Dr Francine Papillon with ANSTO CEO Adi Paterson (left) and NSW Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation Matt Kean (right)
A crowd of about 100, including more than 20 NSW Parliamentarians, convened at State Parliament to hear about ANSTO’s plans for an Innovation Precinct in southern Sydney at a breakfast event held on 14 March.
The event was opened by NSW Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation, the Hon Matt Kean MP and special guest Dr Francine Papillon, Head of the Programs Coordination Group at the GIANT Innovation campus in Grenoble France, shared learnings from the successful establishment of their mega precinct during the event.
ANSTO CEO Adi Paterson said the response was very positive and encouraging from participants, who saw the potential for jobs, economic impact and answers to important societal challenges from ANSTO’s innovation precinct.
The GIANT precinct, established in 2009, is centred around research infrastructure facilities similar to those operated by ANSTO. More than 40 companies are located on its site, which accommodates more than 10,000 students and a further 10,000 researchers. With more than 600 patents a year, it has an economic impact estimated at 4 billion euros annually.
GIANT forges links between research, higher education and industry to foster technological breakthroughs for the future with a focus on communication technologies, renewable energies, environmental problems, and human health.