The Franco-Australian Indo-Pacific Centre for Energy Transition (FACET) is excited to stage its second Symposium this October in Grenoble, France, unveiling the first wave of speakers, with more to come!

On July 28–29, the FACET team traveled to Adelaide to participate in a dedicated workshop on LOTUSim. This was a valuable opportunity to meet with the teams from IRL Crossing lab and CNRS , University of Adelaide and Flinders University, and to explore potential next steps for the project. These discussions helped strengthen collaboration and identify new directions for applying LOTUSim in energy transition contexts. A bout LOTUSim LOTUSim is a real-time maritime simulation platform, and Naval group has worked the past few months in designing it on case studies that unable it to support human-drone teaming in offshore wind O&M. The platform features realistic physics across air, surface, and underwater domains, making it a first-of-its-kind cross-domain simulator. Lotusim can simulate the behavior of underwater drones, but also surface vessels, aerial drones, and even marine mammals or birds, depending on the case study. Powered by AI, it supports a wide range of predictive scenarios for trajectories and interactions in both marine and aerial environments. The platform enables: Simulation of various offshore wind turbine locations Modeling of drone (submarine, boat and aerial) behaviors and weather conditions Scenario experimentation and anomaly detection for submarine drone for offshore wind maintenance Ultimately, operators could benefit from an immersive interface to monitor and manage simulated autonomous O&M systems for offshore wind. A market study for offshore wind applications FACET has funded a market study to explore the use of the platform for the offshore wind sector. While LOTUISim has clear applications in the maritime sector, this study—funded by FACET—explores its relevance for energy transition use cases. A restitution workshop was held on July 28, 2025, in Adelaide at Naval Group APAC, bringing together representatives from research, industry, and government from both France and Australia. A heartfelt thank you to all participants for their thoughtful and nuanced insights ! In this specific case study, submarine drones were simulated. However, discussions during the panel following the presentation highlighted other promising applications for offshore wind, such as the simulation of marine mammals or the use of drones for submarine cable maintenance. A Collaborative Approach Ultimately, the ambition is to make this project as collaborative as possible, by involving: Experts in relevant technical fields Companies in the energy transition sector Stakeholders with concrete case studies in the nergy transition to contribute This collaborative effort will help tailor Lotusim to the specific needs of the offshore wind industry, for the benefit of all. What’s Next? How to contribute ? In line with this vision, LOTUSim will be released as open source on November 1st, creating a platform for shared innovation in support of the energy transition. Feel free to reach out regarding the Lotusim project—especially to propose case studies or explore partnership opportunities. The FACET team would be delighted to support and foster collaboration around this initiative!

Launching the Women-to-Women Mentorship Program in Energy with FAWIB at the Lumière event in Melbourne 24th July. Apply to become a mentor or a mentee this october!

New Leadership to Drive Franco-Australian Energy Collaboration 28 April 2025 – The Franco-Australian Centre for Energy Transition (FACET) is thrilled to announce the appointment of Professor Joy Sumner as our new Co-Director. Professor Sumner has made the journey from Europe to Melbourne to help steer FACET's mission of fast-tracking clean energy adoption through international collaboration. Expert in Materials for Energy Systems Professor Sumner brings exceptional expertise as a metallurgist specialising in how materials perform under the extreme conditions found in various energy generation systems. "I'm a metallurgist by heart. I love metals. I love looking at them under a microscope and seeing all the detailed structures that they have," says Professor Sumner. "That is uniquely tied to the energy transition. If you ever look at how we generate power, it always uses slightly different machinery, and all of these generate their extreme operating conditions." Her research examines how metals degrade under high temperatures, pressures, and chemically aggressive environments—crucial knowledge for advancing sustainable energy technologies and ensuring their long-term performance. Bridging Science, Industry, and Policy Professor Sumner's career spans the intersection of research, industry implementation, and policy development. One of her most significant early projects investigated the effects of hydrogen combustion in gas turbines, examining corrosion issues and material performance when transitioning from methane to hydrogen fuel sources. "You go from the quite isolating experience of looking at bits of metal under a microscope and then seeing why it matters, how it's actually going to help us achieve net zero," she explains. "That feeling of things having significance, things having benefit to wider society... was incredibly motivating." Vision for FACET's Growth Having recently visited FACET's French co-founding partners, CEA and Université Grenoble Alpes, Professor Sumner is keen on the potential for international collaboration. "I'm really looking forward to the chance to make meaningful impact on the energy transition," she shares. "I love the fact that you've got that synergy between industry and academia across global boundaries. There's some fantastic engineering taking place in France, some fantastic engineering taking place in Australia, and there's a lot of potential for actually deploying new energy transition technologies." Her vision for FACET includes: Industry-Academia Partnerships : Strengthening collaboration between research institutions and companies across both countries Skills Development : Expanding educational programs to build capacity in the clean energy workforce Indo-Pacific Expansion : Extending FACET's impact beyond France and Australia into the broader region Policy Engagement : Working with governments to align research with national priorities First Year Success and Looking Ahead Professor Sumner is impressed with FACET's accomplishments in its first year of operation. "It's brilliant to see not just the academic and industry engagement, but also the engagement that's happening at a governmental level in both France and Australia," she notes. In the coming year, she hopes to "expand on that, bring more people in, get more areas for delivery, but also work on skills integration and bringing the wider public in." Complementary Leadership Prune, FACET's Co-Director, welcomes Professor Sumner's appointment with enthusiasm: "I believe Joy's profile is highly complementary to what France brings to FACET through my role as Co-Director. While my background is rooted in public policy and economic diplomacy, Joy brings deep technical expertise as a researcher, along with valuable experience collaborating with industry. I think effective leadership is built on complementarity rather than sameness—each of us contributes a different perspective, adding another brick to the FACET foundation." This partnership between complementary skill sets creates a strong foundation for FACET's mission, combining technical expertise with policy understanding to drive real-world implementation of clean energy technologies. Settling into Melbourne As she makes Melbourne her new home, Professor Sumner embraces local culture, particularly the city's world-class coffee scene. Like many Melburnians, she has developed her coffee preference: a long black, occasionally with a touch of sugar. About FACET The Franco-Australian Centre for Energy Transition (FACET) is a joint initiative bringing together academic institutions, industry partners, and government stakeholders from France and Australia to accelerate the development and deployment of clean energy technologies. Through collaborative research, knowledge exchange, and skills development, FACET aims to address the complex challenges of the global energy transition. Contact: About us | FACET Franco-Australian Centre for Energy Transition, energy transition

