The donation is the largest gift the University of Sydney Business School has ever received
International transport business owner Neil Smith is donating $7.9 million to the University of Sydney Business School to support research in driving government and industry action on sustainable transport.
Smith envisions a green transport future for Australia and has committed the money to the Business School to help make it a reality.
The donated money will help establish a 10-year chair in sustainable transport futures in the Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies (ITLS) at the university.
It will fund research, education and scholarships in the field of sustainable transport technology, with the Neil Smith chair of sustainable transport futures working towards generating knowledge that underpins a transition to a green future for Australia’s transport industry.
The chair will also provide leadership and translation of research with a view to influencing policy at all levels of Australian government.
Currently, transport worldwide contributes 20 to 30 per cent of global carbon emissions.
“I believe Australia urgently needs to keep pace with other countries, such as Great Britain, on sustainable transport development,” Smith says.
“Through research and leadership there is an urgent need to stimulate action to address the ongoing issues of how transport contributes to climate issues.
“My greatest hope for this gift is that within a decade sustainable transport is no longer a politically polarising issue in Australia, but a shared goal instead.”
The chair aims to:
- Advance understanding of the challenges and barriers government and industry face in adopting green transport technology
- Encourage government and industry engagement, with each other and with other key stakeholders
- Promote optimum decarbonisation practices, technologies and strategies
- Suggest and foster the changes required to the regulatory environment
The University of Sydney Business School is intent on using the donation to benefit Australia’s future in sustainable transport.
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“Neil Smith’s generous gift, the largest ever made to the Business School, promises to influence and educate policymakers through evidence-based research and providing education to the next generations of transport and logistics students,” Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Mark Scott says.
“It is an inspiring example of a former student motivated to give back to both the university and to Australian society.”