Inspection signals start of Innovation Campus construction

Nov 24, 2006

NSW Minister for Regional Development and Minister for the Illawarra David Campbell and University of Wollongong Chancellor Michael Codd AC today signalled the start of construction on the University's $300 million-plus Innovation Campus (iC) at a site inspection today (24 November).

Construction is now underway for the $26.8 million iC Central - a central facilities building for the research and business precinct being developed by UOW and joint venture partners Baulderstone Hornibrook. It is the first of four buildings costing more than $100 million that form Stage One of the development.

Mr Campbell said the project was one of the most significant employment-generators for the region and was expected to create up to 5000 knowledge-based jobs.

"This is a very exciting day for Wollongong and the Illawarra and the Iemma Government is proud to be supporting this fantastic development," Mr Campbell said.

"The Iemma Government has injected more than $24 million into the Innovation Campus project, which signals a new direction for higher education in the Illawarra."

Mr Campbell, Mr Michael Codd, Vice-Chancellor Gerard Sutton and Baulderstone Hornibrook Development Manager for the Innovation Campus project Tony Higgins inspected the site today.

The NSW Government has injected $16 million in seed funding and $8 million in other contributions for the Innovation Campus, which is being built on a 33-hectare site at Fairy Meadow, a few kilometres north of Wollongong's CBD. It is expected to generate up to 5,000 knowledge-based jobs.

iC Central will provide office and meeting space as well as cafés, retail space, recreation and health facilities, and function rooms, and is the first of more than 20 major buildings planned for the site.

A second building, the Institute for Future Materials, will house two of UOW's flagship research teams - the Intelligent Polymer Research Institute incorporating the Australian Centre for Excellence in Electromaterials Science, and the Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials.

Both buildings are expected to be ready for occupation early in 2008. A third building, the Global Centre for Transnational Crime Prevention, will be built with $12 million in Federal Government funding.

Facilities at the Innovation Campus will include 80,000 square metres of office and research space in a landscaped parkland, a hotel and conference centre and access to the most sophisticated internet technology.