29 March 2012

Brisbane, Australia, March 29, 2012 – In a groundbreaking initiative bringing together cutting edge research expertise in energy, water and sustainability with world-class science and engineering education, The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) and The University of Queensland (UQ) today unveiled a strategic partnership that will result in the establishment of the Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering Innovation.

Dow to Fund World Class Science from The University of Queensland on Vimeo.

Funded through a Dow contribution worth $10 million over the next six years which was announced today by Dow Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Andrew Liveris together with UQ Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Terry, the newly-established 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 - hot-housing innovation at the urban energy, water and carbon nexus, which will attract international attention to the issues of sustainability and position Dow and UQ as leaders, achievers and contributors to society,” said Liveris, a UQ chemical engineering alumnus. “The Center confirms our mutual commitment to sustainability through its focus on high impact outcomes of global significance and delivery of knowledge and leadership for future generations within an operational framework that provides economic prosperity while respecting community values and the environment.”

The University of Queensland is consistently ranked as one of the world’s leading educational institutions, recognised for establishing highly targeted initiatives and broad interdisciplinary expertise and diversity of the student body and teaching staff. This is the first time Dow has signed such an agreement with an Australian university.

“Dow and UQ are natural partners,” Liveris continued. “The University’s strategic intent and core strengths in science and engineering align well with those of Dow. 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.”

“UQ’s education and research is empowered by partnerships because they make possible commercially viable solutions to global issues,” Professor Terry said.

“The Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering Innovation will be a driving force of the University’s sustainability agenda, pursuing an imaginative program of research and collaboration and developing solutions to global issues,” said Professor Terry. “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.”

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

About The Dow Chemical Company
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2011, Dow had annual sales of billion and employed approximately 52,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 197 sites in 36 countries across the globe.

About The University of Queensland (UQ)
The University of Queensland is one of Australia’s premier teaching and research institutions and is a member of the Group of Eight research-intensive Australian universities. It is consistently ranked in the top one per cent of the world’s leading universities in independent global rankings and the Federal Government’s current Excellence in Research for Australia survey confirmed UQ as one of the nation’s top two universities, measured on a combination of research quality and breadth. UQ’s research spans six faculties and eight world-class research institutes.

Listen to the audio from the announcement here

For editorial information:
Dow Chemical
Linda Lim
Email: llim2@dow.com
Tel: +65 9620 9814

University of Queensland
Razel Croaker, Tel: +61 458 801 328
Sarah McCormack, Tel: +61 7 3346 3921

Cannings Corporate Communications
John Hurst, Tel: + 61 418 708 663
Luis Garcia, Tel: +61 2 8284 9911