Cisco, Flinders University team up for Adelaide-based innovation space for SMEs

Cisco and Flinders University have teamed up to launch an innovation initiative aimed to help small and medium-sized enterprises.

Called Innovation Central Adelaide, the facility is within Flinders Uni’s new Digital Transformation Laboratory and complements three existing Innovation Central locations in Sydney, Perth and Brisbane.

Flinders Uni vice chancellor Colin Stirling said the facility was designed to nurture innovation and growth by solving real business problems for SMEs, and represents the realisation of a national advanced technology network with the three other Innovation Central locations.

“The partnership between Flinders and Cisco expands the co-Innovation footprint of Innovation Centrals in Sydney, Perth and Brisbane, bringing together researchers and industry to facilitate collaboration and create opportunities to solve real world problems, through technology innovation,” Stirling said.

“It further reinforces the world-class expertise that Flinders researchers are contributing to the evolution of advanced manufacturing in South Australia, supporting jobs and the economy.”

The facility will run experiments on design processes, rapid prototyping, simulation and high tech visualisation technologies, aiming to act as a “high-tech treasure chest” for South Australian SMEs.

Other experiments include robotics and automation, with initial trials focusing on collaboration systems, industrial networking, automation, industrial security, wireless systems and industrial sensor solutions.

Cisco ANZ vice president Ben Dawson said the partnership builds on the vendor’s ongoing commitment to innovation and research in Australia, and will see Flinders Uni join the Cisco-led industry and university alliance National Industry Innovation Network (NIIN).

“The partnership with Flinders University and Innovation Central Adelaide represents new research and innovation opportunities that will transform advanced manufacturing with the application of digital technologies to increase efficiencies and scale across industries. This world class co-innovation commitment furthers our collaborative approach to innovative teaching and learning and opens the door for world leading research,” Dawson said.

"At Cisco, we believe that industry has a key role collaborating with the education sector to ensure the latest thinking and insights are shared and developed into the curriculum, as well as furthering research and innovation to grow industry capabilities.

“By teaming with Flinders University and investing in Innovation Central Adelaide, we’re supporting the development of job-ready skills that are required today.”