Driving research

The Audi Foundation continues to build on its education pillar with the donation of an Audi A7 Sportback to the University of Canberra’s Faculty of Science and Technology and Faculty of Arts and Design.

The official vehicle handover took place at the University of Canberra’s main campus in the nation’s capital this week, where it will now see duty as a major research resource for senior students across the two very different faculties. 

Its advanced vehicle systems will be used by final year network and software engineering students in their research work into Vehicle to Everything (V2X), as well as being utilised by those completing Masters and PhD research into these emerging automotive areas.

In addition, the A7 Sportback, much lauded for its design, will be a focus of students involved in the areas of Industrial Design, Visual Communication Design and Interior Architecture at the University of Canberra.

“We are delighted to be able to support educational institutions, such as the University of Canberra, with examples of the latest in automotive technology,” said Paul Sansom, Chairman of the Audi Foundation and Managing Director of Audi Australia.

“The Audi Foundation’s support of institutions like the University of Canberra is one way that we are able to realise our ambition to drive meaningful change by shaping strong education outcomes.” 

For students at the University, the opportunities presented by the A7 are far reaching, according to Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology, Professor Janine Deakin.

“We are on the verge of a new era of connected autonomous cars, with unrivalled user interfaces, vastly improved road safety, a wide range of mobility conditions and a plethora of innovative applications,” Professor Deakin said at the official vehicle handover.

“The Audi A7 vehicle will be an ideal test bed for our students to experiment various V2X solutions and collaborate with the automotive industry. We will also be able to conduct Masters by Research and PhD projects in this highly demanding area of research.”

Likewise in the areas of industrial and automotive design, the A7 represents an outstanding opportunity for students to explore the ‘emerging architecture of mobility’, says Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Design, Professor Jason Bainbridge.

“As a designer in the field of automation, there has never been a time as exciting as today. This positions our students in Industrial Design, Architecture, Interior Architecture, Visual Communication Design and Interaction Design as preeminent contributors to the rethinking and reconfiguration of the future of automobile design.”

The A7 Sportback is the second such vehicle to be donated by the Audi Foundation to a leading Australian tertiary institution in 2021. In April this year, the Audi Foundation donated another A7 Sportback to the University of New south Wales’ Engineering faculty, to help its engineering students in their work as well as those involved in the University's Sunswift Solar project.

Both of these cars are pre-production models procured from AUDI AG by the Audi Australia Aftersales department for training purposes. These are used by the technical department for training technicians in the very latest technology used by the company as well as seeing service in the brand’s extensive apprentice program.

These vehicles, although in perfect working order, are donated as training and educational tools and cannot be registered or driven on Australian roads.