Monash builds on a green chemistry future

The Green Chemical Futures facility will be developed at the Clayton campus of Monash University. The $72.8 million project will be co-funded by the university and the federal government.

Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced federal government funding of $29.1m and Monash University will provide $43.7m for the project that claims will create an estimated 745 new jobs during the construction of the new building with a flow-on effect of close to 2700 new jobs and a further 169 new jobs will be created by 2016 through research outputs.

Monash University Vice-Chancellor Professor Ed Byrne said, “The Green Chemical Futures program will bring together cutting-edge educational spaces with Monash University’s world-leading capacity in green chemistry research and innovation.

“By supporting linkages with industry partners and international collaborators, the project will produce clever jobs for Victoria and Australia. It will attract talented new researchers, and drive the growth of future manufacturing industries.”

The GCF will partner with a number of national and international institutions including Yale University (USA), Waseda University (Japan) and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (Mumbai). Scientists and engineers will collaborate on projects along with CSIRO, the Plastics and Chemicals Industries Association and the Victorian Environmental Protection Agency.

It is expected that more than 480 Australian and international research collaborations and a large number of commercial applications will be supported through the new facility.