A cutting-edge research centre focused on one of the maritime industry’s most expensive and persistent problems is set to establish itself at Osborne Naval Shipyard, bringing world-leading science directly into the heart of South Australia’s shipbuilding precinct.
The Australian Research Council Training Centre for Biofilm Research and Innovation, known as BRIC, is preparing to move into the Osborne site, marking a major step forward for local maritime research and strengthening the connection between science and industry.
The centre is headquartered at Flinders University in Bedford Park, but BRIC researchers have already been working closely with maritime collaborators at Osborne for the past four years. This new move will now give them a permanent on-site base, allowing more research to happen where it is most needed.
Professor Sophie Leterme, Director of the Training Centre at Flinders University, said the expansion is a major milestone.
“It is a wonderful opportunity for us to have a laboratory at Osborne,” she said.
She said having an on-site establishment at Osborne is a significant step forward in the field of maritime biofouling research.
“We can now conduct much of our South Australian analysis on-site rather than transporting samples back to Flinders University,” she said.
“Being on-site increases the range of research experiments we can do. We will now be integrated within Australia’s largest shipbuilding precinct as we expand our applied research.”
Biofilms are clusters of microorganisms, including bacteria, that gather and grow on surfaces such as marine vessels, water pipes and other infrastructure. When those build-ups become unwanted, the problem is known as biofouling, and it is a costly one. Across global industries, managing and removing biofouling costs billions of dollars every year.
That makes BRIC’s work highly relevant not only to shipbuilding and defence, but also to sectors including water, manufacturing and infrastructure. With a base now inside Osborne Naval Shipyard, researchers will be better placed to test ideas, analyse samples faster and work more closely with major maritime partners already operating on site.
Australian Naval Infrastructure Operations Manager Paul Shinks said the move is a natural progression.
“The ARC Centre has been a partner with us and maritime companies at Osborne, so it is a logical step for BRIC to establish a presence at the Osborne Naval Shipyard,” he said.
The centre is backed by the Australian Research Council and a strong list of industry partners, including BAE Systems Australia, ASC Pty Ltd, Defence Science and Technology Group, Australian Submarine Agency, Franmarine, Osmoflo, Enware and SA Water.
BRIC also operates across multiple university nodes, including Swinburne University, Queensland University of Technology, the University of Tasmania and RMIT University, reflecting the scale and national importance of the work underway.
For South Australia, the move adds another layer to Osborne’s growing role as a national hub for advanced industry, research and defence capability. It also positions the state at the centre of new innovation, tackling a problem that quietly affects vessels, systems and infrastructure around the world.
For more information about the research, click here.
