Walking through campus, you’ll notice a new building unlike any other we’ve had. It’s only fitting for a space designed to inspire and develop the world’s next big idea.

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The Macquarie University Incubator offers a vibrant and accessible space for students, researchers, staff, entrepreneurs, and start-ups to work on their research or ideas that can be commercialised. The goal is to foster a growing entrepreneurial community that can share and contribute experience and resources to help foster ideas during their early stages of development.

“From the beginning, we knew we didn’t want a standard office building for this space. We wanted something truly innovative that would inspire those who work in it,” says John Shi-Nash, Director, Incubation and Entrepreneurship.

Work on the new Incubator building and programs began in mid-2016, building on the lessons learned from the temporary pop-up incubator which had been in operation on campus.

“The Incubator is one of the best examples of innovative collaboration between client, designer, contractor and sub-contractors that I’ve ever seen. Together, we delivered a visionary project within budget, on-time, and to a quality that exceeded everyone’s expectations,” says Mark Broomfield, Director of Property.

The team adopted innovative construction techniques to allow for rapid construction, utilising sustainable materials and high levels of sustainable design.

Primarily made of plywood, the building sits lightly on the ground and minimally impacts the earth and soil below it. The building also incorporates pavilions that are naturally ventilated, and uses the first air conditioning of its kind in Australia, which automatically regulates temperatures in the space depending on where occupants are located. Solar panels on the roof offset 60 per cent of power usage, and there is more than 1 km of LED strip lighting in place.

Staff, students, start-ups, and entrepreneurs can take advantage of the new event facilities, entrepreneur training programs, weekly social events, industry engagement events and co-working/hot desks.

“We hope that our University and the broader community take advantage of this incredible new space to develop their innovative ideas for the future. We want to help innovators develop their ideas and gain exposure for more opportunities including commercialisation. I personally can’t wait to see how this space is used in the coming years,” Shi-Nash says.

Tours of the Incubator will be running every Tuesday in September from 3pm. To register for a tour, contact the team at incubator@mq.edu.au with your preferred date.