La Trobe University has launched a new AI Institute to amplify its people-centred, AI-first approach across research, education and industry collaboration. The new Institute provides a front door to the University’s artificial intelligence capability, to accelerate innovation into real-world impact for students, businesses and communities.
Through its education, research and industry partnerships, the Institute will help metropolitan and regional businesses adopt AI responsibly, improve productivity, drive innovation and build workforce capability, supporting delivery of the Australian Government’s National AI Plan while ensuring graduates are workforce ready.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Theo Farrell said the Institute, a core component of La Trobe’s sector-leading AI-first Strategy, signalled the University’s ambition to be recognised for embracing and embedding AI responsibly across research, education, partnerships and across operations, delivering positive impact for its many stakeholders and communities.
“AI will become as fundamental as electricity or the internet. Our new AI Institute reflects La Trobe’s belief that universities have a responsibility not only to study AI, but to educate people to use it, partner with industry to apply it and help shape its development for the benefit of society,” Professor Farrell said.
“Our ambition is for La Trobe to be recognised for AI, not simply because of the research we produce, but because of the impact we create through education, innovation and partnership.
“The AI Institute is the next step in that journey, creating a single gateway to our AI capability and helping ensure the benefits of artificial intelligence are shared across our communities, industries and regions.”
La Trobe’s ambition is to embed AI across the entire course curriculum, ensuring graduates, including professionals seeking to upskill, are fully prepared for a fast-evolving workforce.
New courses launching this year include an AI MBA, Bachelor of AI Engineering and an AI Innovation Ventures minor. These join a range of existing courses with an AI focus, including the Master of Artificial Intelligence.
The University is also piloting an AI Business Studio that mobilises La Trobe’s business and artificial intelligence expertise that aims to help more than 1,000 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) across metropolitan and regional Australia identify and adopt practical, responsible uses of AI across 2027 and 2028.
Developed through the La Trobe AI Institute and led by the La Trobe Business School, the AI Business Studio mobilises the University’s business and artificial intelligence expertise to help SMEs identify and adopt practical, responsible uses of AI.
The Studio supports a central objective of the Government’s National AI Plan: scaling the adoption of AI so that businesses remain competitive, efficient and able to benefit from emerging technologies.
La Trobe is building one of the most industry-connected AI ecosystems in Australian higher education through partnerships with OpenAI, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Cisco, CyberCX and NEXTDC. It was the first Australian university to commission an NVIDIA DGX H200 supercomputer.
Within the La Trobe AI Institute is the Australian Centre for Artificial Intelligence in Medical Innovation (ACAMI), the world’s first university innovation centre dedicated to applying AI to accelerate the discovery and development of immunotherapies, vaccines and medical innovation.
Research across the AI Institute will address global challenges head on. Impact to date includes accelerating medical breakthroughs, protecting reefs, transforming farms, powering the shift to net zero and equipping our people and partners to turn responsible innovation into real-world change.
The Institute also supports La Trobe’s AI-first transformation by embedding AI capability across university operations, helping staff develop the skills and confidence to use AI responsibly in their work.
La Trobe AI Institute Managing Director Patricia Haueiss said AI would continue to reshape every profession and sector, and universities had an important role to play in this evolution.
“Our responsibility is not simply to adopt new technologies, but to help ensure they are used ethically, responsibly and in ways that deliver meaningful benefits for people, industries and communities,” Patricia said.
“The Institute will help us build the capability, partnerships and shared understanding we need for that future. It will support students to develop the skills they need in an AI-enabled workforce, help researchers translate discoveries into real-world outcomes and create new opportunities for staff and partners to collaborate.”
An AI-first University
La Trobe University is a leading AI-first university in Australia, embracing and embedding artificial intelligence responsibly and at scale across teaching, research, industry engagement and university operations.
The University’s people-centred approach to AI is grounded in La Trobe’s founding mission of equity and access: ensuring every student, regardless of background or location, can succeed in an AI-enabled world and ensuring all staff have access to AI tools that assist their work.
Through the University’s landmark collaboration with OpenAI, 40,000 La Trobe students and staff will have access to ChatGPT Edu by 2027, with 5000 of these licenses already rolled out this year.
Through world-leading research and working with industry partners, La Trobe is applying AI ‘for good’ to some of the world’s most pressing challenges – including cancer therapeutics, vaccines, digital health, sustainability, smart agriculture, energy efficiency and biotechnology.
AI Institute launch event
The La Trobe AI Institute was launched on 22 July with a special La Trobe Industry Innovation Series event – AI Innovation to Impact.
Leading experts across energy, agriculture, digital platforms and facility services shared real-world applications of AI, including digital twins, predictive modelling and AI agents that are improving productivity, decision making and operational performance. Presenters included La Trobe industry partners Energy Safe Victoria, Cirka, Aglantis and Core dna.
