Department of Health

The Victorian Government is committed to the development of a new Australian Institute of Infectious Disease in Victoria to lead the fight against future pandemics.

Building on $155 million in funding announced in 2020, the Victorian Government will deliver up to an additional $245 million to get the project off the ground and build the Institute in the heart of the Parkville biomedical precinctExternal Link .

The $650 million project will also be supported with $250 million from the Foundation Partners – the University of MelbourneExternal Link , the Doherty Institute for Infection and ImmunityExternal Link and the Burnet InstituteExternal Link .

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of getting ahead of outbreaks. This Institute is designed to deliver the necessary infrastructure and capacity that researchers need to detect, analyse, manage and develop treatments for infectious diseases.

The Institute will be the largest centre of expertise in the Southern Hemisphere region and will supercharge the ongoing efforts of the world-leading researchers at Victoria’s universities and medical research institutes. It will also accelerate research into the prevention of future pandemics and rapidly developing treatments.

It will enable the Doherty Institute to expand and the Burnet Institute to relocate to the Parkville Biomedical Precinct.

In addition, it will bring together experts from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical ResearchExternal Link , the Murdoch Children’s Research InstituteExternal Link and Melbourne-headquartered global biotechnology company CSLExternal Link , to ensure Victoria and Australia are prepared for future challenges.

The Institute will include next-generation laboratories and high-containment facilities that will help researchers improve our understanding of infectious diseases, and a robotic biobank facility will ensure international best practice for specimen storage in large-scale clinical trials.

This project is expected to create approximately 350 jobs through the design and establishment phase. These jobs include roles in architecture, engineering, planning, surveying, construction, information technology, communications and consulting services to design and fit-out.

The Institute also has the potential to support up to 5,000 jobs, including approximately 850 jobs at the institute itself, as well as creating jobs within the new research ecosystem including startups and commercial tenants.

Visit the AIID websiteExternal Link to learn more.

Reviewed 24 March 2023

Health.vic

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