Projects funded by the Victorian Higher Education State Investment Fund

Medical Equipment for Research Collaboration with St Vincent's – $2 million

Equipment purchases in collaboration with St Vincent's Institute for Medical Research to undertake metabolic and health research, specifically supporting future treatment for individuals with obesity and diabetes. 

Next Generation Secure IT Network – $1.8 million

Implementation of a scalable, resilient and secure IT network at Melbourne and Ballarat campuses to support teaching and research, particularly remotely.

ManuFutures 2: Geelong Engineering and Innovation Centre –$10 million 

Advanced manufacturing incubator and deployment facility located in Geelong, supporting regional businesses to improve competitiveness and create new global market opportunities. Accessing Deakin capabilities across all aspects of business, from strategy and research through to deploying advanced manufacturing technologies. Focusing on key strategic areas of renewable energy, circular economy, food and agriculture, defence, and new mobility transport.

Announced date: 11 March 2021 

Press release: Putting Geelong At The Heart Of Advanced Manufacturing

Innovation in Technology, Health and Science – $2 million 

Development of an innovation precinct including labs, facilities and workspaces in Burwood to build capacity for teaching and research across a number of disciplines and new technologies. 

Announced date: 15 July 2021

Press release: Putting Victoria At The Forefront Of Stem Innovation

The DISH: Deakin Innovation for SMEs Hub – $2 million 

Development of facilities and funded applied research supporting SMEs resilience in adapting to Covid, focusing on digital technology, cybersecurity and AI.

Announced date: 11 August 2021          

BatTRI-HUB 2.0: Building Victoria’s role in global supply chains for advanced batteries – $5.2 million 

Physical space and research infrastructure/facilities to further advanced battery research, translation and commercialisation for international markets.

Announced date: 29 June 2021

Press release: Deakin Uni To Create World-Leading Clean Energy Products 

Hycel Tech Hub – $9 million 

Construction of a research facility in Warrnambool and funded applied research for development, testing, demonstration and manufacture of hydrogen fuel technology. 

Announced date: 29 June 2021

Press release: Deakin Uni To Create World-Leading Clean Energy Products 

AquAFI Hub: Aquaculture and Advanced Feeds Innovation Hub – $4 million

Construct recirculating aquaculture research centre in Geelong, focusing on innovation and manufacturing including animal nutrition and food export.

Announced date: 23 April 2021

Press release: Putting Deakin At The Forefront Of Water Science Research 

Queenscliff Marine Science Centre – $1 million

Physical space and ICT for advancing research and innovation in marine science, fisheries and aquaculture.

Announced date:  23 April 2021

Press release:  Putting Deakin At The Forefront Of Water Science Research 

Integrated Water Management – $1 million

Investments in improved water sustainability at Waurn Ponds Campus to be used as opportunities for applied research and demonstration of sustainable practices.

Announced date: 23 April 2021

Press release:  Putting Deakin At The Forefront Of Water Science Research 

Next Gen Simulator (motion simulator platform) – $5 million

Simulation facility to advance research into driving systems, including autonomous mobility technologies, in partnership with Ford.

Announced date: 06 October 2021

Press release: Driving the Future Of Car Manufacturing In Geelong

St Paschal’s Campus Development – $500,000

Small scale capital works to establish a long-term home for the University of Divinity at St Paschal's Precinct, 90 Albion Road, Box Hill. The property renovations include classrooms, office space, seminar and conference facilities and a new Indigenous Studies Centre.

Announced date: 11 May 2021

Press release:  National-First Indigenous Theology Course At New Centre

Business Centre of Excellence, including IBM Watson IoT Facility – $9.5 million

Development of an enhanced Business Centre of Excellence, located in a renovated heritage building in Ballarat CBD with dedicated facilities and applied research particularly focusing on IoT.

Announced date: 29 January 2021

Press release:  New Federation Business Centre Of Excellence In Ballarat 

Ballarat University Town  – $2.25 million

Funding to support community engagement and business case development of a Master Plan, activating the town centre, improve student experience and enable better business engagement. Funding includes works at Federation University’s Jobs and Technology Precinct in Ararat which will connect the precinct to Federation’s Business Centre of Excellence in Ballarat.

Announced date: 17 September 2021

Press release:  An Education Transformation For Central Ballarat

Gippsland Regional Aquatic Centre – Wellness Centre  – $1.1 million

A student-led clinic will deliver wellness services (including physiotherapy, exercise physiology, occupational therapy and speech pathology) to the community, in partnership with Latrobe City Council.

