Curtin University has secured major funding from the Australian Research Council to create and lead its inaugural Centre of Excellence, driving pioneering research over the next seven years to develop quality work in an increasingly digital future.
The ARC Centre of Excellence for Quality Work in a Digital Age (QWiDA) will bring together leading researchers from institutions across Australia and the globe, alongside industry and government partners to explore how new technologies can be integrated responsibly to create and sustain productive, inclusive and healthy work.
Director of Curtin's Centre for Transformative Work Design, 2024 WA Scientist of the Year and ARC Laureate Fellow John Curtin Distinguished Professor Sharon Parker will lead the new Centre, which she said would revolutionise how Australia approached the design and use of digital technologies to achieve a fairer, healthier and more productive future for all Australians.
"From artificial intelligence to robotics, digital technologies are already changing how, where and when we work," Professor Parker said.
"Through QWiDA's collaborative and interdisciplinary approach, we will ensure these technologies are designed and implemented in ways that enhance, rather than erode, the human experience of work for workers, organisations and society at large.
"Our goal is simple but vital: to make work better, for everyone."
Curtin will partner with the University of Queensland, University of Melbourne, UNSW Sydney, Swinburne University of Technology, QUT and the University of South Australia, plus many international industry and tertiary organisations in sectors such as technology, education and manufacturing.
QWiDA will operate across three research streams, supported by a Design in Action Hub to translate research outcomes into real-world practice.
Augmented Working will focus on developing safe, productive human-machine partnerships, Networked Workplaces will reimagine how people collaborate across time and space, while Future-Ready Workforce will equip Australians with the skills and leadership needed to thrive in a digital world.
Curtin University Vice-Chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne congratulated the QWiDA team, saying the Centre reflected Curtin's global leadership in future-of-work research.
"This Centre embodies Curtin's commitment to tackling the biggest challenges facing our society," Professor Hayne said.
"Its findings will inform policy, education and industry design, helping Australia stay at the forefront of ethical and effective digital transformation in the workplace.
"By ensuring technological progress goes hand-in-hand with worker wellbeing and inclusion, QWiDA will help secure a fairer and more productive future for Australia and beyond."
Leveraged by more than $59.7 million in cash and in-kind contributions from partner organisations, plus a $34.8 million investment from ARC, QWiDA will aim to bring more than 1000 researchers together and support at least 17 new research positions and more than 80 new research students over the life of the Centre.
