Flinders University campus at Tonsley precinct opens

SKILLS and enthusiasm of automotive workers will be honoured as South Australia charts a new course towards advanced manufacturing from the Tonsley precinct, says Flinders University’s head.

Flinders University vice-chancellor Professor Colin Stirling on the biomedical engineering floor of the new $120 million Flinders University building at Tonsley. Photo: Calum Robertson.

THE spirit of the workers who made cars in the Tonsley site for 40 years will live on as South Australia forges ahead in advanced manufacturing, Flinders University vice-chancellor Colin Stirling says.

Speaking at the official opening of the university’s campus at Tonsley, Professor Stirling said the 2000 students and 150 staff would always be mindful of the Mitsubishi and Chrysler workers who laboured at the site.

“Those jobs are gone but we won’t forget those men and women and the things that they made here,” Professor Stirling said.

“The most fitting tribute will be to draw on the same spirit, energy and optimism to create something new, something great.

“Because that’s what smart states do — smart states innovate.”

The university has made its largest ever single investment — of $120 million — to build the campus which will house its school of computer science, engineering and mathematics, its nanoscale science and technology centre, New Venture Institute, commercialisation arm Flinders Partners and its Medical Device Research Institute.

Professor Stirling said Flinders was growing fast but the investment should not be seen in simple monetary terms.

“The return is not a financial one, the return is in research, education and productivity,” he said.

“Our expectation is we will work very closely with industry, that we will establish very strong links with companies and assist companies to grow from being small to medium-sized and from medium to large.

“That is a major investment in productivity and renewal for this state.”

The university was charting a new course — “a course which unites educational research with industry, business and government in a way that will help build economic renewal and create 21st century jobs”.

Premier Jay Weatherill said Flinders University’s presence at Tonsley was integral to the precinct which brings together education, industry and government along with a residential space.

“This place is absolutely pregnant with meaning for the future of South Australia,” he said.

“It represents Flinders University coming down from the hill — which is symbolic in itself.

“Modern manufacturing, advanced, high-technology manufacturing is about partnerships.

“It’s about the relationships between business, government, universities, vocational education and training and the broader community.

“All of those elements have been brought together at this site.”

Mr Weatherill said government was increasingly tying its assistance to business to research and development.

“This is the pattern we’ve followed,” he said.

“You’ve seen recently the investments we made to get Hewlett Packard here — that was an investment with the university.

“The investment to get Hills was with the university.

“The investment to get OZ Minerals here was an investment in shared technology which will be available to the rest of industry.”

Federal Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane, who unveiled a plaque with the help of robot Baxter, said the transition away from manufacturing such as car making was inevitable.

“If we don’t get cracking with that transition, we will be left behind,” he said.

“That’s why the Australian Government has put science at the centre of industry policy.”

More work needed to be done to encourage students to study the science, technology, engineering and mathematics streams, he said.

“I congratulate Flinders University on taking this entrepreneurial approach to breaking down the ivory walls and recreating this site as a base to make internationally competitive innovations,” he said.