This article has been produced in partnership with Griffith University. For more information on the new Griffith Brisbane City campus, tap here.

Queensland’s No. 1 university for artificial intelligence will soon call the Brisbane CBD home.

Currently based at Brisbane South (Nathan), Griffith University’s School of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) will boast a new, central location, making access for students from across Brisbane easier than ever.

From 2027, students will study in the Treasury Building, reimagined and repurposed for modern teaching and learning.

Professor Ernest Foo said moving to the CBD placed the school closer to industry as well with more opportunity for the sector to meet students with real-world opportunities to ensure they were job-ready when they graduated.

“Bringing ICT students together in the Treasury Building will offer so many opportunities to build connections that they’ll take into their future careers,” he said.

“The people you meet at university are going to be your peers as you go forward into the workplace.

“The Treasury Building will allow us to build on the work we currently do to connect students from across disciplines to collaborate and work with industry partners in real world scenarios,” Professor Foo said.

“The other area we specialise in, in terms of research as well as teaching, is artificial intelligence, which is one of those big disrupters in the modern world. It’s changing the way we work. And it’s not one of those things to be feared so much, but it’s one of those things that we can take advantage of.

“We’ll be able to bring events like our Hackathon, sponsored by ANZ, which teams IT, finance, criminology and cyber security students together to solve a challenge, like a company losing money through scams.”

The ANZ Cyber Crime Hackathon, developed in partnership with Amazon Web Services, is a two-day event with students collaborating across disciplines.

Professor Foo said they were also the first university in Queensland to offer a dedicated bachelor of cyber security degree and also offered a master of cyber security degree.

“That means people who come and study that can specialise in that area and be ready for work in the industry, which is a growing area,” he said.

“From listening to industry, we’ve found that there’s a big need for more people with that specialist knowledge.

“Being located in the Treasury Building in Brisbane will help us to meet that need.”

Teaching is informed by the university’s Industry Advisory Board, a panel of experts who strengthen ties between academia and industry to ensure students are gaining the skills they need to thrive in the real world.

Master of cyber security student Henry Ng said he chose Griffith because it was one of the strongest universities in South East Queensland, especially for technology.

“The campus locations are really convenient, and I liked that it has a very diverse student community,” he said.

“It felt like a place where I could not only learn, but also be exposed to different perspectives and real-world thinking.”

Henry said he chose his degree because he was interested in how technology shaped the way people live and work, and he wanted to contribute to something meaningful. He is also looking forward to the move to the Treasury Building.

“I think it’s really interesting to see a historic building like the Treasury Building being used for a future-focused field like IT,” Henry said.

“That contrast between heritage and technology makes it quite unique. Being in the CBD also means we’re closer to industry, so it creates more opportunities to connect what we learn with what’s happening in the real world. I think the new CBD location will make student life more connected and engaging.

“It creates a space where students can easily catch up, collaborate and spend time together outside of class.

“Being in the city also means more people will see and interact with Griffith students, which builds a stronger presence and makes the experience feel more dynamic.”