Siemens awards AU$135mn grant to Swinburne University of Technology

Tech giant Siemens has awarded the largest ever software grant in Australia. The AU$135 million sum will be used to fully digitalise the Swinburne University of Technology ‘Factory of the Future’.

The software will help develop the workforce of the future across the entire work lifecycle from apprenticeships to PhD’s, helping to establish what is believed to be Australia’s first dedicated Industry 4.0 learning facility in Hawthorn, Victoria.

The announcement coincides with the 145th anniversary since Siemens commissioned the Darwin to Adelaide telegraph – another technology breakthrough that transformed the fabric of Australia.

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At the announcement, Chairman and CEO of Siemens Australia, Jeff Connolly, said the money will support Victoria and Australia by preparing students so they can participate in the many opportunities that digitalisation provides.

“This is about jobs of the future today,” he said. “I’m proud to be standing here today side by side with Swinburne University of Technology announcing the largest ever industrial software grant in Australia. Our country’s future relies on companies working with key educational and research institutions to get our workforce ready for the fourth industrial revolution.

The software grant provides a suite of advanced PLM (product lifecycle management) software and new generation cloud based Internet of Things (IoT) platform ‘Mindsphere’, which will allow students and researchers to have access to the same apparatus being used by leading industries on the most advanced projects.

Siemens hi-tech PLM digital software tools are used in numerous applications, from Ben Ainslie Racing in the America’s Cup and Firewire surfboard design, to Red Bull Racing F1 and even the Mars Rover.