The South Australian State Government has appointed a Transitional Board for the Forestry Centre of Excellence at Mount Gambier, with Professor Rob Lewis named as the independent chair. Source: Timberbiz
The board comprises:
- Odette Lubbe – Managing Director of Green Triangle Forest Products
- Emma-Kate Griffiths – People and Culture Manager, Timberlands Pacific
- Professor Jason Whittle – Dean of Research, University of South Australia STEM
- Jo Collins – Executive Director, Industry, Strategy and Partnerships, Department of Primary Industries and Regions.
Currently Director of Science Without Bounds, Professor Lewis has already been contracted by the State Government to facilitate engagement between industry, government and other stakeholders, along with providing strategic advice and leadership in establishing the Forestry Centre of Excellence.
The Forestry Centre of Excellence is initially being established within the University of South Australia (UniSA), with oversight by this Transitional Board and an independent chair while the final structure is designed.
Once in place, operations will be transitioned to a permanent structure and the Transitional Board replaced with a skills-based board.
The Labor Malinauskas Government has committed $15 million over 10 years for the new centre, the first of its kind in South Australia, and it is being developed to create long-term research and development capability to enhance the Green Triangle’s economic prosperity, generating more jobs and investment in the region.
To be established at the existing UniSA/TAFE precinct in Mount Gambier, the centre will accommodate entities such as the National Institute of Forest Products Innovation (NIFPI) along with UniSA, the Green Triangle Forest Industries Hub (GTFIH), Tree Breeding Australia and the Logging Investigation and Training Association (LITA Training).
The Centre for Excellence earlier this year released its strategic plan, and a global search is soon to commence for a centre director to lead its research objectives and connect with industry to identify key resource requirements.
