$18 million for Gosford health and innovation precinct

Wednesday, 3 April 2019

The University of Newcastle has welcomed an $18 million Federal Government investment in the first phase of realising its vision for a multicampus presence on the Central Coast.

Gosford multicampus

The funds will help the University establish a health, innovation and entrepreneurship precinct in the Gosford CBD, near the existing site of the Central Coast Medical School and Research Institute.

University of Newcastle Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Alex Zelinsky, AO, said the University would work with local, state and federal partners to create a world-class university presence on the Coast.

“I’d like to acknowledge the excellent support we’ve received from Lucy Wicks MP. This is an important day for the people of the Central Coast and shows strong support for a vibrant and growing city,” Professor Zelinsky said.

“This vision can’t be achieved without strong support from the Federal and State Governments. The University looks forward to working with all our partners to realise our shared vision for a University for the Central Coast. A new Gosford CBD campus will complement our 30-year presence at our wonderful Ourimbah campus,” Professor Zelinsky said.

Professor Zelinsky said the new Gosford CBD Campus would enhance the value of the Central Coast Medical School and Research Institute.

“More than 4300 additional workers will be needed in new healthcare and social assistance jobs on the Central Coast by 2023 – so this funding sets us on the right path to train the local workforce to meet that need,” he said.

Professor Zelinsky said realising the University’s vision for the Coast would require strong support from all levels of Government.

The $18 million in capital will establish an innovation hub, an augmented reality/virtual reality teaching lab with a strong focus on health and medicine, and help provide enhanced teaching, conference, community engagement and social learning facilities.

“The Innovation Hub will have a strong focus on health and medical technology, making the most of the proximity to the Central Coast Medical School and Research Institute and the partnership with the Central Coast Local Health District.”

“We’ll also be establishing a range of spaces offering advanced augmented and virtual reality training programs for students, as well as for researchers and other partners.”

“The Precinct will build on the $85 million investment made by the Federal Government, University of Newcastle, and the NSW Government in the Central Coast Medical School and Research Institute, currently under construction and due to open in 2020,” Professor Zelinsky said.

The proposed Gosford presence, at a location to be announced, will see the University of Newcastle offer a number of new undergraduate programs. At an undergraduate level, this includes degrees such as the Bachelor of Community Health, Bachelor of Digital Communication and Bachelor of Health Informatics.

The University will also offer Diploma-level programs in Business, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Information Technology and Science, partnering with TAFE.

Postgraduate programs that will be unique to the Gosford campus include a Master of Medical Imaging, Master of Professional Prescribing, and a Master of Project Management. This will add to the existing MBA program offered in the Gosford CBD.

The funding represents Stage One in realising a shared vision with the University of Newcastle for a $250 million multicampus university for the Central Coast, with campuses in Ourimbah and Gosford.

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