In mid-June, our new Health and Medical Research Building (HMRB) in Bedford Park was officially opened by Vice-Chancellor Professor Colin Stirling, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas.
“Flinders is redefining healthcare,” said Vice-Chancellor Professor Colin Stirling. “The HMRB is a major leap forward, building on Flinders’ 50-year legacy of health innovation. It supports our rapid research growth and paves the way for discoveries that solve challenges and improve lives.”
Premier Peter Malinauskas said boosting the quality and volume of research undertaken in South Australia is fundamental to increase the complexity of our economy. “This is the key to unlocking a better standard of living for all South Australians. To this end, Flinders University is a leader. It has posted the strongest growth rate in research income of any university in the country across the past five years.”
“The research undertaken at this incredible new facility will help save lives.”
PREMIER PETER MALINAUSKAS
The $280 million facility is the first building in the planned Flinders Village development. As the centrepiece, it spans 22,000m2 over 10 storeys, with space for over 600 medical researchers, clinicians and support staff.
Located just 50m from the Flinders Medical Centre and Flinders Private Hospital, the HMRB provides a unique relationship between research, education, clinical expertise and community and is the focal point of research informed by genuine patient need, positioned to make an immediate improvement to people’s lives.
Health and wellbeing are central to the HMRB’s mission, reflected in its design and location. Open indoor spaces feature greenery and promote natural light and circulation of fresh air. Outside, an Indigenous bush medicine garden and native landscaping line the new gateway to campus from Station Plaza to University Drive.
The HMRB has already achieved a Platinum rating under WiredScore certification, making it the first medical research institute in the world to receive this rating.
The HMRB is a once-in-a-generation initiative which will transform how we understand, diagnose and treat illness. Research work underway includes gut health and genetic factors affecting proteins, pregnancy health, virology and the human genome, and the development of targeted cancer treatments. For example, Dr Claire Jessup (BBiotech(Hons) ’99, PhD(Med) ’05) and her team are developing new treatments for women with ovarian cancer. “The facilities in the HMRB allow us to investigate particular aspects of ovarian cancer that may unlock our ability to one day offer effective immunotherapies to people facing ovarian cancer,” said Dr Jessup. “The opening of HMRB means the future looks promising for ovarian cancer research in Australia.”
Associate Professor Luke Selth (BBiotech(Hons) ’05) and his team are focussed on improving outcomes for men with prostate cancer. “It’s important to remember that the HMRB sits within a broader precinct that encompasses the Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer, Flinders Medical Centre and Flinders Private Hospital, which enables us to engage with clinicians and patients on a daily basis and is an incredible environment for undertaking impactful cancer research.”
The HMRB is a defining achievement in Flinders’ history; a landmark investment in the health and wellbeing of all South Australians and the next step in undertaking research that will change lives and change the world.