New ARC training centre dedicated to biopharmaceuticals

The ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre in Biopharmaceutical Innovation was officially opened at The University of Queensland (UQ) yesterday, 16 months after it was initially announced.

News first broke of the training centre back in July 2016, when it was described as an industry/academia partnership designed to train industry-ready research scientists. It was awarded $4.3 million over five years in ARC (Australian Research Council) funding to transform Australia’s growing biopharmaceutical industry by training specialist biotechnologists and bioengineers.

Now, the centre has been opened by Assistant Minister for Social Services and Disability Services Jane Prentice, on behalf of Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham. The launch has been welcomed by ARC CEO Professor Sue Thomas, who looks forward to the discovery of new innovations in biopharmaceuticals and enhancing manufacturing processes for growing the industry.

“This new training centre will create new biopharmaceuticals and antibody-based reagents, focus on developing enhanced production methods and improved manufacturing capabilities, as well as train a cohort of specialist scientists,” said Professor Thomas.

“The training centre will bring an industry focus to a research setting — key to this training centre is the embedding of highly skilled early-career PhD and postdoctoral researchers who will work closely with other experts and organisations, working on industry-driven research projects to provide ‘industry-ready’ graduates who can drive future growth in this advancing sector.”

Researchers at the training centre with research and development expertise will team up with participating organisations — Commonwealth Serum Laboratories, GE Healthcare, Australian Red Cross Blood Service and Patheon Biologics Australia — which donated a total of $5.5 million in cash and in-kind contributions towards the centre.

The centre is the latest in a suite of research training centres opening around Australia under the ARC’s Industrial Transformation Research Program (ITRP). For more information on the program, visit the ARC website.

Image credit: ©iStockphoto.com/Rich Legg