Will establish Perth’s first Digital Futures Academy and eSports hub
Murdoch University has secured funding from the State Government to build a new vertical campus in the Perth CBD, including a Digital Futures Academy and an eSports hub, as part of a new $360 million university City Deal.
The University thanks the Premier and Minister Saffioti for supporting our vision to deliver a multi-storey vertical campus that will contribute significantly to economic activity in the city, create new jobs and attract thousands of new students.
We are delighted to be involved in the activation of the Perth CBD along with two other WA universities – projects which when combined will help greatly boost the State’s future.
Our vertical campus will not only re-energise Perth CBD but create at least 1300 jobs and inject $300 million of economic activity each year.
Vice Chancellor Professor Eeva Leinonen said Murdoch’s vertical campus plans have been years in the making and were now well advanced, with Expressions of Interest from experienced commercial partners already received and a target date for completion set for 2023.
“The new university campus will position Perth as a global hub for digital learning and entrepreneurship, supporting students with job-ready skills in areas like online security, business analytics and FinTech,” Professor Leinonen said.
“We will offer local, national and international students the opportunity to learn future focused knowledge, where they will explore how technology impacts across multiple disciplines, from law technology to business analytics, Fintech to bioinformatics, and from gaming to computational and systems medicine.
Murdoch will be the first university in Western Australia to pivot to a new teaching model that will allow students to study flexibly and accelerate completion of their courses.
Professor Leinonen said Murdoch University’s plans were consistent with what the World Economic Forum describes as the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
A further innovative component of Murdoch’s planned CBD vertical campus project is the development of Perth’s first eSports facility equipped to host high profile gaming competitions, positioning Perth as a leading eSports hub for gaming and related academic activity.
“eSports are rapidly growing in popularity along with interactive gaming in general, and Murdoch University will be at the forefront of this new industry with learning, development and research,” Professor Leinonen said.
“The collective expenditure on all aspects of interactive gaming and e-sports is significant and expected to grow to more than $7 billion in Australia by 2023 – which shows the level of interest in this burgeoning sector. eSports is not just about playing games - but the whole value chain from development to competition, which will lead to opportunities in a range of future careers.
Other important aspects of Murdoch University’s CBD campus are a new STEM focused international college, close collaboration with other education providers and a strong focus on indigenous culture through all courses.