Pitch Stop

Pitch stop logo.

Australia's heavy vehicle sector is vital to the economic and social wellbeing of people and communities, with many challenges in need of urgent research and innovation. Help NHVR build a healthier, more productive, sustainable and safer heavy vehicle industry, by sharing your research.

What is Pitch Stop

Pitch Stop is a pilot national research competition, launched by the NHVR to discover new postgraduate level research in the heavy vehicle sector. Communities can experience traumatic road accidents, health and supply problems, and environmental issues because of the many challenges within this industry.

The NHVR is seeking research to help improve the lives of drivers and communities, and the safety, sustainability and productivity of the sector.

Eligible topics include; freight, roads, safety, human factors, health and wellbeing, business, productivity, sustainability, communication, infrastructure, new technologies, driving related issues, legal, and engineering.

Research outside these topics that contributes to knowledge about the heavy vehicle sector is also welcomed.

 

Eligibility

To be eligible for Pitch Stop, an applicant’s postgraduate (postgraduate qualification includes Masters research degree, PhD or Postdoctoral fellowships) research must meet the following criteria.

Applicants must meet criteria 1:

  1. Be your original research, focused on a topic related to heavy vehicles, that you have completed as a sole investigator.

And at least one of the following criteria between 2 and 5:

  1. Currently active, or completed within the last five years at an Australian university or research institute.
  2. Be a postgraduate research student of an Australian university or research institute who has passed the confirmation stage of a PhD.
  3. Be a postgraduate student of an Australian university or research institute who has submitted a thesis for examination, with the approval of their supervisor.
  4. Be conducting research in, or for, the transport sector in the last 12 months within five years of obtaining a postgraduate qualification.

You may be asked for proof of eligibility at any stage of the competition.

If you think your research is relevant to the heavy vehicle sector, please complete an application and participate in this exciting competition.

Entries are not restricted to the tertiary sector; we want to hear about research conducted in industry, government and other sectors. The NHVR will consider research topics that might not fit neatly with the above categories. Interdisciplinary research is strongly encouraged.

Why participate?

Recognition

The application process has been designed to help you refine a research pitch to communicate with others. It is a valuable professional development exercise that facilitates effective communication about your research with NHVR, academia, industry and potential employers.

Rewards

Opportunity to be selected as a guest researcher on NHVR’s Research Hub, where you can share and publish research, and gain exposure to NHVR staff, potential employers, and collaborators.

Prizes

Finals will be held in Perth at the Australian Road Safety Conference, October 20-23. Letters of support may be offered if needed to attend in person.

Prize money:

  1. First place $1,000
  2. Second place $500
  3. Third place $250

Application details

All applicants must read and confirm they have read the Pitch Stop - terms and conditions of entry (PDF, 230KB).

Submissions close 5pm AEST 22 September and semi-finalists will be notified by email on 29 September.

Finals will be held in Perth at the Australasian Road Safety Conference on 20-23 October 2025.

A combination of video and live presentations will form the finale event, taking place during the conference at 3pm AWST Monday 20 October at the University of Western Australia.

Should you have any questions regarding your application or the process, please email us at pitch@nhvr.gov.au

Apply now.

Please note: You need to be signed in to a Google/Gmail account to apply.