THE University of South Australia has called for web-based businesses to set up operation at its cutting-edge campus in Mount Gambier as it moves to open its doors to innovation and research.
Announcing its plans this week, the university has foreshadowed plans to grow its student population and lure businesses to the multi-million-dollar facility.
This comes as the university finalises plans for the state-of-the-art Mount Gambier education centre to house a national softwood industry research hub.
UniSA vice chancellor and president Professor David Lloyd said the university wanted to entice businesses to Wireless Road West so they could tap into the lightning fast fibre optic research network.
He said this opportunity coincided with the State Government’s GigCity blueprint for Mount Gambier, which aimed to drive industry innovation.
“We have put aside $7.5m to upgrade the network between Mount Gambier and Adelaide, which along with Whyalla is the most connected regional centre in the country,” Prof Lloyd explained.
“Businesses can now access that internet capability through this facility and we are willing, ready and able to accommodate companies.”
He said there was “plenty of room” for businesses to operate at the site so they could plug into the superfast 10 gigabit-per-second network.
“There is plenty of scope – we want our campus to become a business hub – this broadband capability is an enabling technology,” Prof Lloyd said.
“To be able to access that level of speed is an advantage for anybody interested in working in an internet-based business.”
He said discussion was already under way with Mount Gambier City Council and the State Government on the initiative.
“But right now we would be willing to have that conversation with anybody,” he said.
“It is important for people to appreciate the opportunities at the campus.”
Meanwhile, the vice chancellor said the university was pleased with student numbers but believed there was scope for growth given Mount Gambier’s population.
“If you look at metropolitan Adelaide, we have 32,000 students,” he said.
Prof Lloyd said the Mount Gambier campus – which had seen 400 people graduate since 2005 – was recording a lift in student numbers.
“We now have 200 people enrolled, so it is getting bigger,” he said.
Explaining the number of courses was also expanding, the professor said a new midwifery program would begin next year.
“We have just started business this year and we have got nursing, education, early childhood, social work and foundation studies – those programs have been growing year on year,” Prof Lloyd said.
“The start of the midwifery program is a big deal for the campus and the health simulation facilities at Mount Gambier are the most modern within the university.”
Prof Lloyd said he also wanted to begin a conversation to improve the public transport connectivity of the site given it was located on the edge of Mount Gambier.
“I don’t know what the right solution is, but we need to look at that,” he said.
He said the distance from the city centre was a pressing issue and more public transport options must be explored.
Regarding the proposed forestry innovation hub, he said around $2m would be delivered to the project over the next four years.
“We are just waiting on the contracts from the State Government and there will probably be more money to come,” Prof Lloyd said.
He said the project was being led by Professor Christopher Saint, who is the university’s dean of research.
“This is a really exciting project, one of the very first meetings I had in Mount Gambier was about how the university engaged with the forestry industry,” Prof Lloyd said.
While this link with the forestry sector was originally hampered by the negativity surrounding the forward sale of harvesting rights, he said the industry now appeared buoyant so the creation of the innovation research hub was timely.
“It is really important to have researchers and whenever we do these centres there has to be critical mass of industry partners who can engage with us,” the university leader said.
“We know the forestry industry has a good requirement for research and we think we can meet their needs.”
Prof Lloyd said the details surrounding the number of researchers at the site was yet to be determined.
