$100 million boost to Queensland R&D economy

The Coalition Government will invest $100 million to create two new business and research partnerships with leading Queensland universities, creating 2,400 new jobs in Queensland.

The $100 million investment will support two new Trailblazer partnerships:

• $50 million to establish a space sector Trailblazer led by the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), which will work with 23 industry partners, including 17 SMEs, and two universities – the University of South Australia and the Australian National University
• $50 million to establish a food and beverage Trailblazer led by the University of Queensland (UQ), which will work with 14 industry partners and two universities – the Queensland University of Technology and the University of Southern Queensland

Acting Minister for Education and Youth Stuart Robert said the UQ and USQ

partnerships are the final two Trailblazers to receive funding through the Trailblazer program which is designed to focus Australia’s considerable research power on Australia’s National Manufacturing Priorities.

“Our economic plan is supercharging Australia’s research and development, creating more jobs and helping to build a stronger economy and a stronger future, Minister Robert said.

“We are investing in new technology in our growing space industry and our booming agri-tech sector to create jobs around Australia, particularly in Queensland.”

“The Trailblazers program has brought together universities and businesses exactly as we intended, with $362 million in taxpayer funding attracting more than $1 billion in co-investments from industry and university partners.”

Minister for Regionalisation, Regional Communications and Regional Education Bridget McKenzie said the project will have a significant impact for regions across Australia.

“The UQ and USQ partnerships and their industry collaborators have promised more than $230 million in co-investment, matching public funding by more than 2 to 1.

“The co-investment of the 37 industry partners to these two Trailblazers shows that Australian industry is hungry to collaborate with universities to unleash a new wave of technology that will drive economic growth and jobs in regional Australia,” Senator McKenzie said.

“The new UQ Trailblazer will turbocharge our growing space industry, helping us to achieve our goal of having 20,000 space sector jobs by 2030, and the new USQ Trailblazer, based in Toowoomba, will accelerate our world-leading agri-tech industry to capitalise on new opportunities for Australian products in food and beverage supply chains

“This Trailblazer funding is part of our plan for a stronger, sustainable and more prosperous regional Australia and means more jobs right here in Queensland, a stronger research and development sector and a stronger economy.”

The UQ and USQ Trailblazers are the final two of six total Trailblazers to be announced. The six successful Trailblazers were selected through a two-stage competitive assessment process where universities were required to submit expressions and interest and then more detailed business cases.

Together, the 6 selected Trailblazers:

• Have established 170 industry partnerships, with small businesses representing more than 60 per cent of the industry partners
• Have attracted more than $1 billion in co-investment, matching the Government’s funding by 3:1
• Are expected to create more than 7,400 jobs in Australia’s cities and regions
• Will catalyse significant new innovations and economic opportunities in national priority areas, including defence, clean energy and recycling, resources technology and critical minerals, food and beverage, and space.

The Coalition Government has invested $362 million in the Trailblazer Universities program – an initial $243 million announced in November last year and an additional $119 million through our Regional Accelerator Program announced on Budget night. This is part of the Government’s $2.2 billion University Research Commercialisation Action Plan, which will focus the considerable research power of our universities on Australia’s National Manufacturing Priorities.

Only the Morrison Government has a plan to deliver a strong economy and a stronger future for Queenslanders.