Innovation and international expertise will converge at the heart of the Wellington region, in New Zealand, with the launch of a new joint training and research space.
According to a recent press release, the central city space was custom-designed to support collaboration, innovation, a high-quality student experience and research experience having direct connections with industry.
Aside from that, it will attract top local and international talent to the city.
The space will be shared by Victoria University of Wellington’s Computational Media Innovation Centre (CMIC) and the Wellington ICT Graduate School.
Computational Media Innovation Centre
The Centre was founded to foster cutting edge research and innovation in the digital space.
Based in the Faculty of Engineering at the University, the Centre incubates both potential start-ups and industry pipelines to strengthen New Zealand’s computing and media sector, placing it at the forefront of an emerging global digital media market.
It is part of the Entrepreneurial Universities initiative and cultivates revolutionary research and university-led innovation and entrepreneurship.
Wellington ICT Graduate School
On the other hand, the Wellington ICT Graduate School offers post-graduate training to support Wellington’s tech industry.
The School sets the standard for advanced ICT education in Wellington, ensuring an industry driven and experiential education so graduates are ready to be future leaders in this sector.
It is a partnership among Wellington’s three tertiary institutions: Victoria University of Wellington, which involves the School of Engineering and Computer Science, the School of Design and the School of Information Management; Whitireia New Zealand; and Wellington Institute of Technology (WelTec).
Strategic location for innovation
The new premises, located on the corner of Taranaki Street and Manners Street, will be providing the staff and the students an access to a wide range of teaching and research spaces to support the research and teaching needs of different groups and projects.
It will also provide them access to the latest digital technologies that promote innovation.
The central city location puts the Centre and the School in the heart of the digital and tech industries.
This will allow the students and staff to access the latest advances in industry practice and in turn providing a pipeline for the latest research developments to reach industry.
The combination of these factors is designed to attract top talent for work and study.
According to Professor Dale Carnegie, the Dean of the University’s Faculty of Engineering, which oversees the research centre, being in the heart of the city reflects the need to work more closely with industry as well as the desire to harness that spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation, which is uniquely Wellington.
The location and facilities it offers have opened a myriad of possibilities that they can achieve.