The CollabConnect: Bridging Ideas and Impact is supported by RMIT University and the City North Social Innovation Precinct (CNSIP) initiative’s City North Fest Activation Fund 2024.

City North Social Innovation Precinct (CNSIP):

RMIT’s proposal for the City North Social Innovation Precinct (CNSIP) envisions transforming a unique city block into a dynamic hub that addresses some of society’s most pressing challenges.

The Precinct will bring together key industry clusters in social care and wellbeing, clean economy, and advanced engineering: fostering inclusive innovation, workforce skills, and community engagement.

By strengthening the existing eco-system in the City North, the Precinct will create jobs, enterprises and solutions to shape Victoria’s future, while also expanding connections into Southeast Asia and beyond.

The Precinct’s renewal will enhance the existing Parkville NEIC, leverage RMIT’s City Campus, and integrate the new State Library Metro Station; positioning the area for sustainable growth.

Through place-based partnerships, RMIT is committed to benefiting the City North neighbourhoods and the wider Victorian community, creating a platform for industry, technology, and community to collaborate on building a better, more inclusive future.

RMIT’s CNSIP Activation Fund:

The CNSIP Activation Fund was established in 2024 to enable the delivery of a variety of impactful projects, showcasing CNSIP’s potential as a ‘living lab’ for urban and community innovation.

23 RMIT-led research and activation projects received funding and have been successfully advancing themes around social care and wellbeing; promoting sustainable practices within the clean economy; and fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration in future engineering and technology.

Through these Projects, CNSIP demonstrates its capacity to unite diverse stakeholders in activating spaces that serve as inclusive community hubs and inspire civic engagement.

The success of RMIT’s Activation Fund highlights CNSIP’s role as a scalable model for precinct development, delivering measurable social and economic benefits.