On Wednesday 16 November 2022, Australian Research Council (ARC) Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Dr Richard Johnson, officially launched the ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub for Transforming Energy Infrastructure through Digital Engineering (TIDE) at the Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre in Perth.
Led by the University of Western Australia, the TIDE Research Hub combines expertise in mathematics, statistics, and machine learning with world-leading research in oceanography, hydrodynamics, and geotechnics. Through digital engineering, new technologies will be developed to support the transformation of the operation of Australia’s offshore energy infrastructure, making it more reliable and cost-effective.
In launching the initiative, Dr Johnson highlighted the way the TIDE Research Hub has creatively drawn together expertise from research, industry, and business to enable a range of innovations that will reduce costs, improve safety, and lower environmental impacts.
“With the Australian energy industry transitioning to long-term operations, research outcomes will inform decision-making processes regarding offshore energy infrastructure, benefiting the Australian economy and attracting ongoing investment in the industry.” Dr Johnson said.
The 2020 funding round for ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hubs invested $5 million over five years in the TIDE Research Hub under the Industrial Transformation Research Program. The Hub is also received $7 million from participating organisations and $13 million in-kind support.
ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hubs support collaborative research and partnerships that focus on strategic industry outcomes which would not otherwise be achieved independently.
In this collaboration, the University of Western Australia has partnered with industry, the University of Wollongong and international research partners. By engaging 30 to 40 researchers and over 20 PhD and postdoctoral students, the Hub also will enable high-quality training and mentoring for the next generation of data science engineers.
