Subscribe to new articles and posts
VEIL - Victorian Eco Innovation Lab

Research Case Studies

VEIL has a research stream that is tasked with identifying and exploring priority needs and opportunities for eco-innovation in Victoria.

Once an area has been identified, the research task focuses on 'revealing the present' by finding and interpreting innovations - technical, social and systemic - that offer new possibilities and directions. By interpreting and communicating the patterns being expressed in these innovations, we aim to change the landscape of expectations - more fully engaging with the sustainable futures that are possible and already being created.

As these innovations and patterns are identified and documented, they can also feed into the design work that happens through VEIL's visioning work.

Research News

Briefing Notes
Localised Solutions Paper
With large, centralised infrastructure appearing vulnerable to climate change and ‘peak oil’, alternative models are emerging everywhere.  ...
Distributed Systems: A design model for sustainable and resilient infrastructure
How do we prepare now for a future of unprecedented resource scarcity and environmental change?  Unless we take radical steps to increase the...
Distributed Water Systems
Distributed Water Systems: A networked and localised approach for sustainable water services This extended briefing paper draws on case studies and...
An Overview of Development in Distributed Energy
This is VEIL's first briefing paper on distributed systems. Drawing on examples from states and cities in the EU and US, this paper demonstrates...
Current Activities
Resilient Post-Carbon Futures ‘From Below’
A one year project to critically evaluate programs of action around the world involving urban communities, at a local, precinct or city level,...
Casey Food Hub: Healthy and Resilient Local Food Systems
A new investigation of the opportunities and barriers to the production, distribution and consumption of local food (particularly peri-urban) in the...
Food Supply Scenarios (Food Futures ARC)
An extension of a VEIL research scoping project completed in early 2011 (funded from a VicHealth Discovery Grant). This new two-year research project...
Design-led institutional transformation for resilience to climate extremes
A natural disaster resilience project with two regional Victorian Cities. Investigation of designing (with community engagement) for extreme...
Food Supply Scenarios
Victorian Food Supply Scenarios Report Released
This Australian-first research has built an evidence base for examining how cumulative changes in complex modern food systems can impact on the ...
Documents: Workshop 1
Documents related to the first workshop are attached below. These are: Background paper Workshop handbook - outlining the dynamics and drivers and...
Food Supply Scenarios: Workshop 1 (23rd November)
The first workshop for our VicHealth Food Supply Scenarios project was held on 23rd November. The overarching aim of the Workshop was to generate...
VicHealth funds VEIL Food Supply Scenarios Project
VicHealth has funded a VEIL-led consortium to investigate whether challenges to food production and increasing accountability for the environmental...
Completed Work
Briefing Paper: Distributed Water Systems
The second briefing paper in VEIL's distributed systems series is ready for release - Distributed Water Systems: A networked and localised approach...
Distributed Systems Research
VEIL and the McCaughey Centre for Mental Health and Community Wellbeing are collaborating on a project to strengthen the awareness and understanding...
Mapping Melbourne's Food
As part of "revealing the present" in urban food systems, Ferne has been conducting research using food mapping as a key tool. As part of this...
Grow Your Own in Melbourne
From March to May 2008, the VEIL research team were joined by Dorottya Hujber from Budapest, Hungary. Dorottya was visiting VEIL to complete her...
Policy Challenges: Sustainable and Secure Food Systems for Victoria
In April 2008 VEIL released our first policy challenges report - Sustainable and Secure Food Systems for Victoria: What do we know? What do we need...


Our work and research requires ongoing observation and analysis of current trends and innovations in the fields of Food, Water, Transport and Distributed Systems. These inform VEIL's research and visioning work and come from all over the world as well as from Victoria. Use the sidebar to find out more.