GE and CSIRO agree to AU$20 million R&D collaboration

GE and CSIRO have announced a strategic alliance which will include a combined investment of AU$20m over five years in R&D projects in the areas of healthcare and cleaner technology for energy and aviation.

The alliance gives GE a local Australian research and development footprint, extending GE’s in-house research capability with CSIRO’s scientific expertise. It brings synergies to both organisations, including the exchange of research talent between GE and CSIRO.

The initial joint projects align closely with GE’s healthymagination and ecomagination initiatives which aim to solve the world’s toughest challenges by delivering affordable healthcare to all and mitigating the effects of climate change with cleaner technology.

Steve Sargent, CEO, GE Australia and New Zealand, said: “This alliance will help GE further localise its operations in Australia through collaboration with CSIRO on technology and the sharing of skills and knowledge.

“As we broaden our reach we want the best ideas from collaborating with the smartest people in the world. Our healthymagination and ecomagination initiatives are driving real change globally and this investment highlights the role Australian science can play in enabling cleaner technologies and affordable healthcare.”

The strategic alliance will allow GE and CSIRO to benefit from complementary capabilities and achieve mutual long-term objectives for Australia and internationally.

Dr Megan Clark, CEO, CSIRO, said: “Improving the health and wellbeing of our communities and delivering cleaner technologies for energy and mobility are critical challenges for our future. Partnerships with world-leading organisations like GE will help build R&D capability in Australia and will enable CSIRO to create profound impact both within Australia and on a global scale.”

The alliance will cover the following areas of R&D:

• The development of advanced aviation materials to substantially reduce the amount of energy required to produce and operate aircraft.
• Healthcare research with a focus on analysing diseases such as neurodegenerative disease, developing molecular imaging technologies and exploring new biomarkers.
• Cleaner coal and gasification technology.
• Cleaner coal and coal gasification research supporting the Wandoan Power CCS project in Queensland.
• Smart Grid.
• Smart grid research including distributed energy and integrating renewable energy to the electricity grid.
• Water conservation, such as developing processing technology for industrial wastewater.

The alliance formalises a working relationship between CSIRO and GE over the last five years which has seen the two organisations collaborate on a number of research projects.