Deakin’s Award- winning Collaboration creating a 21st Century Geelong

Deakin University's award-winning year has continued to the finish with the University winning a prestigious Business/Higher Education Round Table (B-HERT) Award.

Deakin's research collaboration with its Geelong community has won B-HERT's Award for Outstanding Collaboration with a Regional Focus – Research and Development. The participating organisations in Deakin's application were the City of Greater Geelong, the Geelong Manufacturing Council, G21 and the Committee for Geelong. The application was entitled "Partnering for a 21st Century Future for Geelong."

"This is a stunning result for Deakin and for the Geelong region," said Deakin University's Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor David Stokes. "We pride ourselves on our research partnerships, but this award is special in the sense that it really brings together much of the research and development work we have been doing in Geelong."

"Our Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sally Walker, set the ball rolling by calling together to a special forum a range of community and business leaders, telling them that through quality research, through innovation, through being involved in the community whenever and where-ever it could, the University would work to help create the jobs and industries of the 21st Century for Geelong."

"We have already seen fantastic early results with the Indian IT firm, Satyam, agreeing to set up a research and educational laboratory at the Geelong Campus at Waurn Ponds."

"There are other concrete examples, such as the Proof of Concept Facility also being built at Waurn Ponds. The opening of the Medical School has also played its part in establishing Geelong as a university town with all the benefits that can bestow."

"When we received the B-HERT award at the Presentation Dinner, which was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister, the Honourable Julia Gillard, I think everyone present understood the significance of this partnership for Geelong," said Professor Stokes.

Mr Peter Dorling, the Committee for Geelong's Executive Director, said that the B-HERT award was excellent recognition for the way a range of business and community bodies had come together to face the daunting challenges of creating new industries and employment opportunities in a rapidly changing environment.

"Our region faces tough times," he said. "However, having Deakin University throw itself into the challenge in the way Professor Sally Walker and Professor David Stokes have done is marvellous."

"Deakin University is a research leader in many fields and when you add that to what the broader Geelong community can contribute in terms of facilities and enthusiasm we have a dynamic force for creating hi-tech industries that are globally competitive. It is a winning partnership."

Deakin University has won a number of major awards in recent times, including the Ford Global Challenge to design a Model T for the 21st Century. Deakin was the only Australian university invited to take part in the Challenge.

Deakin University recently also won the Victorian Governor's Export Award for Education.

NOTE: The B-HERT Citation

"Best Collaboration with a Regional Focus in Research & Development or Education & TrainingWinner: Deakin University, City of Greater Geelong, Geelong Manufacturing Council, Committee for Geelong and G21

Title: Partnering for a 21st Century Future for Geelong

The collaboration between Deakin University and its community in Geelong is an outstanding example of a regional partnership in research and development. The aim of the partnership between the University and its community is to ensure that Geelong makes the transition from being a major force in 20th Century industries to having similar success with 21st Century industries.

A major aim of the project is to translate research into new products, new processes and new services for the region thereby creating new jobs to absorb employment losses in traditional industries. The project includes research collaborations with industry – both large and small, local, national and international – and with all three tiers of Government in Australia. A goal is to have 60 industry partnerships by 2012. There are already more than 40.

Some examples of regional partnerships include Deakin taking the lead in 2007 in creating a "Silicon Valley of the Southern Hemisphere" at its Geelong Campus at Waurn Ponds; opening the Deakin University Medical School – the first at a regional university in Victoria eventually creating 860 on-going jobs; signing an agreement with Satyam Computer Services Ltd to build a technology and education centre on campus with the creation of 2000 jobs by 2016.

The achievements in the last year have shown that what's good for Deakin is good for Geelong and what is good for Geelong is good for Deakin."