Construction has begun on a new Sustainable Buildings Research Centre at the University of Wollongong.
Located on the Innovation Campus, the centre is part of a project called Retrofitting for Resilient and Sustainable Buildings (RRSB).
At a ceremony to turn the first sod, Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr said: “This project will help transform our construction industry by discovering sustainable building practices and products and find ways to improve the energy efficiency of new and existing buildings.”
Member for Cunningham Sharon Bird added: “The Centre and the RRSB project are great news for the Illawarra region. The RRSB project, with the Centre as its main research facility, will create over 100 research jobs and open up to 100 undergraduate and 200 post-graduate positions, which will train students in sustainable construction technologies and practices,” Ms Bird said.
The sod-turning took place this week in unison with the Illawarra Manufacturing Expo, where government politicians highlighted the $30 million Illawarra Region Innovation and Investment Fund, announced last week in response to job losses at BlueScope Steel.
“Through the Fund we will partner with local firms to create and secure new jobs and new technologies to ensure the Illawarra economy can prosper through this difficult time,” Senator Carr said.
The Fund specifically targets firms providing: engineering, construction and support services to heavy process manufacturing and the mining industry; manufacturing for the power, mining and transport sectors; engineered equipment for oil, gas and downstream industries; and firms involved in creative multimedia and software development.
“Firms like Partech Systems Pty Ltd, a local firm working in partnership with a researcher from the University of Wollongong, are developing and marketing a low-cost solar-powered rail level crossing control system. The Government is currently backing Partech with a $50,000 Enterprise Connect Researchers in Business grant,” Ms Bird said.
For more information on the Sustainable Buildings Research Centre, visit www.innovationcampus.com.au/
