Australia’s ICT Research Centre of Excellence NICTA, enterprise software company SAP and Europe’s largest application-oriented research organisation Fraunhofer have announced the opening of the Future Logistics Living Lab. 

 

The Future Logistics Living Lab is dedicated to creating groundbreaking information technology for the transport and logistics sector.

 

Based in the Australian Technology Park in Sydney, the Living Lab will provide a physical platform for industry and research to work together, to investigate and overcome real world logistics issues, and to demonstrate and test innovative technology that will provide transport and logistics solutions for the future.

 

The Living Lab aims to improve the efficiency of Australia’s logistics networks by fast tracking the adoption of emerging technologies and leading research outcomes by industry. The Living Lab will help industry cost-effectively address challenges such as rising fuel costs, road congestion, carbon emissions and safety. 


The founding members of the Future Logistics Living Lab – the first such laboratory in Australia and the only Living Lab in the world with university and industry participation dedicated to logistics – are joined by the NSW Government, two universities and eight leading logistics and IT companies in the venture.

 

The participants joining the founding members are Linfox, Hamburg Süd, Casella Wines, Ericsson, GS1 Australia, Gamma Solutions, Google, Tradegate, XAct Solutions, Victoria University and the University of New South Wales.

 

"The Future Logistics Living Lab will enable SAP to innovate hand in hand with industry and research to solve real world problems," said Tim Ebbeck, President & Managing Director SAP Australia & New Zealand. "The strength of the Living Lab concept is its industry partnership focus. This will drive practical, technology-based solutions that will ultimately deliver real productivity benefits for our economy."

 

"Fraunhofer recognises the importance of working with leading scientists around the world," said Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental Software Engineering Executive Director Professor Dieter Rombach, "Building on our existing relationship with NICTA and drawing on a bedrock of world-class Australian research, we will work together to deliver greater scientific results and generate break-through technologies for market."

 

NICTA CEO, Hugh Durrant-Whyte said: "The Living Lab is an example of research institutions, industry and government working together on important challenges for the logistics industry. NICTA is excited to be part of this initiative in Australia and will continue to drive innovation through industry engagement."


A website is available (www.futurelogisticslivinglab.com.au) and remote access from overseas is planned.