.
The discussions also informed ERICA’s call for increased national investment in energy research and innovation, outlined in a letter to federal ministers available in the links below.
ABOUT US
ERICA is a council of university energy research institutes which collectively aim to provide:
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National capacity across a broad spectrum of cutting-edge energy research, in both specialised and inter-disciplinary fields;
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High-level, evidence-based, energy policy advice to government;
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An over-the-horizon perspective on future energy opportunities and challenges that can only be informed by cutting-edge research;
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A research touchpoint for industry and government on energy issues of national and international significance; and
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A research-led education network for students and young researchers.
Membership
Membership of ERICA by any organisation is by invitation through the agreement of existing members, and membership can be requested at any time.
The membership is non-binding, and the consensus views represented by the Council are those of the ERICA representatives and not of their parent universities.
The ERICA secretariat will move from one member institute to the other, each year.
UNSW is the secretariat for 2024-2025.
MEMBERS
COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES
Professor Yolande Strengers
Monash Energy Institute Research Director
Associate Professor Zsuzsanna
Csereklyei
Energy Lead, Sustainable Technologies and Systems Enabling Impact Platform
RMIT
Professor Grahan Nathan
Professor, Director of the Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Resources (ISER)
Professor Peta
Ashworth OAM
Director, Curtin Institute for Energy Transition,
Curtin University
Dr Chris Briggs
Director, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney
Professor
Deanna D'Alessandro
Director, Net Zero Initiative, University of Sydney
Ms Dani Alexander
ERICA's Chair 2024-2025,
Chief Executive Officer, UNSW Energy Institute, University of New South Wales
Professor Llewelyn Hughes
Interim Director, ANU Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions
Professor Joshua Newton
Deakin University
Professor Bruce Mountain
Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University
Professor Stefan Trueck
Co-Director Centre for Risk Analytics, Macquarie University
Professor Christopher Lund
Director for the Sustainable Solutions Institute, Murdoch University
Associate Professor Evan Franklin
University of Tasmania