UNOVA projects
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Challenge
Blockchain's potential to enhance business ecosystems is hindered by industry-level integration challenges.
OutcomeStudy on how enterprise blockchain technology can transform business ecosystems using interpretive case studies.
ImpactEnhance business efficiency, trust, and innovation within digital ecosystems through the use of blockchain.
Project status: ongoing
The value of enterprise blockchain solutions to business ecosystems and services is significant. Whilst the promise of enterprise blockchain technology to achieve coherent, secure and efficient ways of doing businesses is clear, scholars and practitioners are in agreement that there is still a dearth of studies into how enterprise blockchain technology would be successfully integrated into business and digital ecosystems. However, organizational and industry level issues particularly with convergence persist. The industry recognises that several challenges remain, including the extent of business process change, its integration with legacy systems, its interoperability and scalability, structures of governance, unintended consequences are barriers to its adoption.
This research project seeks to examine the role of blockchain technologies to establish standards for public-private partnerships. The research seeks to examine how enterprise blockchain technologies and businesses enable mobility, trust, interoperability, and better workflow.
The project team will consist of fintech researchers from industry and academe across leading organizations in Singapore and Australia in a public private partnership for data collection and analysis. Researchers will adopt a qualitative approach and predominantly an interpretive stance for the research given the exploratory nature of the study. This includes a case study methodology which is particularly appropriate for investigating how business processes change, and what are the role of technology, and the development processes and frameworks that are not well understood.
This project aims to help the industry better understand the potential benefits of enterprise blockchain technology for business ecosystems.
Lead researchers:
- Associate Professor Felix Tan
- Dr Eric T.K. Lim
- Dr Ernie Teo
Research theme:
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Challenge
Urgent need of implementing digital transformation strategies in an ever more uncertain business context.
OutcomeSkills and capacity building to create an enabling environment for innovation and operational effectiveness.
ImpactSkills and capacity building to create an enabling environment for innovation and operational effectiveness.
Project status: phase 1 & 2 complete. Phase 3 (TBC)
The global pursuit of the sustainable development goals goes hand in hand with the fourth industrial revolution and digital transformation. In this project, UNOVA partnered with a pioneering innovation business focused on using technology to enhance their delivery of essential services. Despite the urgency and relevance of digital strategies in the context of the global pandemic, many businesses continue to struggle with the transition.
This project demonstrates UNOVA’s role as a platform for knowledge-sharing and capacity building for digital transformation, and the importance of establishing multi-sector partnerships to address grand challenges. Advocating for the enhanced use of digital technologies in business could fast-track the achievement of goals, by taking an ecosystems approach.
The key activities of this project include skills and capacity building and creating the enabling environment for innovation and digital inclusion. These, combined with key partnerships, target known barriers to digital transformation, including unclear roles of engagement and gaps in innovation and soft infrastructure.
Lead researchers:
- Associate Professor Chung-Li Tseng
Research theme:
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Challenge
Understand how to reduce sodium use in the food supply chain because of its detrimental impacts on health.
OutcomeActionable recommendations to promote sodium reduction and substitution in the manufacture of food.
ImpactEmpower health organisations and stakeholders with actionable insights to reduce sodium in the people's diet.
Project status: Phase 1 complete. Phase 2 (TBC)
The health impacts of sodium consumption have garnered significant attention from the Australian Government and the World Health Organization. Recent studies indicate that potassium-enriched sodium chloride, while maintaining the taste of salt, can effectively lower blood pressure, resulting in a 14% reduction in stroke risk and a 12% decrease in premature mortality. Given these findings, it was crucial to examine the perspectives of the industry regarding the potential opportunities and challenges associated with increasing the use of potassium chloride in the food chain.
To assess the feasibility of incorporating potassium chloride for sodium reduction in the food supply chain, a prominent health institution partnered with UNOVA. The study focused on analyzing factors that could either facilitate or hinder the widespread adoption of potassium-enriched salt in Australia. This involved investigating onshore producers of potassium-enriched salt, food-grade potassium chloride, table salt, as well as food producers who may or may not currently utilize potassium-enriched salt.
The project's outcome comprised a set of recommendations aimed at incentivizing the food industry to reduce sodium content in their products. Additionally, the findings were intended to inform policy makers and stakeholders about potential opportunities that could be explored in collaboration with the industry and consumers. The ultimate goal was to make inroads in reducing the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases by promoting an appropriate intake of sodium.
