New partnership pursues innovation

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Tags: innovation, partnerships, winter-2012

Professor Peter Gray, Professor Debbie Terry, Dr Andrew Liveris, Professor Max Lu, Professor Paul Lant and Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, at the official launch of the Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering Innovation

UQ and The Dow Chemical Company have joined forces to establish a major new facility promoting cutting edge research and engineering education.

Dow Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dr Andrew Liveris announced in March a $10 million contribution over the next six years to fund the Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering Innovation.

The centre will pursue an imaginative program of research and collaboration aimed at harnessing solutions designed to confront the big sustainability challenges of the 21st century.

“This is a lighthouse initiative which will attract international attention to the issues of sustainability and position Dow and UQ as leaders, achievers and contributors to society,” Dr Liveris said.

“The centre confirms our mutual commitment to sustainability through its focus on high-impact outcomes and delivery of knowledge and leadership for future generations.”

This is the first time Dow has signed such an agreement with an Australian university.

Dr Liveris, the 2005 UQ Alumnus of the Year, said there was a natural synergy between Dow and UQ.

“Dow’s culture of discovery and innovation, a focus on advanced manufacturing and new markets, and a commitment to sustainability are closely matched by the new initiatives driven by global sustainability challenges that are defining UQ’s strategic direction,” he said.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Debbie Terry said such partnerships allowed the University to pursue commercially viable solutions to global issues.

“We expect the centre to become a magnet for talented staff and students and to affirm UQ’s leadership in the fields of science and engineering,” Professor Terry said.

“This is an exciting time for the University and for the growth of Queensland’s knowledge-based future.”

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