Chemistry Australia has welcomed the launch of the ARC Training Centre for the Chemical Industries by Senator for Victoria, James Paterson at the University of Melbourne.

Chemistry Australia CEO Samantha Read said, “The world-class Training Centre will provide a critical platform for collaboration between academia, research and industry to take advantage of the global opportunities in advanced chemical manufacturing.”

“Chemistry Australia is delighted to be an industry partner of the Centre. This is a great example of how major manufacturing businesses in the chemistry industry, including Qenos, PPG and Dulux, are contributing to the development of Australia’s future STEM talent,” said Ms Read.

“The business of chemistry is one of Australia’s largest manufacturing sectors, and provides high quality employment options for Australia’s university graduates.

“The industry is taking an active role in developing our university graduates to underpin Australia’s ability to compete globally. Providing opportunities for students to apply their knowledge in a real-word learning context, is fundamental to Australia commercialising our innovation potential.

Ms Read said that the initiative also highlighted the importance of maintaining Australia’s manufacturing base.

“Innovation closely follows the location of manufacturing. When you lose manufacturing, you place the whole innovation ecosystem at risk. This is why it is critical that as a nation we highly value our manufacturing base and develop policies that promote continued investment,” said Ms Read.

The ARC Training Centre for the Chemical Industries is led by Dr Tash Polyzos from the University of Melbourne, and brings together significant academic and research capacity from The University of Melbourne, The University of NSW, Swinburne University of Technology and the CSIRO. The Australian Research Council (ARC) is providing $3.3 million in funding to the support the initiative.

Chemistry Australia is a leader in the collaborative development of successful research initiatives. Our work supports members by helping to attract funding, establish and strengthen networks, and build capability at all points within the innovation ecosystem. The results continue to help the Australian chemistry industry enhance competitiveness in domestic and global markets. Read more on programs: CSIRO Strategic Alliance, Industry Collaboration and Graduates in Industry