A new state-of-the-art minerals processing facility has been opened in Queensland to help with testing, innovation and research across the state’s resources sector.

Located at the Resources Centre of Excellence’s Stage 2 Future Industries Hub in Mackay, the laboratory is set to help get more value out of resources thanks to a shared space to help test, prove and refine techniques for minerals processing.

The move will support industry-led innovation, workforce skills development and the commercialisation of emerging technologies.

“Mackay is the gateway to Queensland’s mining heartland, and the Flexi-Lab minerals processing facility is about giving businesses the confidence to invest, expand and take advantage of the opportunities in emerging markets, by giving project proponents the tools they need to succeed,” Queensland Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Dale Last said in a statement.

“Flexi-Lab gives industry a place to test ideas, refine technology and prove up projects, so they can move faster from concept to commercial reality.”

The lab has been heralded as a pivotal development in Queensland’s resources sector by allowing first-class technologies and research methods to be practised directly in-state.

“By bridging the gap between laboratory research and commercial deployment, Flexi-Lab will de-risk investment, accelerate innovation and strengthen Queensland’s pit-to-product value chain,” Resources Centre of Excellence chief executive officer Steven Boxall said.

The Resources Centre of Excellence was established to connect research, technology and education to shape the future of the Queensland’s resources sector, with over $8 billion having been invested by the local government over the last two decades to support research and innovation.

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