ANZSOG will move its Melbourne operations into the exciting new Melbourne Connect building in July, and become part of the University of Melbourne’s new purpose-built innovation precinct.
While ANZSOG will remain an independent organisation, Dean and CEO Professor Ken Smith said that the move would place ANZSOG at the heart of University of Melbourne-linked organisations working to deliver improved public purpose outcomes.
“ANZSOG is excited to be moving into the Melbourne Connect precinct, and becoming a key part of its focus on research innovation and development. The facilities and opportunities afforded to us by co-location in the Melbourne Connect precinct are without doubt truly game-changing for us,” Professor Smith said.
“The last year has shown us that while ANZSOG can adapt its activities to an online environment, there is no long-term substitute for bringing people, companies and agencies working closely with University of Melbourne together in state-of-the-art facilities like Melbourne Connect.”
The Melbourne Connect building contains a mix of meeting, teaching and event spaces that will allow ANZSOG to potentially deliver more programs on site, as well as the flexibility for future expansion.
Designed by internationally acclaimed architectural firms Woods Bagot and Hayball, the $425 million, 75,800sqm precinct features a series of interconnecting buildings arranged around a central landscaped open space, known as Womin Djerring (Come Together).
“This move will help us to bring more of our teaching, thought leadership and research activities into one place, and provide an enhanced experience for our students, alumni, and staff engaged in delivering ANZSOG programs, as we work to improve the quality and depth of public sector leadership across Australia and Aotearoa-New Zealand,” Professor Smith said.
Formerly occupied by the Royal Women’s Hospital, the Melbourne Connect site on Swanston Street in Carlton has been transformed into a modern innovation, research and entrepreneurial, precinct aimed at boosting Melbourne’s economy and spurring collaboration.
It will be home to many of the staff and activities of Melbourne University’s Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology (FEIT), all of the School of Computing and Information Systems (CIS), as well as a number of research centres from the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. Other partners based at the precinct include SANE Australia, Clarke-Hopkins-Clarke, and MAXONIQ, as well as Science Gallery Melbourne.
Also, the new state-of-the-art Telstra Creator Space will give students, start-ups and industry access to a world-leading fabrication and prototyping laboratory. It will also help foster collaboration through workshops, industry-based projects and events.
Located close to the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct and as part of the University of Melbourne, Melbourne Connect is also part of the Melbourne Innovation District, a joint initiative of Melbourne University, RMIT University and the City of Melbourne.