image: Belén Linares, Chief Innovation Officer, Cepsa; Ambassador-designate of Australia to Spain Her Excellency Rosemary Morris-Castico, RMIT Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Alec Cameron; Professor Marta Fernandez, Executive Director, RMIT Europe; Saskia Loer Hansen, RMIT Deputy Vice-Chancellor International and Engagement; Joaquín Mollinedo, President of the Spain-Australia Council Foundation.
Credit: Cepsa, RMIT University
AuSpire is an ambitious five-year training program that will employ 28 postdoctoral fellows to conduct innovative research projects grounded in the concept of planetary wellbeing.
The novel training program will be coordinated by RMIT Europe, RMIT’s European innovation hub in Barcelona, expanding its expertise in leading large scale international multi-partner networks co-funded by the European Union, and adding to a portfolio that includes the AUFRANDE and REDI doctoral training programs.
Working at the forefront of science and technology, AuSpire’s postdoctoral fellows will be employed by renowned companies, research centres and universities in Spain and receive mentoring from experienced supervisors working in academia and industry in Australia and Spain.
Fellows will be empowered to drive their own research project according to their chosen line of investigation and in alignment with the network’s themes of people, place, prototypes and products.
In accordance with the overarching concept of planetary wellbeing, AuSpire will tackle global challenges by focusing on research that aims to have a favourable impact on the planet’s inhabitants and ecosystems.
The network will establish new links between Spanish and Australian partners, laying the groundwork for continued high levels of collaboration well beyond the project’s end.
Speaking in Madrid, RMIT Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Alec Cameron said that AuSpire will provide a unique training experience for postdoctoral researchers in different disciplines.
“Furthermore, AuSpire will further strengthen the already significant research ties between Australia and Spain, laying the groundwork for ongoing collaboration,” said Cameron.
The announcement event was also attended by the Ambassador-designate of Australia to Spain Her Excellency Rosemary Morris-Castico, who said that projects like AuSpire underpin the strong Australia-Spain bilateral relationship.
“This new collaboration led by Australian university RMIT with leading Spanish industry partners demonstrates a shared commitment to excellence in research and innovation,” said Morris-Castico.
Joaquín Mollinedo, President of the Spain-Australia Council Foundation – a unique platform connecting public and private initiatives in coordination with the Spanish Ministry of Foreign affairs – also endorsed the new program.
“Connections with Australia in Spain remain a top priority in both foreign policy as well as for companies. We see AuSpire as an excellent initiative and wish all partners the best success,” said Mollinedo.
Belén Linares, Chief Innovation Officer at Cepsa, spoke positively about the opportunities that the AuSpire network will bring.
“We are proud to carry out this innovative collaboration between RMIT and Cepsa, which enhances our relationship with Australia, a country at the forefront of innovation in energy transition, especially in the field of green hydrogen technology, which is one of our strategic core technologies. The AuSpire collaboration allows us to integrate postdoctoral fellows into Cepsa’s Innovation Center for Energy Transition and boost our Positive Motion strategy for 2030.”
AuSpire’s postdoctoral fellows can look forward to undergoing interdisciplinary training in transversal skills, doing an international or intersectoral secondment in Spain or Australia, and broadening their knowledge to open alternative future career paths.
The first global recruitment campaign for postdoctoral applicants to join the program will open in February 2025.
AuSpire partners in Spain: RMIT Europe (coordinator), Almirall, Cepsa, IDOM Consulting Engineering Architecture, monodon (Navantia), Dovetail Electric Aviation, Datlight, Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology – ICN2, Barcelona Supercomputing Centre, Eurecat Technology Centre, University of Loyola, Acciona Construction.
AuSpire partners in Australia: RMIT University, University of Canberra, Aurecon.
For more information: auspire@rmit.edu.au