QUT Business School looks forward to partnering with Austmine in a new mining innovation partnership to be established in Brisbane.
Business School Assistant Dean Research, Professor Rachel Parker, said the partnership with Austmine, Australia's leading association of Australian Mining Equipment, Technology and Services (METS) aimed to ensure the industry's competitiveness into the future.
Professor Parker said other key partners included Brisbane Marketing and CSIRO.
The METS Innovation Partnership is one of 12 partnerships to receive Federal Government support.
"The introduction of the METS Innovation Partnership is timely given the critical state of the mining sector with increasing costs pressures and falling productivity coupled with diminishing ore grades threatening Australia's global competitive edge," said Alan Broome AM, Chairman of Austmine.
"Solutions to the challenges which global miners face can be provided by our highly innovative METS sector."
Operating nationally with headquarters in Brisbane, the METS Innovation Partnership will provide a collaborative platform to coordinate the adoption of productivity enhancing technologies involving Australian SMEs, Global Tier 1 suppliers and mining companies.
Professor Parker said the QUT Business School's involvement in the partnership was timely as it already had research activity relating to METS industry competitiveness under way.
"Research will focus on the recognition of opportunities, innovation within the industry, and the development of business models in global value chains which will be important information for METS businesses engaged in the partnership.
"By collaborating with Austmine and other partners QUT Business School will intensify its research partnerships in the METS sector in order to focus on developing further business solutions for the critical problems faced by METS firms."
Mr Broome said the partnership would secure the continued growth and success of the industry to ensure Australia did not lose its competitive advantage as a world-leading mining nation.
"By consolidating key players in the mining supply chain, it will help to increase the adoption rate of Australian innovation into global supply chains and build a highly collaborative business ecosystem to foster innovation, employment growth and international competitiveness.
"If we can increase the adoption rates of Australian innovation into global mining value chains and accelerate the commercialisation cycle, we can look forward to another generation of mining leadership.
"We can also create a sustainable METS industry that will survive long after Australia's dominance as a mining nation. And while our deposits are finite, our capabilities and skill sets will remain long into the future," Mr Broome said.
Media contact: Rose Trapnell, QUT media team leader, 07 3138 2361 or 0407 585 901 rose.trapnell@qut.edu.au
