Building for a physical and digital future

The quality and positioning of our physical and digital environment will be critical to the success of our strategy. We will invest about $1 billion over the next decade to undertake a major revitalisation of our physical and digital infrastructure.

Every major new investment in our built environment will include space for engagement, whether that be space in which partners can be located, or facilities and offerings for partners to draw on, or elements of design that draw in the general public. Our buildings will reflect our desire to create strong, enduring partnerships.

A major development in the Brisbane CBD

Griffith will position itself more strongly in the Brisbane CBD with an ambitious building project. Based on the major transport hub, it will make a visible statement about Griffith’s capacity and willingness to engage with the public and key economic, political, and social players in Brisbane.

Griffith already has a good presence in the CBD with the Queensland Conservatorium, Queensland College of Art and Design (QCAD), and Griffith Film School (GFS) at South Bank. We will bring additional disciplines into the city with a major new campus which will incorporate the QCAD and GFS along with disciplines such as business, public policy and law, where engagement with key players in the CBD will enhance the student experience and research partnerships. It will include our English language school, and its placement in the city will also make it an ideal venue to develop our educational offerings for those currently in the workforce.

The ground floor of new buildings will include space to draw in and engage the general public in areas including arts, public debate, scientific developments and community services.

Renewal and reinvigoration of Nathan

In 2020, we will launch a major new building for science, engineering and aviation. Over the life of the strategy, we will make further investments to consolidate Griffith Sciences in a small number of state-of-the-art buildings that incorporate areas for industry partnerships that facilitate commercialisation and new research directions.

We will also develop a substantial building that incorporates our criminology, psychology and education disciplines. Bringing these disciplines across from Mount Gravatt will allow for more integrated research between sciences, health, humanities and social sciences, offer better student support, and use our land more efficiently.

The incorporation of these disciplines onto Nathan will allow us to move out of Mount Gravatt within the next five to seven years, after negotiating with the Queensland Government for an alternative use. While Mount Gravatt has a proud history, particularly in educating teachers, it is no longer viable as a separate campus.

Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct

Griffith University will make a major capital investment in an Advanced Design and Prototyping Technology (ADaPT) 2.0 building to encourage industry to adopt advanced design and prototyping technologies. The facility will be based at the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct (GCHKP), where Griffith University and industry are engaging to create novel solutions for real-world problems.

The investment in ADaPT 2.0 will:

• Serve as an open and flexible activation space that will provide Griffith University with a vehicle for engagement with industry for collaborative research and development.
• Align with the Griffith research strategy that will emphasise the need to invest in capability to provide interdisciplinary and industry-focused research.
• Provide Griffith University with a platform to attract and retain eminent researchers, including High Degree by Research (HDR) candidates, to help drive research excellence and deliver reputational benefits for the University.
• Help Griffith University align with policy shifts within the state and federal governments towards funding more industry-focused research.

ADaPT 2.0 will be a flagship for research and industry partnership with the capability to take new product concepts from idea stage, through industrial/3D functional design, prepare digital twins, consider artificial intelligence (AI)/ Internet of Things (IoT) applications, conduct materials selection, and produce proof-of-concept for prototyping fabrication and testing.

Opening up Logan

Logan plays a vital role in the Logan community, with strong partnerships with other key institutions including the Logan hospital, TAFE, Council and community organisations. The Logan Together project, which aims to substantially improve he lives of, and outcomes for, young children in the Logan area, is a wonderful example of the benefits of these kinds of partnerships.

Logan has considerable available space and a need to create a critical mass of users to allow for the provision of services such as childcare, food services and other support services. Through our partnerships, there is a potential to bring facilities owned and operated by partners in areas such as health onto the campus. This would also create the opportunity to deepen the teaching and research elements of these relationships. The potential for such partnerships would be enhanced by a government commitment to greater connectivity between the University and other key institutions.

Digital infrastructure

Griffith University will make a major investment in digital infrastructure and services over the coming decade in support of our major functions of learning and teaching, research and engagement. Deployment of new educational technologies will improve course delivery with the shift to the new Virtual Learning Environment being a moment for our digital experts to work with our innovative teachers to create a learning experience that is seamless across the digital and physical world. We will use technology to make it easier for prospective students to find the best course for them and to have their questions answered and their enrolment completed as efficiently as possible. We will develop next-generation relationship management systems to support our partnerships with industry, government, donors and alumni, and invest strategically in digital research infrastructure. This will provide high-quality on-campus resources befitting a world-class research university while improving researcher access to external infrastructure where appropriate.

Our investment in digital infrastructure must be financially sustainable in the long term and take into account whole-of-life costs such as maintenance, support and cyber security.

We will simplify the technology environment wherever practical and ensure we provide services that are easy to access and use. We will build on the technical literacy of the Griffith community to ensure they benefit from new developments in technology. Where appropriate, we will take advantage of technological shifts and implement services that are fit-for-purpose for the Griffith community, reduce time undertaking administrative tasks and improve the student and staff experience.

Key infrastructure outcomes

By 2025, we will have:

• Completed the  ADaPT 2.0 building at the Gold Coast and commenced operations with initial industry partners.
• Completed the new building on Nathan and have completed or be close to completion of the move out of Mount Gravatt.
• Made significant progress on the  CBD  site.
• Completed the master planning process for the Logan and have commenced operationalising it.
• Successfully transitioned to the new Virtual Learning Environment and supported faculty to use this environment in a way that transforms the student experience.
• Streamlined and automated the admissions processes to provide a responsive and individualised pathway to enrolment, with reduced turnaround times to admissions.
• Implemented a Customer Relationship Management system that supports relationships with future students, alumni, industry and other partners.