The Australian Institute for Infectious Disease will be established the heart of Melbourne’s renowned Parkville biomedical precinct, further strengthening Victoria’s world leading reputation in medical research.
The institute will create the largest centre of expertise in the Indo-Pacific region and will establish Victoria as a global leader in understanding infectious disease – accelerating research into the prevention of future pandemics and rapidly developing treatments.
Building on Victoria’s track record in industry and research collaboration, the institute will develop an alliance with leading research institutes in the Indo-Pacific, including those in Singapore, Korea, Indonesia and India to research infectious diseases and combat future pandemics.
The initiative will also bring together the brightest minds from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, the University of Melbourne and Melbourne-headquartered global biotechnology company CSL, to ensure Victoria and Australia are prepared for future challenges.
The facility will include next-generation laboratories and high-containment facilities that will help researchers improve our understanding of infectious diseases, with a robotic biobank facility that will ensure international best practice for specimen storage in large-scale clinical trials.
Advancing Victoria’s ongoing efforts to combat the coronavirus, the institute will be located next to the Doherty Institute – allowing the Doherty to expand its research operations – and be the new home for the Burnet Institute, currently located next to the Alfred Hospital.
A cross-disciplinary Centre for Infectious Diseases Modelling will allow the development of improved methods for predicting disease patterns, while a new facility at the Royal Melbourne Hospital will facilitate early-stage clinical trials to quickly and safely develop vaccines and treatments.
To boost the preparedness and capability of our workforce, health workers will train to respond to outbreaks at a new state-of-the-art education and simulation facility featuring advanced video conferencing and data-sharing capabilities to link the centre to researchers throughout Australia and Asia.
The Victorian Budget 2020/21 will include an investment of $150 million towards the $550 million institute, with the remaining funds to be sought from the Commonwealth Government and the University of Melbourne.
Victoria’s medical research institutes employ more than 4,800 people. The state’s wider medical research sector supports more than 30,000 jobs across institutes, universities and industry.
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