Lead researchers:
- Associate Professor Chung-Li Tseng
- Alain Balaguer
- Rod Wong Pan
Research theme:
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Challenge
Develop strategies to prepare Australian communities, health and emergency services for increasing fire threats.
OutcomeDeveloped a real-time data collection system for fire protection, risk assessment and emergency decision making.
ImpactBolster climate change resilience and mitigate risks of fire disasters, through technology. SDGs 11 and 13.
Project status: completed
Globally, climate change and natural disasters have immediate, tangible costs to communities – entrenching poverty for millions of people, destroying livelihoods, and undoing development gains. In Australia, experts projected that climate-driven fire risk would be detectable in the region by 2020. This projection seemed fortuitous as the unprecedented “black summer” bushfire disaster in 2019 stresses the need for urgent action and innovation. The risk to people, property, and the planet is only ever increasing.
The challenge for governments is to develop a sustainable means to prepare Australian communities, health and emergency services for escalating fire danger. Climate Council estimates that “As seasons overlap and fires become more destructive, governments will be increasingly constrained in their ability to share resources and the costs of tackling fires will increase.”
To explore the role of technology in managing the effects of climate change and helping build resilient emergency services, UNOVA worked with a leading innovator in fire safety technologies and solutions with sustainability in mind. In this project, UNOVA co-developed an intelligent fire protection system that collects and displays up-to-date site data, supporting Emergency Services in time-critical risk assessment and decision-making. This project demonstrates that IT can help build resilience to climate change and disaster risks and push the sustainable development agenda forward.
Lead researchers:
- Associate Professor Felix Tan, Founder & Co-director UNOVA
- Devesh Mitra
- Jonathan Loong
- Zayed Abdullah
- Liam Ho
- Yosha Joshi
Research theme:
Contribution to the SDGs
#9. Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure
#11. Sustainable Cities & Communities
#13. Climate Change
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Challenge
2.5 million Australians lack internet access in rural areas, leading to social and economic disadvantages.
OutcomeLeveraged advancements in networking and automation to increase efficiency and affordability of the network.
ImpactUnlocked benefits for people, businesses, and communities increasing social and economic inclusion. SDGs 9 & 10.
Project status: completed
The recent pandemic underscored the Australians’ increasing reliance on digital infrastructure to support the social infrastructure. Government services, education, healthcare, amongst other basic community services are moving online. As such access to the internet is increasingly regarded as an essential service.
However, despite the crucial role of digital technologies in everyday activities, there remains the issue of the digital divide. The digital divide pertains to the significant gap between those who are connected and those who are not. In Australia, while the majority are increasingly using devices and living in connected homes, approximately 2.5 million Australians are still not connected to the internet. This disparity can lead to social and economic disadvantages for those impacted, especially those living in rural and remote areas.
Closing the digital divide means getting the full benefits of digital development for governments, business, and communities. These benefits encompass a range of the sustainable development goals, including productivity and efficiency, and social and economic inclusion.
Reducing the complex obstacles to access – also including affordability – require a combination of innovations in policy-making and managing digital infrastructures. As such, addressing the digital divide requires a concerted effort from business, government, and communities; and is central to attaining the global goals. In this project, UNOVA is working with key actors from industry and government to explore the role of emerging technologies in bridging the digital divide. Recent developments in networking and automation can reduce the risk of costly network misconfigurations, as well as reduce bottom line costs for individual consumers. Outcomes of this project can assist in the uptake of these emerging technologies, with the potential benefits not just of more efficient network architectures, but more broadly, a more digitally inclusive society.
Lead researchers:
- Associate Professor Chung Li Tseng
- Associate Professor Felix Tan
- Professor Vijay Sivaraman
Research theme:
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Challenge
Barriers to employment and decent work exist due to institutional logic and practices, leading to skills gaps.
OutcomeExplored addressing the disability inclusion gap through IT and elaborated a model to improve hiring practices.
ImpactEnhanced employment opportunities for marginalised individuals to increase social and commercial advantages.
