Carrying forward the C4NET legacy through the Australian Power Institute

When the Centre for New Energy Technologies, known as C4NET, concluded operations in late 2025, its Board made a deliberate decision about what should come next with the $167,000 of unspent funds remaining in their budget: to gift this funding to the API to continue C4NET’s legacy in a way that stayed true to its original mission by providing support for PhD students to connect and share with industry professionals about research and innovation programs. 

C4NET was established to enable the energy grids and markets of the future through data driven research, collaboration between industry and universities, and a strong focus on practical outcomes. That shared purpose made the API a natural home for the legacy funding, with both organisations committed to strengthening the link between research, innovation and the people who will shape Australia’s energy transition.

A shared vision for impact 

In the lead up to C4NET winding up, API CEO David Pointing and C4NET CEO James Seymour identified options that would honour C4NET’s intent while leveraging the API’s national platform, programs and delivery capability. 

The focus was clear. Use the funds to directly support emerging researchers from universities involved in the C4NET program, connect their work with industry, and strengthen innovation capability across the power sector. Rather than duplicating existing programs, the funding would be integrated into the API’s broader portfolio of university engagement and workforce development. 

Supporting the next generation of researchers 

Under this approach, C4NET legacy funding is being used to support PhD candidates from the five Victorian universities that were members of C4NET (RMIT, Deakin University, Monash University, the University of Melbourne, and Federation University). The emphasis is on opportunities that help students move beyond the campus and into real world industry conversations. 

This includes support for participation in major industry and academic conferences, opportunities to present research through posters or papers, and access to professional development programs such as the API Summer School Developing Professionals stream. By covering costs such as registration, travel and accommodation, the funding addresses a key barrier faced by many postgraduate students and ensures the support has practical, immediate impact . 

These initiatives sit alongside, and complement, the API’s wider investment in the university sector, which includes more than $350,000 per year in direct cash support across undergraduate, postgraduate and early career programs. 

Here is an additional section you can drop straight into the blog. 

First rollout at in Adelaide in March 

The first rollout of the C4NET legacy funding will take place at the Energy Networks Australia conference in Adelaide on 18-19 March 2026. As part of this initial cohort, nine PhD candidates will be supported to attend the full conference program. This includes five candidates from Victorian universities previously linked to C4NET, and four candidates from South Australian universities. Each participant will attend the conference in full and share their research through a poster presentation, giving industry delegates the opportunity to engage directly with emerging ideas, methods and insights shaping the future of the energy system. 

The PhD candidates are all working on project topics aligned with C4NET’s mission, “using system and meter data to drive valuable insights, tools and information to: 

• Improve industry efficiency 

• Support consumer uptake of new energy technologies, products and services 

• Provide evidence-based policy support 

• Drive better consumer outcomes (lower cost, more choice, optimised solutions) 

• Improve integrated optimisation approaches across the sector 

• Building educational opportunities for the current and emerging workforce” 

This first group represents exactly what the C4NET legacy funding was designed to support. Researchers who are deeply engaged in energy related challenges, connecting rigorous academic work with real world industry questions, and building confidence and capability to operate at the research industry interface. 

If you are attending the conference, come and say hi. Take the time to visit the poster sessions, learn more about the work being undertaken by this next generation of researchers, and start conversations that may shape future collaboration. Members of the API team will also be attending and would be delighted to talk more about the program and the broader support available for universities, students and innovation across the sector. 

Strengthening innovation pathways 

Importantly, this work is not just about individual opportunities. It is about building stronger pathways between research and practice. 

By embedding PhD candidates into industry focused environments, the program supports knowledge exchange, improves research visibility, and helps ensure innovative ideas can be understood, tested and applied within the sector. It also builds the skills researchers need to communicate complex ideas clearly and engage confidently with industry stakeholders. 

This approach reflects C4NET’s original focus on applied research and evidence based insight, while aligning with the API’s mission to develop a capable, connected and future ready power sector workforce. 

Working closely with universities 

The API is working directly with the five relevant Victorian universities to deliver these opportunities. An information session outlining eligibility, timing and nomination processes will be shared with those institutions directly. 

More broadly, the program reinforces the API’s long standing commitment to working in partnership with universities across Australia to support education, research and innovation in the power sector. 

A legacy that continues to grow 

The transfer of C4NET’s remaining funds was not an ending, but a handover. 

By integrating this legacy funding into a national framework with established governance, delivery capability and industry reach, the API is ensuring that C4NET’s impact continues for years to come. The result is a practical, people focused legacy that supports researchers, strengthens industry connections and contributes to a more innovative and resilient energy sector.