Joint Media Release

The Franco-Australian Centre for Energy Transition (FACET) is pleased to announce the first six recipients of the 2024 FACET grant, marking a significant step forward in fostering collaborative energy transition projects between France and Australia. This initiative is backed by financial support from both the French and Australian governments, each committing approximatively €1 million and AUD 1 million annually until 2027. This large-scale partnership is an unprecedented example of France and Australia’s shared commitment to advancing their bilateral roadmap in sustainable development and a greener future. In 2024 alone, FACET has already invested AUD 3.5 million, with additional co-investment from project partners, underscoring the centre’s value to both French and Australian companies. This initiative comes at a time when the energy transition is of increasing economic and political significance, highlighting the need for international cooperation in addressing critical energy challenges. On October 28th, at the inaugural symposium held in Melbourne, the six projects approved by the FACET Steering Committee were officially announced. These initiatives include two strategic programs designed to promote the adoption of innovative solutions by startups and to prepare the future energy workforce, alongside four applied research grants aimed at developing new French-Australian industrial-scale demonstrators. This year, FACET has expanded beyond its founding partners—the CEA Research and Innovation Centre, the University of Grenoble Alps, and Swinburne University of Technology (Host)—to include seven new academic partners across Australia and France: University of Sydney, Victoria University, Flinders University, and University of Adelaide, along with French institutions such as the East Paris Institute of Chemistry and Materials Science (ICMPE) and CNRS' CROSSING lab. In addition, more companies have joined FACET, bringing our network of First Movers in industry collaboration to over 20. These initial projects are helping FACET extend its reach beyond Victoria into New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, and soon Western Australia, where an expert delegation from CEA, alongside a Business France mission on critical minerals with 30 French companies, will visit as part of the IMARC conference in Sydney. 6 projects launched in 2024 for an investment of 3.5 M AUD by FACET and its partners In collaboration with CEA, the Australian Group Downer is spearheading the development of a pilot industrial demonstrator for e-fuel production, targeting maritime and aviation sectors. This project will pave the way for synthetic fuel production in Australia, addressing emissions in hard-to-decarbonize industries. The team will work with FACET’s ‘First Movers’ companies, including end-user such as Airbus, CMA CGM & Safran, on the study. Murray Richards, Executive General Manager of Downer, highlighted the importance of collaboration, saying, "The energy transition is a complex challenge that requires collaboration and innovation. By working closely with universities, research institutions, and industry, we can unlock practical solutions that drive real impact." The EDF x FACET x Swinburne Startup Programme aims to connect French and Australian companies with startups offering innovative solutions for key energy transition challenges, such as energy storage, renewable energy, and transmission infrastructure. Startups will receive essential commercial and technical support through partnerships and access to EDF’s global network, accelerating Australia’s energy transformation. James Katsikas, CEO of EDF Australia, expressed his excitement about the collaboration, stating, "We are deeply committed to the global fight against climate change. This partnership enables us to combine that global expertise with local innovation to work alongside dynamic startups and to find new and impactful solutions that can accelerate Australia’s energy transition." FACET is also advancing three major applied research projects. One project, in collaboration with Flinders University, ICMPE, and CEA , will focus on future battery solutions, developing rechargeable batteries using organic materials to reduce reliance on lithium, emphasizing sustainability and safety. The second project, involving SUT, CSIRO, and CEA , will enhance community microgrids using advanced technologies for energy distribution and resilience. Also working on complex energy system and partnering with UGA and CNRS-IRL Crossing , University of Adelaide’s team will leverage AI to create smarter, more adaptable grids capable of managing variable renewable energy. Finally, FACET’s Skills Roadmap initiative will begin a study to identify the educational needs of the clean energy sector, preparing the future workforce for the energy transition in both France and Australia. Download the full press release

Come to our inaugural FACET symposium