Macquarie University celebrates 60 years of innovation

Macquarie University is marking its 60th anniversary with a tribute to its pioneering history, vibrant present, and bold future. As a cornerstone of Australia’s original innovation district, the university remains at the forefront of academic and technological advancement.  To celebrate the anniversary, various activities are being held throughout the year including an alumni reunion at the University’s upcoming Open Day on 10 August and an all-staff celebration held earlier this month on the campus’ lakeside lawns. 

To celebrate this occasion, let's delve into the rich history of Macquarie University: 

In June of 1964, a bill was passed in the New South Wales Parliament which declared: 

“A University… shall be established at Ryde in the State of New South Wales…. The University— (a) shall, as soon as convenient after the commencement of this Act, proceed to provide facilities for study in the disciplines of Arts, Science and Economics.” 

This began Macquarie University’s journey from  a few brutalist-style buildings in the middle of one-time agricultural land, to its transformation into the thriving hub as part of the high-tech district. 

Established as an alternative to Australia’s ‘sandstone’ universities, Macquarie welcomed just under 1,000 students in its first 1969 cohort – many of whom had been previously excluded from higher education. Women, in particular, benefitted from Macquarie’s progressive and inclusive ethos, with the University being the first in Australia to offer on-campus childcare and the first in Australia to appoint a female Vice-Chancellor, Di Yerbury, in 1987. 

As well as a strong spirit of inclusion, innovation was also at the heart of Macquarie’s establishment, with the Government seeking to develop a purpose-built precinct closely following the Stanford University model (creating the so-called ‘Stanford of the South’) where business and industry would cluster around research and teaching. 

Macquarie now boasts more than 300 industry partners within the Macquarie Park innovation district and more than 4,000 partners worldwide. Research collaborations have accelerated the University’s trajectory into the top 150 research-intensive universities in the world, with The Australian naming Macquarie as the nation’s leading university in 11 research fields. 

The opening of Macquarie University Hospital in 2010 – the first hospital to be owned and operated by an Australian university – marked an exciting new era of health innovation. As the University’s health sciences centre has grown, so too have its collaborations with medical and biotech companies in the district, its groundbreaking discoveries in diseases such as motor neurone disease and lung cancer, and the commercialisation of Macquarie research through spinouts including gene therapy company Celosia Therapeutics. 

Macquarie University Vice-Chancellor Professor S Bruce Downton acknowledged the university and its partnership with Connect Macquarie Park Innovation District: 

“Many of the University’s achievements in education, research and healthcare have been made hand-in-hand with partners in the Connect Macquarie Park Innovation District (Connect MPID) who share our vision, we now look ahead to a new decade of innovation for Macquarie, knowing that we do so with the collective strength of the Connect MPID behind us.” 

Connect MPID congratulates Macquarie University on its 60th anniversary, as it stands at the forefront of academic and technological advancement, embodying innovation and collaboration that continues to shape its promising future.