The Latrobe City Council and the Swinburne University of Technology will collaborate on co-designing the future of advanced air mobility (AAM).
The partnership will explore how AAM may be built in the Latrobe Aerospace Technology Precinct to drive regional economic growth.
Working with the Latrobe City Council, regional research and industry partners, and certification organisations like CASA, researchers from Swinburne’s Aerostructures Innovation Research Hub (AIR Hub) will pioneer new AAM technologies for the region and develop green aviation solutions to tackle practical issues.
Swinburne AIR Hub Director Dr Adriano Di Pietro stated that AAM promises Australia significant economic, environmental, and quality-of-life opportunities, particularly in regional areas.
“We are excited to be partnering with a forward-thinking community like Latrobe City and focusing on a community-led approach to people and technology with the Council,” Di Pietro said.
Di Pietro added that with AIR Hub’s world-class expertise, the Latrobe City community would become active participants in creating a new sustainable future for aviation and enhanced air mobility, delivering significant social benefits while creating jobs, building capabilities, and driving economic growth.
According to Swinburne, it shares a vision with Latrobe City Council to position and promote Victoria as a national and worldwide leader in AAM, thereby providing innovative new economic, social, and environmental prospects for Australia.
The collaboration promotes future economic growth by fostering the development of new industries as the local economy shifts away from dependency on the energy and manufacturing industries.
“Advanced air mobility is at the forefront of innovation. Through this collaborative arrangement, with one of Australia’s leading education and research institutions in Swinburne University of Technology, we can create a pathway to design the new technologies of the future in Latrobe City region,” Latrobe City Council Mayor Kellie O’Callaghan said.
Mayor O’Callaghan highlighted the need to turn to new industries and be creative in thinking about what future jobs will look like as the region transitions away from the old sectors that have supported the region’s economy.
“The Latrobe Aerospace Technology Precinct presents an opportunity to position Latrobe Regional Airport at the forefront of the emerging aviation sector,” Mayor O’Callaghan added.
The Latrobe Aerospace Technology Precinct is located at Morwell’s Latrobe Regional Airport. The collaboration will re-energise the existing capabilities, facilities, and space to enable breakthrough air transportation technologies and craft.
Swinburne’s AIR Hub is one of Australia’s largest and most active industry-research collaborations, advancing the future of air transportation and building the next generation of aerostructures.
