Media release: Road trip receives National Science Week Grant

 

The National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip has received National Science Week funding to support its 2025 event.

The road trip was one of 31 initiatives to receive the Australian Government funding and this year’s event will be held between August 4 and 21. Recipients of the 2025 National Science Week grants were announced on 27 March 2025.

The details of the route are yet to be decided, but it is likely to travel across Australia from Broome to Perth and Adelaide to Sydney.

The road trippers aim to visit schools and communities, mainly in rural and remote areas of Australia, that they have not yet reached in the four years of the event.

Pop up events including public talks, science trivia nights and demonstrations will also be held at cities across the country.

Event organiser Ben McAllister says the annual road trip is a highlight of the science calendar.

“The National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip provides an opportunity for communities in rural and remote areas to learn about the cutting edge science happening in Australia.

“We hope that by introducing students and members of the public to quantum and dark matter science, we can inspire a future generation of Australian scientists.”

This year’s road trip will coincide with the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology.

It is also the year that the SABRE South dark matter experiment, located in the Stawell Underground Physic Laboratory – the only facility of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere – will start taking data.

“Our scientists are carrying out internationally-significant research that might change the way we understand the universe, and the road trip is an opportunity to share the excitement of scientific exploration,” Dr McAllister says.

Stay tuned to find out more about the 2025 road trip on our website and social media channels.

INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITY: Event organiser and dark matter scientist Ben McAllister is available for interview.

Contact Fleur Morrison at fleur.morrison@unimelb.edu.au to arrange an interview or photo opportunity.