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The NUW Alliance, brought together four world-class research-intensive universities (The University of Newcastle, the University of Wollongong, ºÚÁÏÍø´óʼÇ Sydney and Western Sydney University) with complementary strengths to tackle some of the very real challenges impacting on business and communities in NSW. 

First established in 2017, by the University of Newcastle (UON), University of New South Wales (ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç Sydney) and the University of Wollongong (UOW), the alliance was later joined by Western Sydney University (WSU) in 2020.  The NUW Alliance sought to add value to the New South Wales community by enhancing equality of opportunity, creating new jobs and generating economic growth with a focus in health, education, technology and business development. 

The NUW Alliance spans an area which is home to more than 75 per cent of NSW’s population and 25 percent of Australia’s. The scale and depth of the collective Alliance partnership was without peer in Australia, with over 240,000 students, plus 18,000 staff, working across 37 locations, driving more than $1.4 billion in industry, government and community partnered research.  

It was the first grouping of its kind in Australia and followed the successful model of the a partnership between ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç and two leading overseas universities working together (instead of in parallel) to address some of society's most pressing issues.  

After it was established, the NUW Alliance engaged key stakeholders to identify priorities, and initial strategic alignment between the three universities, which canvassed opportunities to: 

• develop skills in critically important new sectors such as cyber security 

• apply ‘Smart Cities’ technologies to improve the connectivity, productivity and liveability of our regional cities and coastal communities 

• create greater access to higher education for students in regional and remote communities – including Indigenous students 

• partner with health services to improve health outcomes for the community, including for some of the most disadvantaged groups in the state 

The NUW Alliance began work developing governance and operational structures, as well as a unique educational model that delivers graduates for the workforce of the future. While retaining their legislated independence and ongoing autonomy, the partner universities worked together to initiate new, and intensify existing, teaching and research collaborations, with a sample outlined below.  

After six years of impact, the NUW Alliance Board decided to wind up the formal support structures of the Alliance.  

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NUW Alliance success stories 

Aerotropolis first major project for NUW Alliance 

In an Australian first, the NUW Alliance convened stakeholders from Industry, Government, TAFE NSW/VET, Small-Medium Enterprise, and planned the delivery of a worldclass higher education and research presence in Western Sydney, the , to become part of the Aerotropolis precinct at Badgerys Creek. The Aerotropolis was projected to create more than 200,000 jobs in the region – in areas including advanced manufacturing and materials, construction and infrastructure, defence and aerospace, robotics and AI, electronics, energy systems, agribusiness, healthcare, freight and logistics. 

By leveraging the expertise and networks of the partner institutions; students, employees and the wider community would have unparalleled access to innovative teaching and research to enable just-in-time learning for job and career progression, while applying these skills at the site of greatest development and economic growth for New South Wales. In collaboration with the NSW Department of Education and TAFE NSW, a suite of short courses was launched in 2021.  

During 2018, the Alliance funded two state priority research projects on health data and suicide prevention, and one on delivering better value healthcare through e-health. 

In 2019 the NUW Alliance joined forces with Western Sydney University and the NSW Government to start work on the world-class education and research precinct at the Western Sydney Aerotropolis.  

‘NUW’ partnership pursues cheaper energy 

The best researchers from four leading universities, including ºÚÁÏÍø´óʼÇ, combined their strengths to pursue cheaper energy. Launched in November 2020, NUW Energy worked on finding solutions to Australia’s future energy needs and on ways to lower energy costs for households. Working with the ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç research team were our counterparts from the University of Newcastle, the University of Wollongong and Western Sydney University. The NUW Alliance worked closely with government and industry to provide a data and research-driven approach to policy-setting and decision-making, along with driving regional economic growth and job opportunities in the sector. It is focused on the delivery of safe, secure, reliable and affordable energy to power NSW now and into the future. 

NUW Alliance collaborates to make a difference  

In 2021 the Alliance worked closely with TAFE NSW, UTS, the University of Sydney and CSIRO. The collaboration with TAFE NSW facilitated the launch of short courses to meet the growing demand for up-skilling during the COVID pandemic. The UTS collaboration saw the launch of the research vision for new Advanced Manufacturing Research Facility at the Aerotropolis in Western Sydney with researchers providing expertise in nanofabrication, defence, AI and advanced manufacturing. Working with the University of Sydney and CSIRO researchers (in conjunction with the Office of the NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer), the Alliance also consulted on a project to store and convert excess renewable energy. This research consortium investigated the potential to grow a new industry that will use cheap excess renewable energy to make fuel, chemicals and feedstocks to power a range of NSW infrastructure.  

A lasting legacy  

Since its establishment in 2017, the landscape of higher education collaboration in NSW has evolved, with platforms including the NSW Vice Chancellors' Committee and the James Martin Institute for Public Policy, which originated as an idea of the NUW Alliance, offering broader and more diverse forums for inter- university cooperation. These platforms provide the partner universities the opportunities to engage in wider discussions and initiatives that encompass a larger spectrum of interests and expertise. Similarly, the collaboration mechanisms and approaches pioneered by the Alliance have developed into standard operational processes between the Alliance partners. 

The NUW Alliance brought together key academic and professional staff to engage with industry and government on collaborative projects, providing a ‘one-stop’ process, facilitating access for industry and researchers. 

The NUW Alliance responded to the severe economic and industrial disruption caused by COVID-19 by collaborating with TAFE NSW, industry, and government to drive an education-led response to the economic recovery in the Western Parkland City, and NSW more broadly. The response was underpinned by the mission for collaboration and demonstrated in the Multiversity Skills Innovation Model (MSIM) that received $17 million in Federal Government funding through National Priority Places, Innovation Places, and short course places. 

NUW Energy, a collaboration of the best researchers from our universities, developed into the successful Commonwealth-funded Trailblazer for Recycling and Clean Energy led by ºÚÁÏÍø´óÊÂ¼Ç Sydney and including the University of Newcastle among other partners. 

A Tale of Two Cities, a collaborative event between University of Wollongong and the University of Newcastle, in partnership with Business Illawarra and Business Hunter provided the continuing opportunity for the universities and their partners to work on similar economic, energy, technology and industry challenges and opportunities for their regions. 

The partners are extremely proud of the work accomplished through the NUW Alliance and look forward to continuing our collaborative efforts as we take these partnerships forward. We are committed to ensuring that our collective resources and knowledge through the now embedded processes will keep addressing the challenges and opportunities of higher education and research.