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The South Australian Government has pledged to invest $7.5 million in a new manufacturing and engineering research institute.

The Future Industries Institute (FII) also has the backing of The University of South Australia, which makes an annual investment of over $14 million for research in advanced manufacturing; minerals and resource engineering; environmental science; and engineering and biomaterials engineering and nanomedicine.

UniSA deputy vice chancellor Professor Tanya Monro says the government's investment will be a game-changer for research and development in South Australia.

“Effective collaboration between universities and business is essential to drive economic growth, and this investment will intensify and accelerate that collaboration,” she said.

The three initiatives the government has funded will give local businesses and industries access to state-of-the-art equipment at the FII; fund two-way industry/academic placements to support project specific collaborations both ‘in the lab’ and ‘on the floor’; and distribute 12-month, $100,000 project vouchers for industry to work with UniSA to solve specific industry problems.

 

Food & Drink Business

An imbalance in bargaining power and the need for a mandatory code of conduct are two of the 14 recommendations put forward by Dr Craig Emerson, following his 10-month review of the trade and competition dynamics in the grape and wine sector.

Since starting out as a sustainable bottled water company in 2021, Tasmanian-based Pure Mist has diversified its range. Using water collected from some of the purest air in the world, the company began gin production just after starting out, and is now stepping into the functional beverage market with sports hydration drink, HydraPlay.

Grant Thornton has released its 2025 Manufacturing Benchmarking report, examining the financial data of 100 mid-sized Australian manufacturers. The food and beverage sector continues to stand out, leading in revenue growth across the wider industry.