UQ VisLab secures RIIS funding to expand immersive research infrastructure.
The University of Queensland Visualisation Laboratory will enter its next phase of development through a successful Research Infrastructure and Investment Scheme application for Interactive Visualisation for VisLab.
Led by Associate Professor Fred Fialho Teixeira from the School of Architecture, Design and Planning and Dr Jurij Karlovsek from Civil Engineering, the project will strengthen VisLab as a university-wide platform for immersive, data-intensive and spatially intelligent research. The upgrade will expand the laboratory’s capacity to support high-resolution visualisation, mixed-reality collaboration, spatial simulation and real-time design feedback across architecture, engineering, planning, environmental science, health and the humanities.
The funded infrastructure will advance UQ’s research capability in digital twins, predictive infrastructure, immersive analytics, robotic and bio-based manufacturing, and human-centred spatial experience. It will also support new forms of research translation, enabling government, industry and community partners to engage with complex data through immersive and interactive environments.
A key strength of the project is its cross-faculty access model. UQ researchers, higher degree research candidates and postdoctoral fellows will be able to use VisLab through a transparent booking and support process, with training, onboarding and project-specific technical assistance. This approach will ensure that the infrastructure supports both established research programs and emerging interdisciplinary collaborations.
The successful grant reinforces VisLab’s role as a strategic research asset for Queensland. It will give UQ researchers local access to advanced visualisation capabilities that are otherwise available only through interstate facilities, while positioning the University as a leader in spatial computing, XR research, digital twin development and immersive decision-making.
This investment marks an exciting step for VisLab and for UQ’s broader research ecosystem. It will enable researchers to see, test and communicate complex futures with greater clarity, precision and impact.
