Top researchers moving to Innovation Campus

Jul 06, 2006

The University of Wollongong has announced that two of its flagship technology research teams will spearhead the development of the Innovation Campus (iC). Construction the first iC buildings is scheduled to start later this year.

UOW and joint venture partners Baulderstone Hornibrook are developing the Innovation Campus on a 33-hectare site north of Wollongong CBD. The Campus, which is being developed with NSW and Local Government backing, is designed to give creative companies and organisations the opportunity to work alongside and collaborate with the University’s research teams.

Two UOW research teams working at the leading edge of nanotechnology, "intelligent" materials research and superconductivity will form the first research group on the Innovation Campus, in the appropriately named Institute for Future Materials.

UOW's Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Margaret Sheil said the Intelligent Polymer Research Institute (IPRI), led by Professor Gordon Wallace and incorporating the Australian Centre of Excellence in Electromaterials Science, and the Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials (ISEM) led by Professor Shi Dou will form the core research focus for the Institute of Future Materials.

Professor Sheil said IPRI and ISEM both have outstanding international reputations and important industry partnerships, making them ideal to launch development at the Innovation Campus.

IPRI, for example, has partnerships with Cochlear, the CSIRO, Rio Tinto, the Bionic Ear Institute, BlueScope Steel, the Defence, Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), Schefenaker and many Australian and international universities,ISEM has links to the CSIRO, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), a range of international energy and battery companies, many other Australian universities and 27 international research institutes including national laboratories in the US, China and Germany.

"These two research groups are consistently our top research grant winners, and they work with a range of leading industry partners," Professor Sheil said. "Their on-going research success has created a demand for new research space, so the University and our partners are investing in a state of the art building to house them at the Innovation Campus."

iC Director David Fuller said having top research teams re-locating to the iC would provide the catalyst for businesses to move there to align themselves with the latest technology and research. "There will be opportunities for appropriate businesses to locate themselves at iC, where they will be able to form partnerships and build close relationships with our research teams and other creative organisations," Mr Fuller said. "We are negotiating with a number of organisations that are interested in locating at iC to take advantage of the opportunities."

Construction is expected to start at the Innovation Campus later this year on the three-storey Institute building and a central facilities building, to be called iC Central, which will be the campus’s business and innovation hub providing office accommodation as well meeting and function rooms, cafes, gym and retail space (with 1000 sq m still available for lease as commercial space).

The Federal Government has committed $12 million for a third iC building to house the Global Centre of Excellence for Transnational Crime Prevention, the Centre for Maritime Policy and the Centre for Comparative Law and Development Studies in Asia Pacific. All three Centres have strong links with governments and agencies throughout the Asia-Pacific region, in training, research and consultancy services.

The fourth building currently being planned will house the University’s Business School and a joint TAFE/UOW Digital Media Centre for training and research in areas such as digital design, animation and multimedia.

Professor Sheil said iC Central and the Institute for Future Materials were expected to be ready for occupation in 2007. Work on the next two buildings would start next year, and they were scheduled for occupation in 2008.

The iC Masterplan allows for a staged development that will eventually provide:

• 84,000 square metres for research, training and office space
• 5,000 square metres for retail and service facilities
• a hotel and conference centre
• 18,000 square metres for residential accommodation