Flinders University in Adelaide partners with Manchester and Rhode Island universities in nuclear education
Adelaide's Flinders University vice chancellor professor Colin Stirling and Manchester UnivIersity interim director of the Dalton Nuclear Institute, professor Clint Sharrad, after the signing of the nuclear education partnership agreement, watched by South Australia premier Peter Malinauskas.
Image courtesy Flinders University
South Australia would be a home for international nuclear expertise ahead of its building AUKUS (Australia, United Kingdom, United States) submarines, with Flinders University striking agreements in early 2023 with leading nuclear science and technology universities in the United Kingdom and United States.
The landmark research and education partnerships would start developing the specialist skills needed for Australia’s largest infrastructure programme. The agreements enabled Flinders University to offer undergraduate and postgraduate studies to South Australian students, as well as unprecedented nuclear research collaborations, creating a highly skilled South Australian workforce to deliver the huge project.
Manchester University, the lead university in the UK’s nuclear technology education consortium, partnered with Flinders University for Australia to deliver its nuclear masters programmes and doctoral-level research training. A second agreement was signed with Rhode Island University, a leading US public research university known for its global programmes and engagement, including an innovative international engineering.
Rhode Island University had strong ties to the submarine manufacturing industry. Its partnership a with Flinders University would foster collaborative research, cooperative educational opportunities and internships, and jointly hosted seminars and events. The historic partnerships enabled Flinders University to deliver a comprehensive suite of the world’s best nuclear education in South Australia as early as 2023 and to rapidly scale course offerings in line with industry needs.
Home to Dalton Nuclear Institute, of Manchester University had the most advanced academic civil nuclear science and technology capability in the United Kingdom and was among the leaders internationally.
Rhode Island University was noted for its strength in the undersea domain, including a notable defence-focused university-industry partnership with the US.Navy, and the 401 Tech Bridge programme in the New England defence innovation ecosystem. It also hosted the Rhode Island nuclear science centre and had one of only 25 university-based nuclear reactors in the United States.