While the current agreement would conclude in December, she said, the Engineering Faculty at the university would continue to consider partnerships with Woodside, “or others”.
A Monash University spokesman declined to answer specific questions about the terms of the “philanthropic agreement” with Woodside, but said that Monash was proud of the work that had been accomplished through the collaboration.
Woodside Energy has poured at least $43 million into Monash University over the past six years.Credit: Peter Bennetts
“Managing our ESG [environmental, social and governance] commitment, [and] meeting the expectations of our community, our research collaborations and our primary commitment to academic freedom, is complex,” the spokesman said.
“The Faculty of Engineering is well advanced in discussions about future areas of research collaboration with Woodside, such as decarbonisation, circular economy solutions and materials science. The Faculty of Engineering will continue to be supported to pursue future research and industry collaborations in line with our ESG commitments, our Responsible Partnership Framework and academic freedom.”
Carina Griffin, a double major law and science (climatology) student, started the Stop Woodside campaign at Monash. She said she had felt “thrilled, relieved, vindicated” when she heard the news that Monash would end its current arrangement with Woodside.
“They were getting social licence,” she said of Woodside’s relationship with Monash.
Members of the Stop Woodside Monash group celebrate outside the Woodside Building on Friday.Credit: Joe Armao
“That’s what the investment was [about]. It was the respectability of being attached to a public research institution in 2025 [and] justifying the continuation of the oil and gas industry when commonsense and scientific knowledge tells us that it’s no longer acceptable to be going drilling oil out of the ground off the coast of Western Australia.”
Dr Simon Campbell is a senior research fellow in the school of physics and astronomy who has been active in the campaign against Woodside’s prominent role at the university.
“Notwithstanding the success of Monash ending the partnership with Woodside, I am a little troubled that the vice chancellor said yesterday that Monash is still open to taking Woodside’s money,” Campbell said.
“Let’s be clear: this is dirty money – dirty because Woodside is chasing a massive expansion of its fossil fuel interests as global heating starts to bite and experts say no expansion is necessary to meet net zero.”
A Woodside spokeswoman said the relationship between the two entities would continue in some form, though it was not yet clear how the partnership would evolve.
“Woodside and Monash continue exploring ways to build on their decade-long research partnership, with a focus on shared priorities including decarbonisation technologies, circular economy solutions and advanced materials science,” she said.
“As part of these collaborative discussions, Monash and Woodside have mutually agreed to conclude one part of their broader research partnership, being the naming rights for the university’s Building for Technology and Design.”