• Over 80 advanced manufacturing research centres
• 3 times global average cited for additive manufacturing
• 16,600 manufacturing businesses
• $361 million private manufacturing R&D investment annually

Recognised as a global Advanced Manufacturing Hub by the World Economic Forum, Queensland excels in advanced manufacturing research undertaken with industry and international partners. In Additive Biomanufacturing topics alone, Queensland researchers had over 70,000 publications between 2017 and 2021, and the most recent of these, during 2020, were cited 3 times the global average (citation rate of attributable publications). Their research includes new material development (e.g. solar film), additive and subtractive manufacturing (e.g. bioscaffolding), robotics, robotic vision and artificial intelligence (in health, food, biosecurity and defence), micro and nanoscience, biofuels and other bioproducts, bioprocessing and synthetic biology.

Queensland has several leading institutes and centres and over 80 research organisations involved in advanced manufacturing research.

Leading advanced manufacturing research centres

Advanced manufacturing research centres

Industry-research collaboration and commercialisation

• Additive biomanufacturing

  Researchers at the Herston Biofabrication Institute combine engineering, design, computer and medical science in 3D scanning, modelling and printing of medical devices, bone, cartilage and human tissue - directly applied to the Queensland health industry.

• New materials

  Scientist and engineers at Queensland Centre for Advanced Materials Processing and Manufacturing discover new engineering materials and manufacturing technologies. AMPAM helped Cook Medical Australia to increase their revenue by $35 million.

• Biofuels

  The QUT Mackay Renewable Biocommodities Pilot Plant is pioneering research and innovation in biorefining. The Plant is hosted by Mackay Sugar Limited. Based on-site with an operating sugar factory, provides researchers direct access to biomass and sugarcane by-products.

• New materials

  The USQ Centre for Future Materials delivers world class research in the design and development of innovative materials for diverse engineering applications. The Centre is working with Gilmour Space Technologies and Teakle Composites under a Cooperative Research Centres Project to develop linerless filament wound composite liquid oxygen rocket fuel tanks for low cost space transport.

• New materials

  The Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology have worked in partnership with Myuma Group Ltd (an Indjalandji-Dhidhanu initiative) to develop a method of extracting nanocellulose from Australian spinifex grass. These novel nanofibres significantly reinforce products creating super-strong roads, tyres and super-thin condoms.

• Vaccine manufacture

  Researchers at the UQ Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) developed the needle-free vaccine delivery technology. This has been commercialised by UQ spin-off company Vaxxas into their High-Density Microarray Patch (HD-MAP) that delivers easily stored and administered vaccines.

• Microalgal and macroalgal resource

  The research by Prof. Peer Schenk from the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences at The University of Queensland has been commercialised by Queensland-based QPonics Limited for sustainable production of omega-3 and other nutraceutical, and food ingredient products from marine microalgae.

• Robotics

  The Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Hub (ARM Hub) (a Queensland Government, QUT, Urban Art Projects partnership) applied its expertise in robotics and vision technology to assist Verton Australia to develop the world’s first remote-controlled load-management system using revolutionary gyroscopic technology.

• Resource recovery

  BlockTexx and researchers at the QUT Centre for a Waste-Free World have developed a process that transforms complex textile waste into a valuable commodity at a new large-scale textile recovery facility at Loganholme, Queensland.

Support for advanced manufacturing in Queensland

Queensland’s regional Industry Manufacturing hubs are co-located or closely affiliated with our regional universities. The Rockhampton Manufacturing Hub for advanced food, metal and rail manufacture and the Mackay Resources Centre of Excellence that focuses on mining equipment, technology and services (METS), resource recovery, and agriculture are at QCUniversity campuses.

Queensland supports a network of regional Innovation Centres and vibrant QiHub innovation community. The university-industry relationships with these hubs and centres are shown in the Strategic Visualisation Tool.

The Advanced Manufacturing 10 Year Roadmap and Action Plan positions Queensland as a leader in advanced manufacturing technologies, products, systems and services.

The roadmap is supported by the Queensland Industry Partnership Program (2021–2025) that is investing A$350 million in several priority industry sectors such as advanced manufacturing, hydrogen, biofutures, biomedical, defence, aerospace, space, resource recovery and METS.

Talent pipeline for advanced manufacturing

Most of Queensland’s universities offer under and post graduate courses and units in advanced manufacturing (For example: courses at QUT, courses at UQ, and courses at JCU). Queensland universities partner with the manufacturing and engineering sector to give undergraduates the opportunity to learn and network with professional engineers, designers and academics. The $5.4 billion Cross River Rail project provides such real-life experiences.

From their earliest years students in Queensland engage with STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) under the strategy for STEM in Queensland state schools and teachers access resources via the STEM Hub and the Queensland STEM Education Network provided by Queensland universities.

High school students can be industry-ready under the Advanced Manufacturing Gateway to Industry Schools program. This is long-term development program for a highly-skilled workforce delivered by the Queensland Manufacturing Institute.

Strategic Visualisation Tool

Advanced manufacturing, materials and biomanufacturing

Traditional knowledge and biodiscovery in Queensland video

Watch the Traditional knowledge and biodiscovery in Queensland video to learn more about biodiscovery in Queensland and the importance of protecting traditional knowledge.