The Australian Cobotics Centre will conclude on 31 December 2026, marking the completion of a significant phase of industry–research collaboration. While the Centre itself is coming to an end, our work with industry does not stop there.
Over the past several years, we have built strong, productive relationships with industry partners across a range of sectors. Together, we have delivered impactful projects, supported technology adoption, and advanced the application of collaborative robotics in real-world environments. These connections remain incredibly important, and our university partners are enthusiastic about continuing to engage with industry beyond the Centre’s formal lifecycle.
We welcome ongoing conversations with organisations interested in exploring new ideas, research opportunities, or collaborative projects. Whether you are an existing partner or new to our network, there are still many ways to connect with our research teams and tap into their expertise.
The Centre has also developed a substantial body of resources that remain available to support industry. This includes case studies, tools, insights, and practical guidance to help organisations better understand and implement cobotics solutions. You can search these resources here: Resources
As we transition beyond 2026, we encourage you to stay in touch and continue working with our university partners. We remain committed to supporting industry innovation and exploring meaningful collaborations that drive impact into the future.
The Australian Cobotics Centre is an Australian Research Council Industrial Transformation Training Centres. The ITTC is jointly funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC), research organisations (universities and government research organisations) and industry partners.
Through this scheme, the ARC contributed $5.2 million over 5 years (from 2021-2026). The ARC funds were combined with cash and in-kind contributions from university and industry partners. Contributions were primarily used to fund PhD programs and postdoctoral research fellows, as well as for equipment for use by Centre researchers and costs associated with travel for collaboration (including placements) and, that associated with promoting the impact of the Centre.
Collaboration with the Centre offered partners:
- The ability to jointly develop a specific project that provides value to an organisation (in line with our research areas) without having to fund the associated research and development costs
- Access to workforce training and development to enable a holistic approach to implementing cobotic and associated technologies
- Access to a network of industry partners to share experiences and resources which in turn will drive value-delivering technological & workforce changes to allow Australian manufacturing to do ‘bigger business together’
- Linkage to a network of suppliers to assist businesses with automation
- The opportunity to help drive policy change to supports innovation & integration in the manufacturing sector
- Expertise based on research and applied knowledge across many areas including in industrial relations, engineering, robotics, interaction design, architecture, data processing and more
- The ability to utilise research outcomes and their applications learnt through research with other partners of the Centre
- Access to world-class research infrastructure and facilities
- Access to domestic and international networks for advice and further opportunities to collaborate outside of the Centre.
Partners have participated in Centre-wide engagement activity including:
- The annual symposium
- Training and development programs including formal mentoring of researchers
- Student Placements
- Twice yearly program board meetings
- Quarterly 1:1 project reviews
All Partner Organisations nominated a Partner Investigator who acts as a Lead contact for their organisation. Partner Investigators (PI) were expected to:
- take significant intellectual responsibility for the planning and conduct of the project and for any strategic decisions required in its pursuit and the communication of results;
- have the relevant skills and experience to contribute to the project;
- make a commitment to carrying out the project and not assume the role of a supplier of resources for work that will largely be undertaken by others; and/or
- provide effective supervision, support and mentoring of research personnel, as required.