BALLARAT, Australia, Dec. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Federation University Australia is the type of university where students feel seen, supported and set up for success. Their campuses stretch across Victoria - from the welcoming regional communities of Ballarat and Gippsland to Berwick and Melbourne City, set in one of the world's most student-friendly cities[1]. As Australia's leading Co-op university, Federation has embedded paid placements into its courses to give every student real-world experience, connections and confidence before graduating. With smaller class sizes, dedicated international support services, and a welcoming multicultural campus community, every student's uni experience feels personalised from the start.
The Premier's Award is the highest recognition for international education in Victoria, and reflects Federation's commitment to ensuring students succeed academically, professionally and personally.
Presented by The Hon. John Brumby AO, Chair of the Victorian International Education Advisory Council and Former Premier of Victoria, the Award recognises Federation University's investment in international student success and strong track record in preparing graduates for globally competitive careers.
The University's nation-leading Co-operative Education Model was also acknowledged with the Excellence in International Student Employability and Career Development Award.
Co-op helps students kickstart their careers by providing real-world work experience and industry connections as part of their study.
In an Australian first, Co-op offers paid placements that count towards a student's qualification without extending the length of their degree.
Importantly Co-op is translating into real-world outcomes, with Federation named number one in Victoria for overall postgraduate employment, and number two in Victoria for overall undergraduate employment – with many international students securing ongoing employment as a result of their Co-op placement.
Since 2013, the Victorian International Education Awards have celebrated the state's most exceptional international students, recent graduates and industry providers.
The awards highlight excellence in leadership and innovation in the international education sector, re-enforcing Victoria's position as a world-class education destination.
Quotes attributable to Federation University Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Duncan Bentley
"At Federation, we strongly believe international students are vital to who we are as a university and as a community."
"These awards affirm our commitment to creating opportunities that ensure international students succeed – both here in Victoria and around the world."
Quotes attributable to Deputy Vice-Chancellor Global, Engagement and Quality, Carolyn Chong
"We are proud to receive this recognition, but the real reward is seeing our students succeed. Every initiative – from Co-op placements to student support – is designed to give students the best possible start in their careers and lives."
Explore guaranteed paid placements through Federation University's Co-op model.
[1] QS Best Student Cities 2026
Media Contact: Katerina Hatzi | 03 8768 5546 | media@federation.edu.au
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Federation secures prestigious Victorian International Education Award wins
HONG KONG, March 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- LiberNovo proudly announces that the LiberNovo Omni has been awarded the iF DESIGN AWARD 2026 in the Product Design – Beauty/Wellness category. The chair represents LiberNovo's breakthrough approach to Dynamic Ergonomics. The iF DESIGN AWARD is widely regarded as one of the most respected awards in international design and recognizes innovative, functional, and user-centric designs.
Revolutionizing Ergonomics
The LiberNovo Omni was designed to revolutionize how people sit during long work hours. Unlike other office chairs that force people into unnatural positions and postures, the LiberNovo Omni introduces a new category of seating, the Dynamic Ergonomic Chair.
The chair supports your body as you naturally move throughout the day, so you can always adjust your position freely and still receive continuous support.
The LiberNovo Omni solves one of the biggest problems facing today's work environment. As work has become more and more desk-based, people are spending more time than ever before sitting. Traditional office chairs are designed for stationary use and often don't accommodate body movement, leading to lower back discomfort and strain.
Technologies Behind the Award-Winning Design
At the core of the LiberNovo Omni's design is Dynamic Support, LiberNovo's adaptive support system that automatically adjusts to posture changes in real time. Instead of requiring users to manually readjust their chairs throughout the day, Dynamic Support continuously responds to body movement, helping maintain balance and ergonomic alignment without interruption.
The chair also features LiberNovo's Bionic FlexFit Backrest, an advanced ergonomic structure that contours to the natural curvature of the spine. Using multiple pivot points and adaptive panels, the backrest distributes pressure evenly across the back while allowing natural motion. This approach provides consistent support from the hips through the shoulders, creating a seating experience that adapts to the individual rather than forcing the individual to adapt to the chair.
The LiberNovo Omni also incorporates multiple recline modes, allowing users to shift naturally between focused work and more relaxed postures while maintaining continuous ergonomic support. For deeper recovery, the chair includes OmniStretch, a guided decompression feature that gently stretches the lower spine and helps relieve pressure accumulated during prolonged sitting.
Together, these technologies define a new approach to ergonomic seating built around movement, adaptability, and long-term physical support.
Design Philosophy
The development of the LiberNovo Omni focused on solving a longstanding challenge in chair design: balancing softness, structural support, and freedom of movement. Traditionally, improving one of these qualities has meant compromising another. The LiberNovo Omni was engineered to bring these elements together in a single system, combining comfort, stability, and natural mobility.
This approach reflects LiberNovo's broader philosophy: the tools we use every day should work with the human body rather than against it. In modern work environments, productivity should not come at the expense of long-term health.
Design Collaboration
The chair was developed by the LiberNovo design team in Shenzhen, China, in collaboration with Kairos Innovation, an industrial design firm based there. Together, the teams focused on creating an ergonomic system that maintains support across the wide range of positions people naturally adopt while working throughout the day.
About the iF DESIGN AWARD
Established in 1954, the iF DESIGN AWARD is an internationally recognized standard for measuring design quality. Entries are selected using strict evaluation criteria, including innovation, functionality, ergonomics, and overall design impact.
In 2026, over 10,000 entries from more than 60 countries were submitted for consideration for the iF DESIGN AWARD. All entries were evaluated by an independent group of international design professionals, making the iF DESIGN AWARD one of the most highly respected design awards available today.
Looking Ahead
Receiving the iF DESIGN AWARD is a significant milestone for LiberNovo, demonstrating the company's continued commitment to advancing ergonomic seating design.
The iF DESIGN AWARD highlights the increasing importance of designing workplace solutions that enable workers to be productive and support their long-term physical health and wellness.
As workspaces continue to evolve, LiberNovo believes seating should move away from static support systems toward more dynamic, human-centered designs.
The LiberNovo Omni embodies this vision by shifting ergonomic design away from static seating, creating a chair that adapts to the user rather than requiring the user to adapt to the chair.
About LiberNovo
LiberNovo is a design and technology company focused on advancing ergonomic innovation for modern work environments. Through a combination of advanced engineering and human-centered design, the company develops intelligent products that respond to the evolving ways people work and interact with their surroundings.
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LiberNovo Omni Wins iF DESIGN AWARD 2026 for Breakthrough Ergonomic Design
