Talking in a language that industry can understand and helping industry stakeholders recognise how the synchrotron can help them were key themes of a special Industry Breakfast, held at the Park Hyatt in early March.

Around 20 key industry stakeholders joined the Australian Synchrotron’s Director, Andrew Peele, and members of the Synchrotron’s industry engagement team, to assess progress and future opportunities of the engagement program.

Speaking at the breakfast, Manager of Corporate Affairs at Hospira, Australia’s largest exporter of generic medicines, Mr Ken Griffin said working with the Australian Synchrotron has given Hospira an edge on competitors.

‘By working with the Synchrotron, we’ve been able to “concertina” a project by two months, enabling speed to market, which is critical in terms of competitive advantage within our sector.’

Government Liaison and Strategy Coordinator at the Australasian Industrial Research Group and Head of the Office of the Lead Scientist, Ms Leonie Walsh, said, while the Synchrotron was engaging well with industry and offering invaluable solutions and intelligence, it was important to talk the right language.

‘Synchrotron technology is incredibly technical and can appear daunting,’ she said.

‘It’s not a matter of dumbing it down but of speaking about the technology in a manner that is relevant to the needs of industry, it’s about good corporate story telling.’

It is estimated 15-20 per cent of all users of the Australian Synchrotron have a link to industry. Should you wish to find out more about the Synchrotron’s industry engagement program or how the technology can help you, visit http://industry.synchrotron.org.au/