nandin joins DFGN, boosts cross-industry collaboration

The nandin Innovation Centre has joined the Design Factory Global Network (DFGN), an organisation with 31 members spanning 24 countries and five continents, to increase cross-industry collaboration and co-creation. Nandin (meaning look ahead in the local Dharawal language), was created in 2018 to connect ANSTO with industry, entrepreneurs and students, to drive cultural change through innovation.

Twenty-two businesses are now members of nandin, benefiting from entrepreneurial learning and collaboration, as well as access to office space, hot desks and lab suites. Many are innovating in fields such as cybersecurity, IoT, artificial intelligence and machine-based learning.

Becoming a member of DFGN is part of ANSTO’s Innovation Centre expansion, with nandin gaining a reputation amongst start-ups and entrepreneurs as a premier deep-tech hub. The expansion is funded by a $12.5 million grant from the NSW Government, with Minister for Better Regulation and Innovation Kevin Anderson saying it is part of the government’s commitment to transform Sydney into a global technology capital.

“Innovation precincts like these are increasingly important to our economy, bringing bright minds and ideas to NSW. This in turn means more start-ups, more cutting-edge research and a much needed boost to our economy as we continue to recover from COVID-19,” Anderson said.

Professor Tim Boyle, Director of Innovation & Commercialisation at ANSTO, said membership of such an esteemed international network will lead to new projects and collaborations.

“Joining the DFGN establishes nandin as a full service innovation centre, allowing us to collaborate on a global scale to overcome the world’s biggest challenges and ultimately create jobs,” Professor Boyle said.

DFGN Community Developer Marthe Dehli added that nandin and ANSTO will be brilliant collaboration partners, as DFGN continues to build bridges and meeting points between science, industry and education.

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