Project status: completed
Access to employment and decent work, free from discrimination and harassment on any basis, is a fundamental human right because it is a key social determinant of health and wellbeing and effectively, a nation’s overall sustainability. In Australia, policies and legislation have been introduced to help protect and address discrimination and harassment in work environments and address the issue of social exclusion in the workplace. Still, barriers to productive employment and decent work remain pervasive, with negative spill over effects to individuals and their families – and some are more affected than most.
These trends drive the urgent need for solutions that both meet the long-term sustainability criteria and generate immediate benefits for affected populations. So while employers continue to experience this “skills gap”, at the same time, there is an entire pool of talent that is excluded from the equation. The problem is that institutional logics and prevailing hiring practices systematically exclude some populations. This issue is particularly evident in the information technology (IT) sector, where talent shortage is a perennial problem for companies on one hand; and yet, on the other, there exists an untapped pool of talent that can very well fill that gap. And so these trends drive the urgent need for solutions that meet the long-term sustainability criteria and generate immediate benefits for affected populations at the same time.
In response to the disability inclusion gap in practice, recent research in management and information systems increasingly tackle “impact sourcing” – a recruitment practice focused on developing marginalized individuals’ capabilities to enhance their employment opportunities through outsourcing.
To explore the role of IT in impact sourcing, UNOVA worked with a pioneering impact sourcing organization in Australia. Our research partner is a social enterprise creating social value via the practice of outsourcing, with a focus on redefining the current business practices to make recruitment more inclusive. This project explores how a social enterprise can change the prevailing institutional logics that allow the disability inclusion gap to persist, in order to create a more fit-for-purpose, IT-enabled recruitment model that addresses the needs of both employers and job seekers.
The outcomes of this project include demonstrating the benefits of impact sourcing and diversity in the workplace as well as providing a process framework for IT-enabled inclusive recruitment. This framework can help guide managers in aligning their business practices and information systems with existing institutional challenges in order to gain social and commercial advantages. This is of practical relevance to the formulation and implementation of strategies that dual-value organisations – for instance, social enterprises – employ when seeking to respond to institutional challenges that local contexts pose.
Lead researchers:
- Associate Professor Felix Tan
- Roxanne Llamzon
Research theme:
- Associate Professor Felix Tan
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Challenge
Ineffective use of IT, parthership issues with private sector and community to co-develop health-care solutions.
OutcomeStudied the effectiveness and feasibility of IT-enabled solutions to improve models of health service delivery.
ImpactGuide actions and investment to increase efficiency and accessibility of healthcare systems. SDGs 3 & 9.
Project status: completed
The exponential growth of digital technologies offered much opportunity for innovation; transforming organizations, industries, cities, and governments – and the health sector is no exception. Global trends in technology advancements such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), and pervasive computing coupled with dropping costs of devices and data, have afforded healthcare providers and policymakers new capabilities and ways to reach more people. Technology-enabled service innovations have allowed access to those constrained by geographical and financial barriers, at relatively modest cost. Digital health can thus propel global efforts to attain the sustainable development goals.
In the health sector, digital interventions present a unique opportunity for health systems to be more responsive to the dynamic needs of populations, in the wake of demographic change, increasing healthcare costs, and limited availability of health professionals worldwide. As such, governments and international agencies continue to sponsor research and development (R&D) and implementations of digital health interventions worldwide; especially in the wake of COVID-19, where technology was front and centre in the global effort to curb the multifaceted impact of the virus. However, the application of digital technologies and the mechanics of co-developing solutions with private sector and the community are two of the most pressing challenges for governments, limiting the benefits obtained from these large-scale investments.
In this project, UNOVA is working with a network of key actors in digital healthcare to study the challenges and outcomes of implementing IT-enabled solutions to address complex societal issues such as healthcare. The practical outcomes of this study include insights on the effectiveness and feasibility of new models of service delivery, which can inform future investments in the development of supportive environments and similar digital-enabled initiatives promoting strategies for a healthier, more inclusive society.
Lead researchers:
- Associate Professor Felix Tan
- Roxanne Llamzon
Research theme:
- Associate Professor Felix Tan
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Challenge
Inequalities that create barriers that impede women's participation in labour, finance, and entrepreneurship.
OutcomeElevated digital literacy and entrepreneurship skills among women in rural communities.
ImpactContribute to bridge the digital gender gap and contribute to the socioeconomic advancement of women. SDG 8.
