Woodside opens Innovation Centre in Australia

Australia’s Monash University and Woodside have launched a new Innovation Centre that combines the University’s research and design capabilities with Australia’s oil and gas company.

The University informed on Wednesday that the Woodside Innovation Centre was opened by the Hon. Josh Frydenberg, Minister for Resources, Energy and Northern Australia. The centre incorporates cutting-edge technology with engineering research, design, and IT expertise, the University noted.

It further stated that Woodside will contribute AUD $10 million ($7.4 million) over five years toward the Centre which is, the University emphasized, the largest corporate philanthropic gift in the University’s history.

Woodside engineers and Monash researchers together will develop and test prototypes in the laboratory, aiming to lead to new applications for the energy and other industries. Technology which will be used includes a selective laser melting (SLM) 3D printer – the most precise and dimensionally correct 3D printer available – capable of manufacturing components used in oil and gas plants.

Monash Vice-Chancellor Professor, Margaret Gardner, said: “This partnership will build on the University’s record of innovation in engineering and IT to provide practical solutions for Australian industry. The Woodside Innovation Centre demonstrates Monash University’s commitment to connecting our world-leading research with industry.“

The Innovation Centre now becomes a part of Woodside’s FutureLab network throughout Australia.

Shaun Gregory, Woodside’s Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, said: “Launching an innovation center at Monash adds to our existing network of FutureLabs at Curtin University and the University of Western Australia in Perth.

“Our vision for our Monash center is for us to rapidly advance commercial opportunities through materials engineering, additive manufacturing, and data science.”

Gregory added that Woodside hopes to, in collaboration with Monash, solve ‘real-life challenges’ that the company faces.

Frieder Seible, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice President and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Information Technology, said: “Today’s important innovation drivers are New Materials, New Manufacturing Methods, and Data Analytics, exactly the three pillars of the Woodside Innovation Centre.”

He added that the 3D visualization environment at Monash is the most advanced in Australia and it will allow Woodside engineers to transfer the technology back to the workplace.

Seible also said: “Through this partnership, we will train the next generation of exceptional engineers and IT professionals to deal with tomorrow’s challenges and advances.”