University of Wollongong Innovation Campus opens new technology park precinct

The University of Wollongong's Innovation Campus at North Wollongong has opened a major expansion adding 40,000 square metres of research and commercial floor space in a new technology park precinct, reinforcing the campus's role as the primary vehicle for the commercialisation of university research and the growth of Wollongong's knowledge economy.

The $140 million expansion, developed in partnership with a private property trust that will own and manage the commercial buildings under a long-term agreement, includes two new laboratory buildings for deep-tech research, three commercial office buildings for technology companies at various stages of growth, and a new collaboration centre designed for cross-sector innovation events and programs.

University of Wollongong vice-chancellor Patricia Davidson said the expansion would allow the campus to accommodate the pipeline of research commercialisation that the university's programs were generating, noting that the existing buildings had reached capacity. "We have companies that want to grow here, research that is ready to commercialise, and industry partners that want to be in this precinct. The capacity constraint has been the limiting factor," she said.

Twenty-two companies have committed to the new buildings before construction completion, including five technology spin-offs from the university, three interstate technology companies establishing Wollongong hubs, and a consortium of steel and materials technology firms drawn specifically by the proximity to BlueScope's research operations at Port Kembla. The BlueScope Steel Research group will itself be a major tenant of the new laboratory buildings.

The campus now accommodates more than 140 companies and organisations, employing approximately 5,400 people — more than double the number at the campus ten years ago.

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