Five years ago, Melbourne Connect opened its doors with a bold vision — a place where researchers, founders and industry come together to shape what's next. Built on the site of the former Royal Women's Hospital and years in the making, this precinct has always meant something to Melbourne. Today, that vision is alive in every researcher, entrepreneur and global company that calls this community home.
In March 2021, the vision became reality. The University of Melbourne's Faculty of Engineering and IT made Melbourne Connect its home from day one, joined by a founding cohort of co-located partners including ANZSOG, ClarkeHopkinsClarke, SANE Australia, Apromore and InEight.
From the very start, the precinct made its mark on the city — participating in Melbourne Knowledge Week, the Digital Innovation Festival, and Open House Melbourne.
Melbourne Connect quickly became a place where big conversations happen. In a landmark year for the precinct:
• Science Gallery Melbourne opened its first exhibition, MENTAL, bringing art, science and the public together in our precinct.
• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited for a roundtable on leveraging research and industry partnerships to tackle global health challenges — meeting with 4DMedical and other precinct partners.
• Global fintech Airwallex announced a pivotal partnership with The University of Melbourne at Melbourne Connect, expanding career opportunities for the next generation of Australian tech leaders.
• The University of Melbourne and City of Melbourne co-hosted the inaugural UN Sustainable Development Goals Melbourne Leadership Forum here.
• Melbourne Connect Innovation Week hosted over 30 events with more than 2,600 registrations.
By 2023, Melbourne Connect had grown into a thriving ecosystem — hosting over 300 events with more than 25,600 attendees, and welcoming 20+ international delegation visits from Japan, China, Vietnam and the United States.
• The Heart launched — a permanent, AI-powered art installation in our foyer that responds to the pulse of the Melbourne Connect community in real time.
• US Ambassador Caroline Kennedy joined us for The Quad Fellowship Summit, underscoring Melbourne Connect's role in international research diplomacy.
• The FEIT Hackathon Festival brought over 140 students together for three days of problem-solving and innovation.
• Our Digital Futures Internship Fair attracted over 500 students, connecting them with employers including Commonwealth Bank, Airwallex, ATO and more.
• Melbourne Connect was named a finalist in the 2023 Property Council of Australia Innovation & Excellence Awards.
Melbourne Connect's reputation as a hub for meaningful exchange continued to grow, with over 60 local and international delegation visits and 85,000 visitors to the Superfloor.
• Frances Haugen, former Meta Product Manager and global advocate for responsible AI, joined our AI at Melbourne Colloquium series to a crowd of 200.
• Our Future of Series brought 552 attendees across conversations on The Future of Cities, The Future of Education and The Future of Entertainment — with speakers from Lendlease, Amazon Web Services, RMIT, City of Melbourne and ACMI.
• Melbourne Connect Innovation Week hosted 40 events with 3,300 registrations.
• Our co-working community grew to over 250 members across 50+ organisations, spanning medtech, fintech, SaaS, education and aerospace.
• Melbourne Connect participated in Melbourne Design Week, celebrating the intersection of design, technology and culture.
2025 closed with numbers that reflect a community in full stride — 110,000 Superfloor visitors and 3,173 attendees across our flagship event series.
• Wilin Connect launched — a landmark art installation led by Indigenous student artists from the University of Melbourne, presented in collaboration with the Wilin Centre and Lendlease.
• Melbourne Connect hosted Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer for a Mobility Roundtable on transport innovation, safety and sustainability.
• We proudly hosted Informa Australia's National Health & Innovation Precincts Summit — bringing together Australia's largest gathering of health precinct and innovation district leaders.
• Our Future of Series explored The Future of Disinformation, The Future of Longevity and The Future of Finance — with speakers from the Reserve Bank of Australia, ANZ, NAB and Monash University.
• Our Internships and Jobs Fair connected students with employers including EY, CPA Australia, Bupa and Commonwealth Bank.
March 2026 marks five years since we opened our doors. The vision that started it all is still very much alive — and there's still room to be part of it.
Melbourne Connect is home to researchers, founders and global companies shaping what's next. Find out about tenancy opportunities.
