Australian, French educational houses sign Future Submarine MoU

Australia’s Flinders University signed an academic and research cooperation agreement with four French graduate schools of engineering to work on Australia’s Future Submarine program.

The agreement between Flinders and a consortium comprised of ENSTA ParisTech, École Centrale de Nantes, CentraleSupélec and École Polytechnique was signed at a special ceremony signed in Paris this week.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will foster joint research projects, student and staff exchanges, and a new wave of Australian-French innovation and entrepreneurial projects related to the Future Submarine Program to be centred in Adelaide, South Australia. The selected design will be built at the ASC shipyard at Port Adelaide.

Flinders University’s deputy vice-chancellor (Research) professor Robert Saint, who signed the MoU at the DCNS headquarters in Paris, says the agreement will foster an exchange of research and technical expertise that further strengthens the University’s maritime-related programs.

“This MoU signed with our new French partner institutions recognises the high regard in which Flinders’ capability in the areas of defence and maritime research is held,” professor Saint said.

“The agreement will enhance our defence related endeavours and contribute to South Australia and Australia’s economic transformation.”

DCNS Executive vice-president of human resources and operations MrAlain Guillou welcomed the agreement.

“We would like to congratulate Flinders University and the French institutions on this exciting development which ties communities for the long term,” Guillou said.