Announced date: 15 October 2021

Press release:  New Wellness Centre To Train Gippsland Health Experts

Bio Innovation Hub  – $8 million 

Research equipment, labs and offices to support start-ups and SMEs conducting early stage lab-based research and support commercialisation of research.  

Announced date: 15 March 2021

Press release:  New Science Hubs To Support Bio And Tech Innovation 

Digital Innovation Hub – $9 million

Integrated industry, research and teaching hub to support businesses to grow and transform through digital technology.  

Announced date: 15 March 2021 

Press release:  New Science Hubs To Support Bio And Tech Innovation 

Agriculture Production Platform  – $3.5 million

Enhancements to existing infrastructure to support industry in transforming seed, crop and medicinal agriculture innovations from early stage development to full scale pilot production. 

Announced date: 28 June 2021

Press release:  Investing In Research To Grow Our Agriculture Sector 

Bendigo Teaching and Research Labs – $2.5 million

Expansion of laboratories at Bendigo campus to support course delivery, research and local industry involvement.

Announced date: 25 June 2021

Applied Industry Agri Platforms  – $6.5 million

Development of lab facilities and infrastructure to support Victoria's agriculture businesses in discovering and subsequent commercialisation of products in horticulture, medicinal agriculture and protected crops.  

Announced date: 28 June 2021

Press release:  Investing In Research To Grow Our Agriculture Sector 

Virtual Care/Telehealth – $1.6 million

Refurbish existing teaching and internal-clinic spaces to deliver telehealth training and clinical facilities in Bundoora and Bendigo.

Announced date: 5 August 2021

Illumina-UoM Genomics Hub – $20 million

The Hub is set to elevate local genomics research and clinical trials to a global scale by establishing three core platforms in clinical genomics, bioinformatics and health economics. 

Announced date: 4 December 2020

Press release:  Illuminating Investment In Medical Research And Jobs 

Neo-Bionica (Bionic Devices Development Facility) –  $4 million

Facilities to conduct research into human-grade medical implants and to manufacture devices at sufficient scale to enable clinical translation and commercialisation.  

Announced date: 29 September 2021

Press release:  New Laboratory To Support Local Medical Innovations

More information: https://www.neo-bionica.com/

Faster, Smarter Pharma and Food Manufacturing  – $1.8 million

Working with industry, create a new research centre to improve and optimise pharma and food advanced manufacturing    

Announced date: 28 September 2021      

Press release:  Boosting Medicine And Food Manufacturing In Victoria

NorVicFoods: Agri-food Innovation Cluster – $2.7 million

A new venture to transform and grow the agri-food sector in the Hume region through working with agri-food businesses to deliver specific research aimed at solving operational challenges. 

Announced date: 8 September 2021

Press release:  Driving Innovation In The Goulburn Valley Fruit Bowl

More information:   https://fvas.unimelb.edu.au/norvicfoods

Zero Emissions Energy Lab  – $4.7 million

Platform to develop and commercialise clean energy technologies with industry partners, including support for startups.                 

Announced date: 2 August 2021

Press release:  New CBD Precinct Spearheads Social And Digital Innovation 

Melbourne Connect - Innovation and Incubation – $6 million

Funding for university-industry engagement, research and commercialisation activity in digital sectors at Melbourne Connect. 

Announced date: 2 August 2021

Press release:  New CBD Precinct Spearheads Social And Digital Innovation

More information:  https://melbconnect.com.au/

Smart Manufacturing & Commercialisation Hub – $16.1 million

Capital works and research infrastructure to extend the current advanced manufacturing in biomedical innovation and pharmaceutical sciences at Monash Parkville campus through to the Monash Clayton campus. Creating a smart manufacturing, start-up incubator and collaboration space which will provide industry with early access to Monash’s research and business talent pipeline.  

Announced date: 01 September 2021

Press release:  New Monash Hubs To Boost COVID Vaccine Manufacturing 

Family Violence Workforce Pathways and Access to Justice  – $8.67 million

Refurbishing of part of the Menzies Building, Clayton campus to provide dedicated research facilities and office space. The Project also funds three research streams: 1. to generate the evidence-base needed and the practice tools required to ensure that women who have experienced family violence are able to successfully re-engage with paid work and where desired contribute to family violence advocacy, policy and practice reform. 2. to develop a suite of analysis reports for government and the family violence sector 3. to build an evidence base on how public sector workplaces can enhance gender equality within the workplace.  

