Data for impact
The AURIN Edge Program provides competitive, time-limited access to scarce research infrastructure, including high-value, hard-to-get data and AURIN’s technical and scientific expertise.
The Program is designed for research ready to move from promising work to practical use.
It supports projects that use data to test, develop or demonstrate a research solution with a credible pathway to impact.
INFORMING THE FUTURE OF AURIN EDGE
The inaugural AURIN Edge pilot will help shape the program’s future.
In this first round, AURIN will work with researchers to better understand demand and support, and refine how future rounds can deliver the greatest value.
Insights from this round will inform how AURIN can best deliver hard-to-get data and support.
Who is AURIN edge for?
Who can access the Edge Program?
Researchers at Australian universities and research organisations working on urban or regional challenges, including early-, mid-, and senior-career researchers, multidisciplinary teams, and AURIN Node partners.
What do you get?
Access to valuable urban research infrastructure, including APIs, datasets, training and expert support services.
THE APPLICATION PROCESS
STEP 1
Readiness Tool
Check if you’re ready to apply by using AURIN’s self-assessment tool and be across the criteria used to assess your application; it’s the first step in the Expression of Interest.
STEP 2
Expression of Interest
Maximise your chances of success: fill out the Expression of Interest and describe your project and the data you need.
You’ll be asked to upload your existing research plan and to explain how your research project aligns with AURIN’s focus areas and why your requested data is essential to your research.
The deadline for the Expression of Interest is 16 October 2026, 5 pm AEST.
STEP 3
Consultation
Expressions of Interest that meet the requirements will be contacted to discuss technical aspects related to the requested data, as the round opens until late November.
Consultations will occur up to 23 November 2026.
STEP 4
Program Outcome Notification
All allocations and assessments are expected to be notified by December 2026.
Because data resources are limited, AURIN reviews your EoI in the context of all applications received in the round. You will be notified if there is capacity to deliver the data requested for your research project.
Applicants will be notified November – December 2026
STEP 5
Projects Commence
All recipients will be expected to have signed their Data Licence Agreements and commenced their projects within 1-3 months, before the next round opens in 2027.
Projects must commence between December 2026 – January 2027
how to apply
AURIN supports you through the process, helping you understand your research needs and scope your data requirements.
To apply, go to data.aurin.org.au, search for the dataset you need within the Edge Program, then log in with your institutional credentials when prompted. If you haven’t already, confirm your use is for academic purposes, then click the Express Interest button.
Before submitting the Expression of Interest, you will complete a self-assessment to confirm your readiness for the Edge Program by rating your confidence against set criteria. After that, begin the expression of interest process, which includes the following:
- Research Project Information: describe your proposed project, its timeline, and how it addresses opportunities and challenges shaping Australian cities, regional centres, and communities.
- Data Selection: specify which available dataset you need for your research.
- Data Requirements: for the selected data, provide details such as the required temporal and spatial extent.
If you need further discussion or are unsure about your data requirements, we will contact you to book a technical consultation with a team member.
Eligibility
You may apply if you are employed by an Australian university or research organisation, and your project addresses an AURIN Focus Area or presents a compelling fit with AURIN’s Challenge Areas.
The AURIN Edge Program focuses on projects with an intended user at its core, a pathway from research to practical application, and that sit between Technology Readiness Levels 4–7.
Projects must:
- be ready, or nearly ready, to commence when successful applicants are notified;
- address an AURIN Focus area or present a compelling fit with AURIN’s challenge areas;
- identify intended users and a credible pathway from research to practical application;
- require access to the requested Premium Product, with no suitable alternative that provides the same value;
- be technically feasible and permitted under the relevant data agreement;
- generally, sit between Technology Readiness Levels 4–7 and;
- be conducted in Australia, with data remaining in Australia where required by the relevant licence.
For more information, read the Program Guidelines below.
High-value, hard-to-get data
premium products and services
Digital research infrastructure
AURIN is the national digital research infrastructure that connects urban researchers and decision-makers with data, expertise and partners for the benefit of Australia’s cities, regions and communities. We provide access to hard-to-get, research-ready data, technology, and collaborative expertise to help researchers and decision-makers develop evidence-based, practical solutions to major national challenges.
