Situated at Deakin University’s Waurn Ponds Campus, the Geelong Future Economy Precinct (GFEP) integrates research, education and industry collaboration.
The precinct’s major facilities include:
- ManuFutures’ advanced manufacturing innovation hub
- Deakin’s Institute for Frontier Materials, which develops and translates knowledge to support circular economy initiatives and to enhance the functionality of materials
- Recycling and Clean Energy Commercialisation Hub (REACH), Australia’s largest clean energy and recycling advanced manufacturing ecosystem
- Deakin Institute for Intelligent Systems, Australia’s largest research group in intelligent systems modelling and simulation.
GFEP connects industry with specialist expertise across a range of sectors, including:
- advanced manufacturing
- advanced and composite materials
- energy and sustainability
- technology and digital manufacturing
- health research
- high-value agriculture.
GFEP has supported the creation of 2,000 jobs thanks to industry partnerships and co-location opportunities facilitated by the site.
Through the Geelong City Deal, we helped to fund and facilitate the creation of essential road infrastructure in the precinct, supporting greater access for vehicles and making travel through the precinct safer.
Investment opportunities exist around co-locating and research and development collaboration for advanced manufacturing and clean technology industries.
We supported ManuFutures to move into the precinct in 2018, and since then it has:
- helped create more than $1 billion in company value
- incubated more than 20 advanced manufacturing businesses
- helped companies to establish export markets in more than 35 countries
- created over 250 direct and indirect jobs.
Companies have also hosted more than 500 student placements and created more than 12 advanced manufacturing jobs.