Agilent opens $25m Spectroscopy Technology Innovation Centre in Melbourne

Measurement company Agilent Technologies has announced the opening of its new Spectroscopy Technology Innovation Centre in Mulgrave, Victoria. The $25 million centre houses cutting-edge research and testing laboratories, as well as user demo and training facilities.

Located within the Monash Technology Precinct, the facility provides advanced communications technology to facilitate collaboration between Agilent divisions, key research partners and users across the globe. Working spaces provide the flexibility to accommodate changes in science and project types, while the project hubs are designed to be the nerve centre, helping to build high-performance teams.

Mike McMullen, president of Agilent’s Chemical Analysis Group, said the centre is “Agilent’s next big leap in developing world-leading spectroscopy products. The open-plan areas for project teams have been designed to foster interaction and to help improve customer and field linkages. Most importantly, our time to market for new products will be improved as we pursue our goal of clear leadership in our chosen markets.”

The centre will house a range of spectroscopy instruments such as the Atomic absorption spectrometer, which is a critical measurement tool in a variety of applications such as the food, environmental and pharmaceutical markets. Since the product’s development in Melbourne, the city’s Agilent team has generated more than $3 billion in spectroscopy sales.

Employing 250 staff, the centre will support the work of scientists and engineers engaged in environmental analysis, food testing and agriculture, semiconductor analysis, geochemistry, metals and mining, energy and fuel production, materials science, industrial R&D, quality control, life science studies, pharmaceuticals, forensics and academic research.