By enabling challenge‑driven research, tools, and data products, AURIN drives impact in urban policy, planning, and investment for major national issues, including climate change, energy transition and demographic change.
We will support you with expert guidance on identifying your data needs, navigating technology that can enhance your research and securing access to hard-to-get data.
Hard-to-get Data available through the Edge program
Hard-to-get Data Coming soon
Coming Soon
Quantium Telstra
Access national-level mobility data from Quantium Telstra for researchers. Telstra’s Location Data services are powered by millions of devices on Australia’s largest network, providing unparalleled insights. This data includes attributes such as Presence, Visitations, and Origin-Destination.
AURIN Challenge Areas
AURIN supports research across 3 challenge areas that reflect major government and national priorities: climate change, energy transition and demographic transformation.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate change will make natural hazards, such as floods and bushfires, more frequent and severe. Our cities, communities and systems will need to plan, adjust and adapt to ensure they are resilient to these hazards and minimise their impacts on safety and wellbeing.
The adaptation actions for each city will be unique and should be developed in partnership across government, businesses and communities. High-quality data at the local level can provide valuable insights for researchers and decision-makers to understand climate risks and make evidence-based decisions for planning, investment and adaptation responses.
ENERGY TRANSITION
Australia’s transition to net zero will require coordinated action across the economy, with every sector playing a role in reducing emissions. The transition will involve expanding the electricity network, increasing electrification and energy efficiency, switching to low-carbon fuels, scaling up carbon removal, and developing innovations to expand emissions-reduction options.
Supporting a fair and orderly transition will require investment in infrastructure and technology, as well as an understanding of how these changes will affect different places and communities. Bringing together public- and private-sector data in secure digital environments can help researchers and decision-makers anticipate these impacts and identify where infrastructure and investment are needed.
DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSFORMATION
Australia’s population is growing, ageing and becoming increasingly diverse. As our cities grow and change, the housing, infrastructure and services they need will also change, requiring planning that responds to the needs of current and future communities.
Understanding how populations are changing across our cities and regions can help guide policies and anticipate future infrastructure and service needs. High-quality data and tools can help researchers and decision-makers understand the changing nature of Australian cities and support liveable, productive and sustainable cities.
AURIN Focus Areas
Housing systems, feasibility and delivery
Housing is one of Australia’s biggest urban challenges, and it cannot be solved by looking at one issue in isolation. AURIN supports Australian researchers and helps governments, planners, and industry make housing decisions based on evidence rather than assumptions.
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Building more homes depends on many connected factors: planning policy, market conditions, financing and delivery mechanisms
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AURIN helps researchers understand the whole housing system, not just one piece
AURIN can support you with data and tools, including Domain products that show how house prices interact with other factors.
Energy Systems and the Transition to Net Zero
Australia’s energy system is changing as governments, businesses and communities work towards net zero. This transition affects cities, regions, infrastructure, households, transport, industry and land-use planning.
Energy decisions are closely connected. Changes in demand, infrastructure or policy can affect affordability, resilience and investment needs across the system.
AURIN brings together energy, transport, land-use, housing, climate, demographic and economic data to support research into the transition to net zero.
- Understand where energy demand is changing
- Identify infrastructure and investment needs
- Explore affordability and resilience risks
- Examine how energy, transport and urban planning decisions interact
AURIN can provide access to Nearmap products, including high-resolution imagery and AI-extracted features such as vegetation, surfaces and buildings. These can support research into building efficiency, carbon capture, solar planning and adoption, and active transport.
Future Mobility Systems
Mobility is shaped by how technology, climate goals, travel behaviour, infrastructure and land-use decisions come together. Understanding these connections helps researchers explore how people, goods and services move through Australian cities and regions, and how those patterns may change.
AURIN provides data and modelling to support research into practical mobility challenges and inform planning, investment and policy.
- Explore low-emissions transport, new mobility services and changing travel behaviour
- Connect transport and land-use planning
- Better understand how mobility systems work together
AURIN will soon provide access to Quantium Telstra data which shows movement patterns, modes of transport, and how policy may influence mobility.
