University of Queensland Vice-Chancellor Professor John Hay has praised the strategic vision and leadership of the Queensland Government in committing $15 million towards a new Institute for Molecular Bioscience at the University's St Lucia campus.
Professor Hay said: "The State Government's decision is vital to the establishment of key infrastructure for a clever Queensland and for positioning the State to take part in 21st century science.
'The Government has recognised the strategic importance of keeping Queensland globally competitive in biotechnology. It will lead to new industry and business enterprise, technology exports and to more jobs.
'Purely as an international provider of research services, it will provide returns estimated in excess of $100 million."
Professor Hay said the State's financial contribution would be decisive in bringing to fruition the University's plans for the world's first institute to integrate genome (genetic) research with cell biology, structural biology and bioinformatics.
"The University has put in the hard yards in bringing together a nucleus of world-class creative researchers and the supporting them with a multi-million dollar investment in equipment. Now the State's contribution will provide vital leverage to consolidate this development as a strategic national asset," Professor Hay said.
The announcement, included in the State Government's Strategic Plan 1997-2007 released on May 23, follows detailed investigations by a joint Government/University working party after State Cabinet announced in-principle support for the project late last year.
The University will contribute a matching $15 million towards the $50 million Institute, which is expected to create 300 new jobs for the State. Another $20 million will be raised from other sources.
He said the Institute would be housed in a major world-class facility, capable of accommodating as many as 600 researchers, in the University's biotechnology precinct. The University had already earmarked temporary accommodation for aspects of the Institute's operations, until the new building comes on-line.
'The proposal provides a means to integrate industry with major research capacity to create a world-class environment for biological research, development and commercialisation,' he said.
Genome research comprises the large-scale mapping and DNA sequencing of the complete collection of genes of organisms from viruses and bacteria to plants, animals and humans. This research is leading an explosion of new information in medicine, agriculture, microbiology, evolution and biological diversity, and information science.
Professor Hay said the Institute would house the only genome research facility outside Europe, Japan and the US and the only generic facility in the world spanning a range of genomic research, from humans to micro-organisms.
Professor Hay said it would be one of only a very few research institutes in the world combining basic, strategic and applied research in one complex, and which provided an integrated environment for public and private research and development. It would also provide a focus for advanced R and D in biological science and technology for the Asia-Pacific region.
'Biological technology in its many forms is one of the major growth areas for the future. It will provide an increasingly important role in providing the foundation for Queensland's economic development and defining the future high technology industrial base of south-east Queensland,' Professor Hay said.
'We expect that the Institute will function as an incubator for high-level R and D and genomics. New industry will cluster around this new source of research and technology, in much the same way as the computer and biotechnology industries have clustered around Silicon Valley in the San Francisco region.'
Professor Hay said the new Institute would integrate a number of existing major research centres and organisations and the new national Australian Genome Research Facility, all based at the University of Queensland.
Centres on which the Institute will be based include the Commonwealth Special Research Centre for Molecular and Cellular Biology, the Centre for Drug Design and Development, and the Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis.
It is also anticipated that the Institute will house Federal and State research agencies, and research groups from private industry.
The Institute's activities will include:
- gene discovery in humans, animals, plants and microorganisms, as a basis for understanding normal and abnormal function including cancer and genetic disease, and important traits affecting agriculture production and bioremediation;
- functional studies at the cellular and molecular level on important proteins involved in basic biology, and which are key targets for pharmaceutical and biotechnological development;
- application of advanced technologies to the development of new genetic-diagnostics and new drugs;
- contract research in genome analysis, molecular biology and drug design;
- working with other agencies such as the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and CSIRO to add value to Queensland's existing primary industries;
- working with pharmaceutical research organisations, biotechnology companies and other biologically-and environmentally-based organisations to develop new industries for Queensland.
For further information, contact University Vice-Chancellor Professor John Hay at telephone 07 3365 1300.
