UNSW and Flame Security International win prestigious award for industry-research collaboration

The Knowledge Commercialisation Australasia Award recognised the successful partnership, which has taken the world’s first fire-retardant paint to market.

UNSW Sydney and Flame Security International (FSI) have been named Knowledge Commercialisation Australasia's ‘Best Industry-Research Collaboration’ for their successful partnership that’s resulted in the commercialisation of the world’s first fire-retardant paint.

Professor Guan Yeoh from UNSW’s School of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering led the team that spent nearly five years perfecting a formula to create the paint, marketed as FIRECOAT. It was developed and commercialised with FSI, partially funded by a $3 million Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) grant from the Australian government.

FIRECOAT has been tested and proven to protect homes and structures from bushfires up to and including an Australian standard BAL-40 rating, providing increased protection from fires in areas prone to extreme fire conditions.

The paint – on sale in more than 300 Bunnings stores in Australia and set to hit the shelves in ACE Hardware stores in the US in November – could save countless properties and lives and help to prevent the spread of bushfires.

Prof. Yeoh said he was thrilled that his team’s collaboration with FSI was recognised at the KCA Awards.

“A new paint sounds quite simple, but my extremely talented and dedicated team of scientists and engineers has been developing this first-of-its-kind technology for five years. I’m very proud of my team, and I am very thankful to our wonderful partners at FSI who have helped us get this potentially life-changing innovation to market.”

UNSW’s Pro Vice-Chancellor Industry and Innovation Professor Stephen Rodda said the award was a well-deserved recognition of the hard work and ingenuity of FSI and Prof. Yeoh’s team.

“FSI’s success in launching FIRECOAT, a breakthrough in fire-retardant technology, reflects the depth and strength of our collaboration. It’s a perfect example of how research commercialisation can deliver life-saving solutions to local and global communities.

“Seeing FIRECOAT in Australia’s Bunnings and also expand into the United States is a proud moment for everyone involved in this project. Congratulations to the entire team for this outstanding success.”

FSI Co-founder and CEO Mr Tony Overstead said his company was working with UNSW on several other innovations, including an eco-friendly, flexible solar panel membrane – ‘Solar Skin’ –which can generate power from both direct and indirect sunlight from vertical and horizontal surfaces.

 “We expect to commercialise more products in 2025, which will further demonstrate the enormous social, environmental and economic value of this successful industry and academia partnership,” Mr Overstead said.

Read more about the KCA Australasian Research Commercialisation Awards.