Under a cooperation agreement, the university has teamed with Germany’s RWTH Aachen University to investigate how best to exploit deep coal resources for CSM.

The agreement was signed during a recent visit to Queensland by a delegation from the state of North Rhine-Westfalia (NRW).

The German state has existing underground coal mines at depths beyond 1km and has a long history of technological expertise in geological assessment and development of deep coal.

NRW recently signed an agreement with the Victorian Government to pave the way for joint initiatives on energy technology research and development.

Meanwhile, the Queensland Government is urging businesses and researchers in the state to take advantage of two new funds worth $50 million each

The first initiative, the Smart Energy Savings fund, will provide funding to help business invest in energy saving projects.

The second initiative, the Renewable Energy Fund, offers financial incentives to help industry come up with energy conservation solutions in areas like geothermal, wind, solar, biomass, bagasse and other renewable energy sources.

For both initiatives, funding can be in the form of a loan for up to 100% of the project's value or as a grant for up to half of the project's capital cost.

The government said the initiatives would help Queensland meet its target to reduce greenhouse emissions to 60% below 2000 levels by 2050 and secure its share of the national 20% renewable energy target by 2020.