I n n o v at i o n
In April 2016, Australian Prime
Minister Malcolm Turnbull and China’s
Premier Li Keqiang signed agreements
to establish a new Torch science park
and associated government-backed
international research initiatives in
Australia, during a ceremony in Beijing’s
Great Hall of the People.
The science park will be established
on the University of New South Wales
(UNSW) campus in Sydney.
There are several reasons why UNSW
is likely to have been selected to host the
first Torch Programme site outside China.
UNSW has very strong alumni ties to
China, having hosted students from
China since the early 1950s.
In terms of location, too, UNSW is a
sound choice, sitting as it does on nearly
100 acres of prime Sydney real estate just
over four miles from Sydney’s central
business district.
UNSW is known colloquially as a
Sandstone Uni, part of the country’s
Group of Eight leading research-
intensive public universities. It regularly
hits top 50 in the 2017 QS World
University Rankings.
I nt e rnati o na l E x chan g e
Because UNSW has international
exchange and research partnerships
with more than 200 universities around
the world and is part of Universitas 21,
a global network of research universities,
this Torch site also looks set to help
Chinese business to tap into a wider
global community.
“Securing the Torch Project is an
incredible recognition of how well UNSW
is respected within China, based on our
long-standing history,” says Prof Mark
Hoffman, Dean of Engineering at
UNSW. “It recognises that Australian
technologies can play a significant role
in industrial global development, and
clearly China sees an opportunity that
isn’t currently being exploited.”
Hoffman says the Torch concept has
been very successful in producing the
kinds of close relationships between
industry and universities that lead to
commercialisation, which Australia
hasn’t traditionally done well because it
lacks the range of large companies and
has less industrial diversity, he says.
The UNSW Torch project began its
design phase in August 2016, and by
2020 a six acre precinct will be underway,
with a focus on cutting-edge innovation
and R&D in energy and environment,
3 6 | U K S PA b r e a k t h r o u g h | W INTER 2 0 17
The University of New South
Wales is an Australian public
research university in Sydney
A t o r c h p r ec i n ct i n A u s t r a l i a
w i l l m ea n s i g n i f i ca n t f u n d s
coming into the country
t o f u n d l o ca l r e s ea r c h
advanced materials, and biotechnology.
It’s no surprise that senior university
executives are joined by Australian
Government bureaucrats keen to secure
the deal. Deloitte Access Economics
estimates that Torch companies could be
set to return some A$1.1 billion to the
Australian economy.
Hoffman says a Torch Precinct in
Australia will mean significant financial
benefits coming into the country to fund
further local research.
“This is work that simply wouldn’t
be funded otherwise,” he says, adding
that, in a global environment, we need
research that benefits society and the
world. He dismisses concerns about
potential missed opportunities for
manufacturing in Australia as unrealistic.
“If manufacturers in Australia wanted
to do this, they would be doing it,” he
says. “Under Torch, Australia will
certainly get returns for that research.”
In 2014, as Pro Vice-Chancellor
Research, Hoffman led the first UNSW
roadshow to visit Torch Parks and various
companies in China. He’s also cultivated
existing alumni relationships in China.
T hri v in g P r e cinct
Torch Project Manager Dr Yuan Wang,
a senior chemical engineer, has a crucial
role in developing the new precinct.
“We’re all very excited about this. One
of our first aims is to secure more than
A$100 million in research funding from
Chinese industry partners,” she says.
Phase One allows five years to secure
that funding. During this period, UNSW
will work with architects and urban
planners as well as investors to develop
designs for a thriving precinct concept.
UNSW has released about 1,000m² of
prime laboratory and office space on its
Kensington campus in Sydney for the
Torch Programme.