The University of Southern Queensland-led Sustainable Industry Manufacturing Planning for Long-term Ecosystems (SIMPLE) Hub is designed to simplify regional research collaboration in manufacturing.
The hub is based in the Centre for Future Materials and the Institute for Advanced Engineering and Space Sciences, focusing on capacity building initiatives to enable industry and universities to co-design and develop new products and processes whilst supporting regional manufacturing priorities.
These priorities include technical, environmental, economic, educational, and cultural aspects of green energy, resource recovery, and waste recycling/upcycling.
The SIMPLE Hub will enable an innovative ecosystem, linking industry with regional universities to create more efficient, intelligent, responsive, and agile industry sectors that are profitable, scalable, and transferable nationally and globally. This will position the Hub to become a leading consortium, linking regional and metropolitan stakeholders in sustainable circular economy futures.
The Hub will also create a workforce pipeline to support the sector, training industry-ready researchers who will be the innovators for regional manufacturing industries into the future.
The multidiscipline research team includes UniSQ’s Associate Professor Polly Burey, Dr Tristan Shelley, and Professor Petrea Redmond. External partners include Oilfield Piping Systems, Darling Downs Health, Jennmar, Impacts Renewable Energy, Venlo, Plungie and Australia Sunlight Group, as well as the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) and CSIRO on the Advisory Committee.
SIMPLE Hub aims to:
- Leverage UniSQ research capability through targeted skill development aligned with research and development to support National Manufacturing Priorities and provide a sustainable pipeline for regional researchers to link with local industry through targeted initiatives.
- Co-deliver projects, contribute to local and regional priorities by addressing unique challenges for regional and remote waste recovery and value add.
- Effectively develop long-term collaborative partnerships with other research organisations and/or industry, including internationally.
- Develop technologies and products with the SIMPLE Hub’s industry partners for remanufacturing of waste materials generated in regional areas.
- Develop a tailored approach to developing manufacturing solutions specific to regional communities with waste materials.
