Innovatia

Building industry partnerships, innovation and impact UON established interdisciplinary Global Im- pact Clusters (GICs) offering opportunities for partnership with relevant industry sectors. UON was ranked in the top eight of Australia’s universities for industry-related research in- come and (as the top university by the Federal Department of Industry) for “Innovation Con- nections” in terms of grants secured in collab- oration with business. The Better Health Care GIC was built on the strengths of UON as a Top

was hit by an earthquake with a Richter magni- tude of 5.6 affecting more than 200,000 square kilometres and leaving a damage bill in excess of $4bn, which was the first event to redefine newcastle. This was followed by the closure of BHPs Newcastle Steelworks in 1999, resulting in significant economic hardship for individu- als and communities across the city and region. The University of Newcastle The University of Newcastle (UON) was estab- lished in 1965. As the Chancellor of the Univer- sity of California, San Diego, Pradeep Khosla, stated, “It’s good for every one of us to have a history, but to have a past that we cannot break away from is not good.” A university must adapt its strategy to the forces of change in order to be a transformative agent in the community. During the last decade universities in regions facing economic challenges have worked to co-design innovation ecosystems that have harnessed the key assets from all partners within that ecosystem. Realisation of the value of those assets requires a clear strategic plan, execution of key initiatives with collaboration and precision, and a capacity to track perfor- mance through shared measures. Reinvigoration of the City of Newcastle UON developed a Ten-Year Estate and Capital Investment Strategy to build an iconic presence within the Newcastle CBD and reinvigorate the city centre. It delivered an award-winning, tech- nology-enabled learning and teaching facility for up to 5,000 staff and students in the heart of the CBD. This was a key part of a city renewal plan implemented by the city and governments at all levels.

8 university in Australia for health and medical research and of the Hunter Medical Research Institute. These organisations were also sup- porters of the biotechnology company, Vira- lytics, founded by a UON staff member and acquired by Merck for >$500m in 2018. These results build on decades of leadership designed to ensure that effective industry research part- nerships underpin the strategic vision of the university and support the regional economy. UON also attracted investment from the NSW government to develop an integrated network

of innovation hubs (I2N), established through collaboration with major industry, government and venture-capital organisations. The intent of I2N is to nurture start-up communities, attract investment and businesses to the Hunter and encourage innovation and commercialisation. Together with the Newcastle City Council, Hunt- er Digit, Newcastle Now and over 30 other part- ners, UON and the City of Newcastle were sup- ported by the NSW government to build a new $20m Hunter Innovation Hub in Newcastle CBD. In addition, UON launched a Defence, Security and Aerospace Innovation Hub alongside the RAAF base where the Joint Strike Fighter Project and defence industry partners were located. The UON Upper Hunter Hub was also launched, resulting in the facilitation of a part- nership with Ethanol Technologies, which re- ceived $12m from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency to establish a demonstration facility to deliver a new technology converting multiple agricultural waste streams into biofuel and green chemical products. These represent the next phase of harnessing Newcastle’s glob- al performance in health, energy and resources research to deliver innovation and enhance lo- cal industry performance. Building equity of access to higher education UON has supported equity of access to higher education for students no matter their back- ground or location. The salary and employ- ment premium resulting from a university edu- cation reflects the critical roles graduates play in shaping the future workforce in an Industry 4.0 era. UON was the first university in Australia to have more than 1,000 Indigenous students enrolled based on more than three decades

By MDRX - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76673764

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INNOVATIA

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