New technologies funded for research across Victorian universities
The University of Melbourne has welcomed more than $14 million in funding to boost critical medical and agricultural research capabilities across a number of Victorian universities, hospitals and research institutions, thanks to the Victorian Higher Education State Investment Fund.
Announced by Minister for Higher Education Gayle Tierney, the grants are supporting key infrastructure projects including the acquisition, upgrade and maintenance of powerful new technologies at the University of Melbourne.
Two National Imaging Facility projects have been funded as part of the Victorian Biomedical Imaging Capability supporting key technologies at the University of Melbourne, Monash University, Swinburne University, the Florey, Peter McCallum Cancer Centre, Austin Health and the Olivia Newton John Cancer Centre (LaTrobe University).
Clinical research studies in mental health, Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological diseases will be enhanced by upgraded human imaging capabilities at the University of Melbourne and Swinburne University, and radiochemistry facilities at the Austin and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
The funding supports cutting edge technology including the procurement of an ultrasonographic brain lesioning system for image guided neurosurgery at the Florey, and expansion of preclinical imaging capabilities at the the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute that will accelerate drug discovery and early stage testing of cancer treatments.
Funding will establish advanced plant imaging capabilities at the University of Melbourne to investigate effects of climate change on crops and soils and to develop strategies for agricultural improvements.
Bioplatforms Australia – a project in collaboration with Monash University, received funding earlier this year to provide new analytical technologies at Metabolomics Australia, which sits within the University of Melbourne’s Bio21 Institute.
This technology underpins developments in precision medicine, drug discovery and diagnostic capabilities. This funding will lead to the next generation analytical platforms for understanding complex diseases, such as cancer and dementia and be used to understand how changes in diet and lifestyle are affecting our gut microbiota and predisposition to many diseases.
The final project funded involving the University was the Australian Nano-Fabrication Facility-Victorian Node (ANFF) upgrade project, a joint venture with seven Victorian universities and CSIRO and facilitates major and urgent remediation and upgrades to nanofabrication capabilities across the ANFF–Victorian network.
At the University of Melbourne, the investment in the ANFF-Vic will provide researchers with state-of-the-art nanoscale sample preparation capabilities within the University’s Materials Characterisation and Fabrication Platform
University of Melbourne Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Mark Hargreaves AM said that the shared facilities funding will create opportunities for innovative ideas and collaboration across disciplines.
“We are grateful for the Victorian Government’s substantial funding boost to support the capability in key research platform technology facilities, as a shared resource supporting research and innovation across the Victorian biomedical and innovation precinct,” Professor Hargreaves said.
“The University of Melbourne is committed to contributing expertise to an innovation ecosystem to accelerate translation and commercialisation of discoveries that improve the health and wellbeing of our community and address urgent areas of unmet need in agricultural food production.”