Announced date: 24 May 2021

Press release:  Providing Better Pathways For Family Violence Survivors 

Health Innovation Centre  – $17.5 million

Refurbish a building to create flexible office space and collaborative research facilities to facilitate the development of innovative ideas and enabling a ‘virtual front-door’ for clinical research trials, specifically focussed on cardiovascular disease and investment attraction. It will also act as an industry collaboration and commercialisation accelerator and business incubator by engaging sponsors, investors and partners with access to public and private health providers.  

Announced date: 22 September 2021

Press release:  National First Centre to Drive Heart Health Research

Net Zero Initiative  – $11 million

Upgrading a number of Monash campus buildings to reduce their emissions. For example, by using a distributed energy generation and storage at on-site microgrid. This project is supporting Monash to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2030 and be a leading demonstration site for low emissions technologies.

Announced date: 20 October 2021

Press release: Helping Monash University Slash Emissions To Net Zero

CBD North - Precinct Activation & Innovation Spine – $14.36 million

Master planning and development within RMIT's CBD North Precinct, including establishment of the Multifaith and Wellbeing Centre and the Asia Trade & Innovation Hub. $14,360,351 

Digital and Business Transformation  – $6.68 million

Includes a range of digital-based initiatives and infrastructure including high-performance supercomputing infrastructure and digital support for industry, including improving safety in workplaces through digitisation and enhancing data analytics capability  

Social Innovation – $13.87 million

Research into social-based innovation including digital health/medical systems, the justice system, social services & enterprises and developing digital biosciences facilities.  

Future Industry Transformation – $9.69 million

Establish applied research hubs focused on the circular economy, digital industry, advanced manufacturing and the space industry.  

Announced date:  22 June 2021 (all RMIT projects were announced on this date)

Press release:  RMIT Projects To Spark New Life In City North Precinct 

MedTechVic   – $6.7 million 

Develop a Framework that supports the supply chain for assistive technologies (that support people to participate in work, education and social activities), from the ideation and identification of new product opportunities through to clinical validation and end-user testing, feedback and local manufacturing. 

Announced date: 10 September

Press release:  Australian-First MedTech Project Improves Victorian Lives 

Victorian Hydrogen Hub (VH2) – $10 million

Construction and commissioning of an integrated Hydrogen Demonstration site and implementation of a Victorian Hydrogen Industry Capability Program with large-scale hydrogen industry and community engagement programs to generate active partnerships. Also establishing an Australian-first international hydrogen partnership with Germany.  

Announced date: 7 February 2021

Press release:  Hydrogen Hub Cements Victoria As Clean Energy Leader 

Aerostructures Innovation Research (AIR) Hub   – $12 million 

Victoria will be the home of an Australian-first advanced manufacturing research hub for aircraft parts and vertical lift aerostructures. Aerostructures Innovation Research (AIR) Hub will research and develop next generation aircraft components, enhancing aircraft wings, develop technologies for driverless passenger, cargo and medical vehicles as well as explore clean, green air travel. The project will also work to upskill airline staff impacted by the pandemic by developing a skills and training plan for the local industry and design a manufacturing blueprint for Victoria’s future.

Announced date: 6 November 2021

Education Innovation Hub – $8.8 million 

A group of four applied research projects that will deliver action research solutions to reduce transition barriers and increase student success across educational offerings in higher education and vocational education and training.  

Announced date: 24 August 2021              

Press release:  Community Research Hubs To Bolster Melbourne’s West

Jobs & Skills Innovation Hub – $2.6 million

A group of four applied research projects that will facilitate the development and implementation of solutions to support skills and jobs growth, as well as safe and inclusive work environments in Melbourne’s West.  

Announced date: 24 August 2021

Press release:  Community Research Hubs To Bolster Melbourne’s West

Stronger Communities Innovation Hub  – $5.8 million

A group of four applied research projects focused on improving the health, wellbeing and resilience of socially disadvantaged communities in Melbourne’s West.  

Announced date: 24 August 2021

Press release:  Community Research Hubs To Bolster Melbourne’s West

Sustainable Futures Innovation Hub – $4.9 million

A group of four applied research projects focused on responsible consumption and production practices in the water, construction and packaging industries to support the advancement of the circular economy and waste reduction.

Announced date: 15 April 2021

Press release:  New Innovation Hub To Create Sustainable Future Today