The Australian Maritime College (AMC) at the University of Tasmania will be the home of a new training centre for highly qualified Navy engineers that will transform the nation’s naval manufacturing industry.
According to the media release by AMC, the $3.8 million Australian Research Council-funded centre was delivered in collaboration between the University of Tasmania (UTAS), University of Wollongong and Flinders University, with the support of ship builder ASC Pty Ltd, INCAT Tasmania Pty Ltd, Babcock International Group, Defence Materials Technology Centre, Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DTSO), Thales Australia Ltd and PMB Defence Engineering Pty Ltd.
The official launch of the AMC training centre was attended by representatives from the Australian Government, the Australian Research Council, the Department of Defence, DSTO, the partnering universities and other key stakeholders.
Peter Rathjen from UTAS said the centre would support Australia’s ambitious multi-billion dollar naval shipbuilding program.
“This project will feed into the Australian naval manufacturing industry by creating a new cohort of industry-focused, broadly skilled engineers and researchers,” he said.
“These researchers will focus on developing advanced techniques to efficiently design, construct and sustain the naval platforms, providing significant economic benefits to the nation.”
The project’s chief investigator Dr Jonathan Binns said the centre will provide training and support for 3 postdoctoral and 10 postgraduate candidates to drive the research and development required by the Defence Force, with a focus on naval design and manufacturing.
“We have focus somewhat around the future submarines, future frigates and patrol boat programs but this is transferable technology that they’ll be developing,” he said.
“For example in the sustainment area we’re looking at trying to integrate how you monitor navy boats and integrate that back into the design so that we should be able to get boats that perform better and longer.”
AMC Principal Professor Neil Bose said the project would have far-reaching benefits.
“Each student and postdoctoral fellow will work on a specific industry-driven research project in collaboration with researchers from the three universities and two government organisations involved in the partnership,” Professor Bose said.
“It includes the training and career advancement of highly qualified engineers needed to support the design and manufacture of the SEA1000 future submarines, whose construction alone will be Australia’s largest engineering project.”
The ARC’s Industrial Transformation Training Centres scheme aims to foster close partnerships between university researchers and other research end-users to provide innovative higher degree and postdoctoral training in industries vital to Australia’s future.
