The UTS community celebrates what's possible when generosity meets opportunity, thanks to the support of our donors.

Across UTS, exceptional researchers are pursuing bold scientific shifts in how we diagnose, treat and even cure some of the world’s most debilitating diseases. 

Generously supported by the Rebecca L. Cooper Medical Research Foundation, three UTS researchers have received the Al & Val Rosenstrauss Fellowship, joining a prestigious cohort of recipients each awarded a $1 million fellowship.

This is just one example of the many ways UTS donors are accelerating impact where it matters most. Many of these are showcased in the 2025 Donor Impact Report.

Photo of 3 Al and Val Rosenstrauss fellows

Bold ideas shaping innovation in health

Three UTS researchers, Dr Chantal Donovan, Dr Jiao Jiao Li and Dr Gang Liu, have received the prestigious Al and Val Rosenstrauss Fellowships.

Bold ideas shaping innovation in health transcript

Everyone knows someone with asthma. It affects 1 in 9 Australians and around 260 million people worldwide. And there is no cure.
Most asthma treatments focus on the lungs, but my research looks at the gut. We've discovered that fatty acid receptors appear in the gut, lungs and immune cells, suggesting there could be a shared pathway we could target to reduce inflammation or even stop asthma developing.
These early findings give us hope that we may be able to develop new treatments for severe asthma and reduce lifelong dependence on medication.
Around 600 million people globally live with painful joints.
My research in regenerative medicine aims to help people stay mobile, healthy and pain free as they age.
By combining stem cell biology and nanotechnology, we're turning stem cells into bio-factories to produce natural healing molecules that reduce inflammation and stimulate repair.
We're also using nature's materials, like those derived from plants, to deliver treatments directly into diseased joints.
With the foundation’s support, we can give people hope that better treatments are on their way to slow stop or even reverse joint damage.
I study one of the most devastating lung diseases idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF.
It causes permanent scarring in the lungs that makes the breathing increasingly difficult.
Most people live only 2 to 5 years after diagnosis and around a thousand Australians die from IPF each year.
I have discovered certain proteins and enzymes that play a major role in how fibrosis develops, opening the door to a completely a kind of new therapies.
It is my hope that this will pave the way for more effective and life extending treatments for IPF, and to offer hope to people and families who urgently need it. UTS is a powerhouse for impact driven research, investing in a healthier future for everyone. Partnerships make this possible. Philanthropic support for research accelerates discovery.
It enables us to advance the next generation of prevention, treatment and patient care. Because behind every statistic is a person who is waiting for a breakthrough.

In celebration of the impact of philanthropy, the UTS community came together for an event on Thursday 19 March to launch the 2025 Donor Impact report.

The event brought together donors, friends and recipients of philanthropic support provided to UTS, to celebrate our shared commitment to a better future, and recognise what is possible when generosity meets opportunity.

During the evening, UTS Vice-Chancellor Professor Andrew Parfitt said the philanthropic support for the university was a direct expression of the UTS values of commitment to social justice, equity and inclusion.

Philanthropic support enables real progress and underpins how we deliver positive impacts for and with our community – both in Australia and all over the world.

Professor Andrew Parfitt, UTS Vice-Chancellor

“Our donors’ generosity creates new pathways to education for talented young people who might otherwise miss out,” said Professor Parfitt.  

“It is also accelerating research and innovation, delivering real-world solutions to some of the most pressing challenges of our time.”

Among those in attendance were students who had received scholarships and prizes, as well as UTS researchers and program leaders whose work has been sustained and advanced by philanthropic generosity. 

Hearing directly from the students, researchers and program leaders who received philanthropic support, the gathering was a powerful reminder that philanthropy is, at its heart, about goodwill for fellow members of the human race. 

The Greek origins of the word can literally be translated as ‘love for humanity’.

Read the Donor Impact Report

For more stories about our donors’ impact and the great work going on where generosity meets opportunity at UTS.

Donor Impact Report More about giving

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226

students received scholarships supported by philanthropic giving

$5m

given by 70 donors to support community programs and initiatives

$4.5 m

invested in research from philanthropic support

208 staff

supported 19 different causes and initiatives