Published on the 4th December 2023 by ANSTO Staff
As the flagship facility of ANSTO’s Innovation Precinct at Lucas Heights, nandin recently celebrated its fifth anniversary in a special gathering held last week for its startups, businesses and innovation community.
nandin (meaning ‘look ahead’ in the local Dharawal language) was created in 2018 and has become a hub of innovation and technology in Southern Sydney, helping to accelerate the development of deep tech and science ideas for over 40 startups and businesses.
The 40 member businesses have benefited from nandin’s entrepreneurial learning programs,
networking and mentoring, as well as access to office, labs, prototyping and design spaces. Members have raised more than $10 million in capital, as well as generated many local jobs.
The birthday celebrations, attended by over 70 people, included hands-on design sprints,
presentations, 3D printing workshops, and tours.
Design Innovation Associate at ANSTO, Dr Carol Azzam Mackay, said the anniversary event provided a valuable opportunity to bring together nandin members, ANSTO staff, and the local community to showcase the inspiring achievements supported by the facility over its short time.
“nandin is a vibrant science and deep-tech community made up of startups, businesses, researchers, and students working collaboratively to share their knowledge and expertise, and help develop solutions to solve complex challenges both now and into the future,’ Dr Azzam Mackay said.
"It’s a can-do community of motivated innovators working in fields such as green energy, medical, health, cybersecurity, AI, animation, machine-based learning, advanced manufacturing and so much more.
“nandin is where the collision of ideas happens, and we support members at every stage to bring their ideas to life, and ultimately, help get their product or service to market."
ANSTO CEO, Shaun Jenkinson, said “It’s the only location in Southern Sydney supporting deep-tech entrepreneurs and businesses to start, scale, and grow. Being located at ANSTO means our members can work collaboratively with our scientists, researchers and engineers, who are some of the brightest scientific minds in the country.”
The success of nandin is underpinned by ANSTO’s 70-year history and its niche expertise in science, engineering, and technology, which has delivered strong contributions to Australia’s nuclear industry.
