University of Queensland partners with Hebei Iron and Steel

BRISBANE - A Chinese company listed in the Fortune Global 500 for the past eight years, and home to more than 120,000 employees, is to partner The University of Queensland in sustainable metals research. Hebei Iron and Steel Group (HBIS) will invest A$5.25 million over the next five years in the HBIS-UQ Innovation Centre for Sustainable Steel (ICSS), based in Brisbane.

UQ President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Peter Høj, flew to Shijiazhuang to formally consolidate the agreement with HBIS Chairman, Yong Yu.

“The Innovation Centre for Sustainable Steel will conduct collaborative research in the fields of environmental engineering, metallurgical resources and high-quality steel manufacturing,” Prof Høj said. “Clearly we are excited to partner with such a significant organisation, especially considering this will be the first overseas research and development centre for HBIS.”

The centre will take UQ’s educational resources, cutting-edge theory and research capacity to create training opportunities for HBIS, while providing educational opportunities and occupational training for UQ staff and students.

“Strong research collaboration between UQ and HBIS has already been developed over the past year via an exchange of staff and technical capability,” Prof Høj said.

“HBIS has a strategic target to become the most competitive steel company, and we are excited to work alongside such an ambitious organisation to offer expertise in the area of sustainability.

“We are positioning ourselves at an exciting frontier for engineering and resources.” www.uq.edu.au (ATI).