Green Chemical Futures (GCF), a facility intended to facilitate
collaboration and innovation in research and manufacturing opened at Monash
University yesterday.
Opening the building, Senator Scott Ryan, Parliamentary
Secretary to the Minister for Education and Training, said the multi-level
facility will enhance Australia’s research capabilities within the chemicals
and plastics sector.
“This building meets all the criteria we set for our
universities these days: supporting growth in basic research, accommodating
targeted industry-driven research and supporting training programmes for
industry participants,” he said.
He added that the new building’s occupants “will also be at
the forefront of delivering the benefits from scientists engaging with industry
and vice versa.”
“Australia does well in quality and quantity of research for
a nation of our size; but we do very badly, by relevant international
comparisons, in linkage between industry and universities, and in ensuring
beneficial economic impact of research,” Ryan said.
GCF will house over 100 chemists and engineers and allow the
growth of basic science research to targeted industry-driven research. It will
have 17 specialist sectors, training programmes for industry practitioners and
new laboratory spaces available for over 1000 students and 100 industry
partners.
GCF will partner with a number of national and international
institutions including Yale University (USA), Waseda University (Japan) and the
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (Mumbai). GCF scientists and engineers
will collaborate on projects along with CSIRO, the Plastics and Chemicals
Industries Association and the Victorian Environmental Protection Agency.
The opening was welcomed by Plastics and Chemicals
Industries Association CEO Samantha Read.
“The chemistry industry is proactively seeking opportunities
to encourage growth and competitiveness by joining forces with Australia’s
research community. This is vital to realising our vision of a manufacturing
industry that secures long-term benefits for the economy, society and the
environment,” she said in a statement.