Sydney and Kimberly-Clark Australia Partnership Announced

The University of Sydney has entered into a new strategic partnership with an innovative international company that will provide opportunities for research collaboration and internships for our students.

Professor Jill Trewhella, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Kimberly-Clark Australia (KCA) PTY Limited.

The MOU lays out a plan for the parties to develop a strategic relationship that will involve research collaboration and internships for Sydney students, among other initiatives.

"I'm excited about this new interaction with KCA because it will generate new opportunities for both researchers and students," Professor Trewhella said.

"There is a broad range of benefits for Kimberly-Clark Australia in this partnership," said Linda Watts, General Manager of Strategic Innovation at KCA, who signed the MOU on behalf of the company. "We can raise our profile with students, gain mutual benefits out of marketing and other business projects and work with researchers on innovation for our products and services."

KCA ran a competitive process to choose the institutions with the expertise best suited for collaborative partnerships. Sydnovate, the technology transfer office of the University, has been an integral part of the process and will manage the ongoing relationship with KCA.

"This partnership will provide opportunities to students as well as opening up collaboration in new areas such as aged care," noted Taksil Dias, Business Development Manager at Sydnovate. "We expect this MOU to benefit new research as well as work that has already been done, which can be commercialised."

KCA has globally successful brands such as Kleenex tissues and Huggies nappies and has entered the agreement with Sydney as part of its new approach of looking externally for future product and process ideas.

"Australia has a highly-developed market and KCA has high market shares here," Ms Watts continued. "Innovation has always been important to our company and we hope that working with Sydney University will help continue our tradition of innovation and help us create new products."

The MOU will be reviewed after a year.

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