91PORNY

Delivering on Horizon 2025

Swinburne has always been different. Our DNA is technology-enriched and industry-connected – not by chance but by design. From our beginnings as a technical college to our evolution into a trailblazing university, Swinburne has stood for innovation with purpose. The success of Horizon 2025 reinforced that identity and built powerful momentum for what comes next: a more ambitious agenda to bring people and technology together to build a better world.

As the prototype of a new and different university, Swinburne embraces the opportunity to lead with conviction, harnessing the power of technology, inclusion and innovation to redefine what a university can be in the twenty-first century.

Throughout the year, we continued to deliver on the promise of Horizon 2025 by embedding real-world experience into every course, deepening our industry partnerships and preparing learners not just for jobs but for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. At the same time, we were looking forward, asking bold questions about what comes next for Swinburne, for our community and for our world.

Ad Astra_2030 takes flight

Our next phase was born from one of the most inclusive and ambitious strategic conversations in our history. Over ten months, supported by artificial intelligence, we listened to the voices of thousands of staff, students, alumni, industry partners and community members. The result is not just a strategy; it is a shared creation grounded in our collective vision for a university that helps people thrive in a tech-rich future.

In November, we officially launched Ad Astra_2030 – a strategy that speaks directly to the national imperative to solve complex problems, build sovereign capabilities and strengthen productivity. More than that, it reflects our deep commitment to equity, opportunity and innovation. This is a strategy with purpose, driven by people and ready to serve the greater good.

At its heart are four interdependent transformations: our quantum leaps. These are not incremental steps but bold systemic shifts that redefine what it means to learn, work and lead in a world shaped by technology. We are reimagining education through tailored and inclusive pathways to success. We are leading and leveraging technology with purpose. We are co-creating the industries of the future through innovation and applied research. And we are extending our global impact, reimagining the world as our campus.

As one chapter closed and another began, 2025 became a pivotal year, with the outcomes of Horizon 2025 setting the stage for Ad Astra_2030 to begin taking flight.

Accelerating sustainable impact

In 2025, Swinburne was chosen by the Commonwealth Government to host Australia’s first Centre for Inclusive Employment: a $22.1 million investment in improving outcomes for people with disability. Led by our Centre for Social Impact, this national hub brings together lived experience, research, service providers and employers to shape inclusive policy and practice.

Our global commitment to the energy transition continued to deepen through the Franco-Australian Indo-Pacific Centre for Energy Transition (FACET). At the FACET Symposium in Grenoble, we launched the Swinburne–FACET Climate 4.0 Hub, accelerating climate technology startups and advancing international collaboration across France, Australia and the Indo-Pacific.

In another milestone, Swinburne achieved official certification as a carbon neutral organisation under the Climate Active standard – delivering on the promise we made in 2019. This achievement reflects a university-wide approach to sustainability, covering both our operational footprint and our supply chains.

Defining the future of education

We also worked to shape the national conversation around the future of education. In February, I had the privilege of delivering the keynote at the International Education Association of Australia Conference. There I called for urgent policy reform to restore stability to the sector and reaffirmed the vital role of international students in addressing Australia’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills gap, and contributing to a ‘Future Made in Australia’.

At Swinburne, we continue to redefine lifelong learning. In 2025, we introduced the Undergraduate Certificate of Higher Education Studies – an Australian-first qualification that formally recognises students who complete significant tertiary study but do not meet the requirements for a full degree. This initiative is part of our broader commitment to modular, stackable, future-ready credentials that empower learners to upskill and reskill throughout their lives. We aspire to ensure every Swinburne learner leaves with a successful outcome.

Employability remains central to our purpose. This year, we were proud to be named Victoria’s top university for graduate employment outcomes, with our domestic undergraduates achieving the highest full-time employment rates and median salaries in the state. These results are not only a reflection of our strong industry partnerships but of the ‘Swinburne Difference’, where every learner experiences real-world, career-building learning.

Investing in our people

We continue to invest in spaces that support our people to succeed. At our Wantirna campus, we launched the Integrated Health and Technology Learning Hub, a state-of-the-art facility that prepares students to meet the growing demand for homecare workers. At our Hawthorn campus, we opened the reimagined Latelab and student hub: a modern learning space, co-designed with students, that supports their success.

We are also leading with our values. In 2025, we launched Swinburne’s Reconciliation and Truth-Telling Plan, taking steps toward a proposed Treaty agreement – the first of its kind between a university and a Traditional Owner group in Victoria. Inspired by Victoria’s statewide Treaty process and supported by our Indigenous Business Action Plans, this work is grounded in truth, respect and long-term partnership. It reflects our belief that reconciliation must be more than symbolic; it must be practical, measurable and enduring.

Reaching for the stars

Delivering on the promise of Ad Astra_2030 requires more than strategy. It requires people who are empowered, capable and confident. That’s why we are embedding our Constellations of Capabilities into everything we do. These identities – entrepreneurial value creators, tech-fluent pioneers, and local and global change agents – will define the Swinburne graduate and shape the Swinburne staff experience. They reflect who we are, what we stand for and how we will lead in the years to come.

Ad Astra_2030 is our answer to a time of great disruption and even greater possibility. It is a strategy that honours our past, builds on our present and dares to imagine a different kind of future.

To everyone who has contributed to this journey, thank you. The road ahead is ambitious, but with your passion and partnership, it is entirely possible.

Together, we have reached for the moon. Now, we go to the stars.