Victoria has a long established international reputation for excellence in biomedical research.
The state leads Australia in public and preventative health research and initiatives, with key research strengths in areas such as immunology, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, neuroscience, infectious diseases and stem cell research.
Testament to our outstanding research credentials is the fact that the lion’s share of national medical research funding is consistently awarded to Victorian researchers.
Victorian researchers have demonstrated success in translating discoveries into improved health and quality of life for global citizens. Discoveries such as colony stimulating factors (CSFs) to help treat people receiving chemotherapy and CSL’s pandemic H1N1 flu vaccine are already making a difference to the lives of millions of people worldwide.
The Victorian and Australian Governments recently announced joint funding of a new AUD$1 billion cancer centre in Melbourne to drive the next generation of progress in the prevention, detection and treatment of cancer. The purpose-built Parkville Comprehensive Cancer Centre will bring together the nation’s best cancer researchers and educators and provide the highest standard of care and treatment for cancer sufferers. The centre will be completed by 2015.
World-class research institutes, including the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (the largest and oldest medical research institute in Australia), Baker-IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Florey Neuroscience Institutes and the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute (one of the four largest paediatric research institutes globally), together with 10 teaching hospitals and 9 universities are leading our research efforts.
Melbourne, along with London and Boston is one of only three cities in the world with two universities in the global top 20 biomedicine rankings.
Victoria is home to five of Australia’s eight nationally-funded Cooperative Research Centres in medical science and technology, and features four major biotechnology precincts linking hospitals with universities, medical research institutes, industry and state-of-the-art infrastructure. These precincts are North, South East, South West and Central.
The University of Melbourne, working with the Victorian Government, has established the Victorian Life Sciences Computation Initiative (VLSCI). The initiative will involve significant investment in high performance computing facilities and research support services to strengthen the outstanding life sciences reputation and capability of Victorian institutions and researchers. The University of Melbourne has since announced a partnership with IBM to build the world’s most powerful supercomputer dedicated to life sciences research in Melbourne. It is intended that by 2013, Melbourne will boast a supercomputing facility ranked in the top 5 in life sciences world-wide.
Support and leadership from the Victorian Government has enhanced the capacity of researchers, institutions and companies to attract international partnerships and investment.
Leadership in Clinical Trials in the Asia-Pacific Region
Victoria is the premier location for clinical trials in the Asia-Pacific region, with a first class reputation for quality and integrity, and long-established expertise in conducting clinical trials. The state is known for its excellence in medical research and has a recognised collaborative model across basic and clinical research.
A new system for streamlined multi-site ethics approval is ensuring an even more efficient process for clinical trials in Victoria.
Victoria’s Clinical Trial Strengths include:
- Availability of highly skilled professionals including internationally recognised clinicians and researchers;
- Fast regulatory process;
- Particular strengths in paediatric and first in-human trials;
- Internationally accepted standards for ethics & clinical practice;
- Strong pharmaceutical & biotechnology research base;
- World-class health system, and
- Advanced infrastructure & facilities co-located with strong supporting industries.