InterAct project leads to Adelaide visit
Professor Jill MacBryde and Dr Nicola Murray from Strathclyde Business School recently travelled to Adelaide to visit colleagues at Flinders University as part of the business school's UKRI-supported InterAct project.
InterAct is part of UKRI’s £147m Made Smarter Innovation programme. It is an Economic and Social Research Council-led network that aims to bring together economic and social scientists, UK manufacturers, policymakers, and digital technology providers, with a shared goal of addressing the human issues resulting from the diffusion of new technologies in industry.
Building networks with, and sharing learning from, global manufacturing stakeholders is a key element of InterAct’s mission. This visit provided an invaluable opportunity to strengthen international collaboration, share research insights, and explore how our respective programmes of work intersect.
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A particular highlight of the trip was a visit to the Flinders Factory of the Future. Located in the Tonsley Innovation District in Adelaide, the Factory of the Future is a transdisciplinary advanced manufacturing research hub designed to accelerate industry growth through practical, evidence-based solutions.
Partnering directly with manufacturers, it brings together technology, engineering, and human factors expertise to optimise both people and systems in advanced manufacturing environments. The Factory is funded by national and state government support and operates within a vibrant innovation ecosystem where organisations can test, pilot, and showcase solutions, de-risking adoption and accelerating time to value.
Nicola said, “The visit to Adelaide reinforced the importance of integrating technological advancement with human-centred organisational research. Facilities like the Factory of the Future demonstrate what is possible when engineering, management, and human factors are brought together within a collaborative ecosystem.
“We returned to Scotland energised by the conversations, inspired by the work underway in Adelaide, and excited about what may come next!”