CAN Official Opening and Industry Forum | Building the Cornerstone of Australia's Nano-Manufacturing Ecosystem

The world's most prosperous and advanced economies are innovation-driven. To generate real life impact, innovative and cutting-edge research need to build close relationships with industry sectors.

Australian industry, government, investors, and researchers are invited to join the Building the Cornerstone of Australia's Nano-Manufacturing Ecosystem Forum. The forum will feature speakers from across industry who are successfully adopting local innovation to build globally leading products. From local produce and berry growers to hard to abate industries, health tech and utilities, Australia’s photonics and material science research is being applied in industry right now, unlocking huge opportunity to build a robust and economically valuable ecosystem.

A key highlight of the event is the introduction and official opening of the Centre for Atomaterials and Nanomanufacturing (CAN), a Leading Research Centre in RMIT University, led by Distinguished Professor Baohua Jia. As a pioneering Centre dedicated to the advancement of atomaterials—novel materials constructed from atom-sized components with extraordinary properties—CAN is set to transform Australia’s landscape in sustainable energy, advanced manufacturing, and functional nanostructures. The centre emphasises fostering collaboration between academia and industry, accelerating the transition of groundbreaking research into practical applications with direct societal and economic impact.

The event will also feature a live prototype demonstration showcasing CAN’s cutting-edge innovations. Attendees will have the opportunity to witness firsthand how atomaterials are being used to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and enable the creation of globally competitive products across diverse industries in Australia. This demonstration will illustrate the practical applications of atomaterials and the transformative potential they hold for Australia’s nano-manufacturing ecosystem.

This free event will explore how atomaterials—powerful new materials built from atom-sized components—are transforming companies to enhance efficiency, reduce costs and build globally competitive products.

Hear directly from key industry figures, including:

• Professor Baohua Jia, Director, Centre for Atomaterials and Nanomanufacturing, RMIT University
• Frank Yao, CEO and Founder, Innofocus Photonics Technology
• Professor Hala Zreiqat, AM FAA FTSE FAHMS FRSN FIOR FIAAM, Founder BIOTech Futures
• Professor Mark Osborn, Dean, School of Science, RMIT University
• Dr. Matthew David, Director (Research & Innovation), GrapheneX
  
• Professor Matthew Cuthbertson, Victorian Clean Technology Fund

Discussion topics include:

• Photonics for water treatment and recycling
• Energy as a critical horizontal across industries
• Nanomaterials in diverse industry sectors
• Commercialisation of applied research
• Building economic opportunities through nanotechnology