Project status: completed
Women empowerment is critical to the overall development of society, but their opportunities to participate in labour markets, financial markets, and entrepreneurship continue to be limited by systemic inequalities. In a report, McKinsey & Company estimates that advancing women’s equality and participation can add as much as 12 trillion USD to global growth by 2025. Information technology and digitalisation is increasingly enabling communities to pursue gender equality, especially in developing economies.
There are numerous ways technology can empower women. Digital technologies can allow women to bypass traditional and mobility barriers and enable flexibility and financial autonomy. In this project, UNOVA explores how communities can be built around digital technologies to foster entrepreneurship in developing countries. UNOVA’s research team designed a series of workshops to link key stakeholders that can fuel programs to support women in rural communities, through increasing digital literacy and complementary entrepreneurship skills. The aim of this project is to lay foundations for international partnerships that address universal issues.
In a study across 141 countries, the World Bank reports that if women can simply earn as much as men, the difference in earnings can double the value of global GDP. While the previous industrial revolutions have largely left women sidelined, Industry 4.0 underscores the immense opportunity and urgent need to bridge the digital gender gap by means of deploying new digital technologies and skills-based capacity building.
Lead researchers:
- Associate Professor Felix Tan
- Charmaine Batulan
- Edward Hopkins
Research theme:
- Associate Professor Felix Tan
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Challenge
Critical demand for adequate and sustainable urban spaces due to mounting congestion and environmental issues.
OutcomeAn innovative platform to efficiently connect renovation endeavours with tradespeople and suppliers.
ImpactContribute to create energy-efficient houses and urban spaces for a sustainable and resilient future. SDGs 11.
Project status: completed
Half of the world’s population live in cities today. By 2050, it is estimated that this number will increase to 70 percent. The global COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the challenges that stem from the increasing congestion of urban areas. Pre-pandemic, cities already account for 60 to 80 percent of energy consumption and 75 percent of carbon emissions.
While governments have struggled with addressing the public health implications, this pandemic has additionally underscored the importance of high-performing urban spaces, given that more and more people are spending time in residential areas; and also, the long-term economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. Recently, there has been a call to action to promote “green recovery” as part of countries’ COVID-19 economic recovery strategy – an approach that meets both short-term health and economic issues as well as the longer-term sustainable development goals.
Green recovery tackles the issues of health and economic recovery, making residential areas more habitable and sustainable. At the core of this approach is a renovation wave, which has the potential to create not only more energy-efficient residences and urban spaces but also a long-lasting effect on local economies. For instance, efficient and equitable housing can facilitate residential mobility, better match workers with jobs and help the labour market recover from the recent crisis.
In Australia, boosting the building and construction industry has been a core focus of the national recovery strategy. UNOVA aims to support the Australian building and construction industry in this project by helping build a platform for community-focused sourcing, where renovation projects are matched with local trades and suppliers – fast-tracking local economic recovery and global sustainability outcomes.
Lead researchers:
- Associate Professor Felix Tan
- Charmaine Batulan
- Edward Hopkins
Research theme:
- Associate Professor Felix Tan
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Challenge
Early issue identification and intervention to avert major disruptions and risks of key city infrastructure
OutcomeUse of AI and machine learning to predict and prevent wear and tear of overhead energy cables of trains
ImpactEnhanced safety, reliability, and efficiency of a rail system by real-time data monitoring for safe operation
Project status: completed
Infrastructure health monitoring plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety, reliability, and efficiency of various systems such as transportation networks, utilities, and buildings. It involves the continuous collection and analysis of data to assess the condition and performance of critical infrastructure components. By monitoring key parameters and identifying potential issues in real-time, infrastructure health monitoring enables proactive maintenance and timely interventions to mitigate risks and prevent failures.
In collaboration with a data company and a rail company in Sydney, we are actively engaged in a research project to explore the feasibility of installing sensors on moving trains. Our primary aim is to gather comprehensive health data of the rail system, with a particular emphasis on monitoring the width of the overhead wire responsible for supplying power to the trains. Leveraging advanced technologies such as AI and machine learning, we analyse the collected data to accurately predict the wear and tear of the wire caused by the friction of the pantograph. This predictive analysis empowers us to develop optimized preventive maintenance schedules, ensuring the long-term safety and operational reliability of the transport infrastructure.
Lead researchers:
- Associate Professor Chung-Li Tseng
- Yuan Zhang