Investment, Innovation, Research, Residents and Retail
One year on from the start of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, the GCHKP has welcomed its first residents to the new Smith Collective renter’s community, the first of the retailers have opened their doors, an exciting new co-working and innovation space COHORT will support the next generation of innovators, and Griffith University’s Advanced Design and Prototyping Technologies Institute (ADaPT) is ready to break ground later this year.
Gold Coast Private Hospital has opened its $50 million second stage expansion, while the $25 million Southport Sharks Mantra at Sharks boutique hotel is about to celebrate its first birthday. And more than 5,000 babies have been born at the Gold Coast University Hospital!
Investment opportunities for the 9.5 hectares of health and knowledge commercial land are also progressing – in addition to the flagship $80 million ADaPT development, two other sites are earmarked for development and investor interest is strong in China and Singapore. The ADaPT opportunity has also lured the Australian headquarters of global 3D printing pioneer Materialise to call the GCHKP home. We welcomed China’s Sinobioway representatives to the Precinct early this year to sign MOU’s to work with the GCHKP and Griffith University – we’re excited to see how this great opportunity for research collaboration and investment develops.
Griffith University has welcomed new Vice Chancellor, Professor Carolyn Evans, with the retirement of long-standing VC Professor Ian O’Connor. Student numbers on campus have now risen to more than 20,000, including almost 800 research students.
Griffith has risen in the global rankings to firmly cement its place in the top 2% of universities worldwide. In the 2018 Excellence in Research Australia (ERA) rankings the university doubled to 20 the number of specific fields in which researchers perform at the highest level ‘well above world standard‘, with a total of 59 fields of research in which Griffith research is now ranked at world standard or above.
Glycomics research goes from strength to strength
Professor Mark von Itzstein had the deserving honour of carrying the Queen’s Baton for the GC2018 relay last year – his Institute for Glycomics continues to go from strength to strength, including receiving $500,000 from the Australian Government for the Malaria Vaccine project; reporting promising research on using an existing Alzheimer’s drug to combat antibiotic resistance, and work on a potential blood test for early diagnosis of ovarian cancer.
Principal Research Leader Professor Michael Good continues to be busy with his work on vaccines for Malaria and the Strep A bacteria. He’s also received $2.5 million in funding from the Heart Foundation to work on preventing strokes caused by Strep A.
Top honours for academics
Professor Huijun Zhao, Director of the#GriffithUniversity Centre for Clean Environment and Energy received major global recognition as a ‘Highly Cited’ researcher – well done on this significant honour.
Griffith Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) Professor Debra Henly was appointed as a board member of the National Science and Technology Advisory Council. Well done Professor Henly.
Australia's first renters community - residents and retail move in
- The first 200 residents have moved into the first two buildings at Smith Collective
- Woolworths and BWS opened the retail precinct, with boutique retailers to come
- Smith Homebase, events and community gardens up and running
