Associate Professor Masood Mostofi has been recognised at the Cooperative Research Australia (CRA) Gala Dinner during Collaborate Innovate 2026, announced as one of the winners of the Emerging Collaboration of the Year category in the 2026 Excellence in Innovation Awards.

The award recognises Masood’s leadership in developing and commercialising innovative drilling fluid automation technologies through MinEx CRC and industry partnerships.

Over the past five years, the collaboration has progressed rapidly from CRC-supported research into real-world operational deployment, delivering measurable improvements in drilling productivity, water efficiency, core recovery and workplace safety. The technology is now being deployed internationally, with systems operating in Australia, the United States and Suriname.

The recognition highlights the success of a collaborative partnership between MinEx CRC, Curtin University, Frontier Drilling Analytics and industry partners including McKay Drilling, demonstrating the impact that industry-led research partnerships can achieve.

MinEx CRC CEO Andrew Bailey, CSO Caroline Tiddy and Drilling Operations and Commercial Manager Cameron Jackson attended the Gala Dinner alongside MinEx CRC Chair Chris Pigram and Board Members Lindsay Gilligan, Kelly Keates, Linda Kristjanson, Peter Rossdeutscher, Kristie Young and Jonathan Law, along with members of Masood’s research team at Curtin University including Thomas Richard, Maryam Abdolahi and Dimple Quyn.

The 2026 Excellence in Innovation Awards were presented as part of Collaborate Innovate 2026 in Perth, recognising outstanding achievements in industry-research collaboration across Australia’s innovation ecosystem.