The University of Huddersfield and Federation University Australia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen collaboration in teaching and research, with a strong focus on smart house technology and health technology.
This includes delivering potential solutions to challenges impacting both Huddersfield and Federation’s communities, including making homes smarter, safer and more sustainable, while advancing technologies that strengthen local health outcomes.
The MoU draws on an international relationship which began in 2022 with an initial collaboration between Professor Rakesh Mishra, the Director for the Centre for Energy Environment and Sustainable Engineering at the University of Huddersfield and Dr Gopinath Chattopadhyay, Coordinator of Postgraduate Courses, Maintenance and Reliability Engineering at Federation University Australia.
Since then, joint initiatives in maintenance, reliability and asset management have strengthened ties, including the International Conference on Maintenance and Intelligent Asset Management (ICMIAM), which will be hosted at the Berwick Campus of Federation University Australia in December 2025, and at the University of Huddersfield in July 2026.
The collaboration subsequently widened, with Professor Syed Islam, Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor – International Research Partnerships, Federation University, and Professor Leigh Fleming, Acting Dean at the School of Computing and Engineering at Huddersfield, joining the discussions to develop the partnership further.
This resulted in the signing of the new MoU with a view to developing a deeper partnership in the areas of smart house technology and health technology.
The MoU signing took place at the University of Huddersfield during a visit from a Federation University Australia delegation, comprising Vice-Chancellor Professor Duncan Bentley, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Carolyn Chong, and the Vice-Chancellor’s Ambassador for International Partnerships Emeritus Professor Chris Hutchison.
While visiting Huddersfield, Federation representatives were able to visit research laboratories to understand more about the University’s research on aged care monitoring and how elderly patients can be supported to stay safe and independent for longer.
Representing the University of Huddersfield at the signing ceremony were Vice-Chancellor Professor Bob Cryan, Professor Fleming, Acting Head of Department (Computer Science) Professor Andrew Crampton, and Acting Head of Department (Engineering) Dr Karl Walton.
Professor Fleming commented: “This is a great opportunity for us to foster greater collaboration between our universities with opportunities in both research and shared activities in teaching and learning. Our universities are well aligned in terms of our global outlook and ambitions for both research and student outcomes, so it is a really exciting partnership for us in the school.”
Professor Mishra added: “As both institutions look to the future, this partnership marks an exciting step towards excellence in research and academic collaboration across various disciplines, including maintenance, reliability engineering, and asset management. It is aimed at strengthening both universities through research and academic collaborations and joint projects, supervision, research and publications, and industry-relevant courses, and contributing to further enhancing the capabilities of the next generation of professionals and making the world a safer and better place to live.”
Professor Duncan Bentley, Vice-Chancellor and President of Federation University Australia, commented: “Our communities are on opposite sides of the world, but in many respects, they’re experiencing the same challenges. By bringing together our collective expertise, we can develop solutions that improve quality of life, support local industries and create new opportunities for our students and communities.”
Federation’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Global, Engagement and Quality, Carolyn Chong, said the collaboration would strengthen the University’s innovation leadership: “This MoU strengthens our international research partnerships and creates a platform for collaborative discovery. Working with our partners in Huddersfield, we’ll explore new opportunities for collaboration and identify areas where joint research can make a meaningful contribution.”
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