New Centers Aim To Drive Green Chemistry Innovation

Monash University has received $8.6 million in Federal Government funding to establish two dedicated research training centres that are set to transform Australia’s health sector and drive the innovation of green chemistry in Australian manufacturing.

This significant research announcement made by the Senator for Victoria, Senator David Van, on behalf of the Federal Minister for Education, The Honourable Dan Tehan, at Monash University today will establish two dedicated Australian Research Council (ARC) Training Centres at the University’s Clayton Campus.

This announcement brings the total number of ARC-funded Research Hubs and Training Centres under the Industrial Transformational Research Program at Monash to 10.

The new training centres are expected to attract a total of $20.9m through cash and in-kind support, and involve collaborations with a number of local and international partner organisations.

The ARC Training Centre for Cell and Tissue Engineering Technologies – led by Professor Laurence Meagher in the Materials Science and Engineering Department – will fund world-leading research into tissue engineering and regenerative medicine that will lead to better medical treatment for all Australians.

The ARC Centre combines expertise from four Monash Faculties (Engineering; Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences; Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; and Business), along with partners at Queensland University of Technology and 26 additional organisations, to drive innovation in Australia’s growing biotechnology industry.

“Hundreds of thousands of patients are facing debilitating diseases for which there is sometimes no cure. This new research centre will create jobs and lead to patents and spin off companies, as well as provide significant benefits to the medical treatment all Australians receive,” Professor Meagher said.

Monash University will also be at the forefront of new innovation in environmentally-friendly and green chemistry with the creation of the ARC Training Centre for Green Chemistry in Manufacturing, led by the School of Chemistry’s Professor Antonio Patti, who has assembled a consortium of leading expertise in Green Chemistry across Australia, through the partnership involving Flinders, Deakin and Curtin universities.

The Centre will provide postgraduate students and post-doctoral fellows with industry-relevant skills to give them the confidence to lead the Australian manufacturing industry towards adopting green and sustainable technologies. The major partners that include Flinders University, Deakin University, Curtin University, and 25 other organisations, include faculties of Science, Engineering and Business in the university consortium.

“New innovations based on green chemistry principles applied in Australian manufacturing will provide technical and professional training for researchers in this space, and lead to new products and processes with strong export potential,” Professor Patti said.

Monash University President and Vice Chancellor, Professor Margaret Gardner AO, said the new ARC Training Centres would be part of the University’s established international hub driving change in green chemistry and regenerative medicine for social good.

“Under the expertise and leadership of both Professor Patti and Professor Meagher, these developments provide an engaging and high-tech environment where students, academics and industry can collaborate to enhance the international competitiveness of Australian industry and, ultimately, help make the world a better place,” Professor Gardner said.

“We’re grateful for the government’s investment to create two dedicated ARC Training Centres at Monash so we can help create new jobs, new business opportunities, drive innovation and deliver positive change to support Australia’s growth and prosperity.”

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