MoU strengthens partnership between Council and Griffith University

Redland City Council has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Griffith University to facilitate future collaboration on a range of projects and research.

Mayor Karen Williams said the MoU recognised and built upon the collaborative relationship that had existed between the two parties for about 30 years.

“The MoU is a demonstration of our commitment to work together on projects that will benefit both the city and the progression of academic research that will be conducted on Redlands Coast,” she said.

“A number of opportunities have already been identified to help us realise the potential of this agreement.

“As chair of the Local Disaster Management Group, I’m excited to see how we can benefit from Griffith’s expertise in disaster management to build resilient communities.

“There are also opportunities for the university to support our community engagement in sustainable tourism and visitor experience and Council-led initiatives such as the development of Birkdale Community Precinct and how we can maximise patronage of the proposed whitewater facility.”

Griffith University Vice President of Industry and External Engagement Dr Peter Binks said the university was proud to work alongside Redland City Council.

“We are very impressed with the Council team, and delighted to partner with them,” Dr Binks said.

“Queensland is no stranger to extreme weather events and natural disasters, and making sure we are well-prepared is a key component of this MoU.

“We have some national leaders in the Griffith team who will share their significant experience to help build resilient communities and infrastructure solutions.

“We look forward to working with council on this new precinct, and sharing our ideas and expertise.”

Cr Williams said she was excited by the opportunity for Council to build upon the relationship the organisation had already developed with Griffith University.

“The university has been a long-term partner in Council’s koala program – helping with the establishment of koala safe neighbourhood precincts in 2018 and leading a pilot study in 2021 to see if facial recognition technology would be used to identify the movement of koalas and assess their use of wildlife crossing structures on roads and rail corridors.

“We also partnered in 2017 to deliver a three-year Advancing Regional Innovation Program of innovation and entrepreneurial activities in our city.

“The signing of this MoU creates a solid platform for further collaboration into the future.”