Two new cutting-edge research and development facilities are now open at Deakin University’s Waurn Ponds campus.
The BioFactory and the Aquaculture and Feed Innovation Laboratory (also known as the AquaFI Lab) opened at the university on 7 October.
Minister for Skills and TAFE Gayle Tierney said the new facilities formed part of the state government’s aim for a circular economy through its Economic Growth Statement, which looks to grow the state’s economy.
“Our Economic Growth Statement is helping to boost new industries, drive innovation, and open up exciting career pathways for Victorians,” she said.
“We’re proud to invest in these important research facilities that will create future-focused jobs, boost food security, and transform waste into opportunity.”
The BioFactory will pilot and test new processes to convert organic waste into products such as protein-rich feed, nutritional ingredients, fertiliser, biogas and biomaterials for medical and textile applications.
The AquaFI Lab aimed to help researchers and the industry work together on new feeds and smarter aquaculture technologies, which looked to help strengthen the state’s food security.
Deakin University’s School of Life and Environmental Sciences associate head David Francis said the AquaFI Lab was a one-of-a-kind platform in the country and that aquaculture was the fastest-growing food sector globally.
“(It’s) giving researchers, students and industry partners unprecedented capacity to co-develop the next generation of aquaculture feeds and technologies,” he said.
The facilities were backed through the state government’s $2 million Higher Education State Investment Fund to support university project productivity along with the state’s economy.
The new facilities also formed part of a Circular Economy Accelerator-Organics (CEA-O) project, which aimed to provide industry, councils and other partners with a one-stop shop for technology development for handling food and agricultural waste along with marine by-products.
The CEA-O project is a partnership between Deakin University, the state government, Monash University, RMIT University and 20 industry partners and was backed by $10 million in funding from the state government.
