University of Wollongong gains R&D centre

MphasiS has opened its first ‘near shore’ integrated development and delivery centre in Australia at the University of Wollongong. The strategic location of the centre will enable MphasiS to work closely with the University of Wollongong on a range of initiatives including training, recruitment, and research and development in the ICT space.

Headquartered in India, MphasiS is an HP company which employs over 38,000 people and provides applications services, remote management services, and business process outsourcing (BPO) services to customers around the world.

The centre will provide local employment opportunities with plans to create at least 265 jobs over five years. The centre will focus exclusively on customers in Australia and New Zealand and will offer a specialised resource pool for the telecommunications industry as well as a centre of excellence for testing. MphasiS plans to offer specialised automated testing services from the test lab being set up in Wollongong.

Initially located on the main campus of the University of Wollongong, in 2011 the MphasiS centre will relocate to the university’s research and commercial precinct, Innovation Campus (iC). The Innovation Campus will help facilitate a healthy work-life balance for MphasiS employees given its close proximity to public transport, the University of Wollongong and the Wollongong CBD. MphasiS will join BHP Billiton Illawarra Coal as tenants of iC Enterprise 1.

“The University of Wollongong is delighted MphasiS has selected the Innovation Campus to house its Near Shore Development and Delivery Centre. This centre will put the Innovation Campus on the map as a global ICT hub and will create long-term benefits for both the University of Wollongong and the Illawarra region,” said Professor Gerard Sutton, the University of Wollongong’s Vice-Chancellor.

The agreement with MphasiS represents a significant win for the Australian ICT sector. It supports the NSW Government’s Knowledge Services Strategy for the Illawarra region.