Introduction

New South Wales is home to some of the world.s leading medical research institutes, hospitals, universities and growing biomedical and biotechnology industries. The provision of high quality and cost effective health care is a critical issue for all governments. A strong health and medical research sector supports and enhances the capacity of governments to deliver this outcome.

Research excellence also has broad benefits for hospitals and health systems and helps to attract and retain the best clinicians, thus fostering best practice. Linking basic research to clinical research, public health research and health services research ensures that research efforts can be directed to the priorities of the State's health system.

Disease prevention and improved health outcomes also impacts on policy, practices and economic burden across government.

NSW Research Strengths

• Strong basic research groups (eg vascular biology, neurobiology, infectious disease and immunology, and in certain cancers such as breast and prostate cancer).
• Substantial strengths in clinical research (eg cardiovascular, respiratory, mental health, renal and liver diseases, HIV) and clinical trials.
• High quality public health research (eg screening, and decision making processes) and health services research (eg health economics and policy evaluation).
• An established base for Australian biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies with the potential to capture a larger share of the R&D.

These strengths are underpinned by Government support inthe following areas:

Government Programs:

• BioFirst Programs - the NSW Government's $68 million biotechnology strategy. (click here)
• Spinal Cord Injury and other Neurological Conditions Fund - a $10.9 million fund to promote biomedical research into spinal cord injury, disorders and other neurological conditions. (click here)
• Infrastructure Grants Programs - providing infrastructure funding for biomedical, clinical, public health, primary health care, and health services research organisations in NSW. (click here)
• NSW Cancer Institute- the NSW Government's $205 million cancer strategy. (www.health.nsw.gov.au/cancer_inst/)

Further information on NSW capabilities and infrastructure can be found in the companion volume, The State of Research: NSW Science Directory.

Medical Research Hubs:
The development of research hubs in NSW provides an opportunity to consolidate pre-existing State investments and ensure a strategic approach to the capital development of health and medical research facilities in the future.

The ten designated research hubs are centred at:

• Australian Technology Park (Cancer Institute);
• Central Sydney (RPAH, Concord Hospital, University of Sydney Central School);
• Darlinghurst (Garvan/Victor Chang/St Vincent's Hospital);
• Distributed Rural Network (Lismore centred);
• Hunter (Newcastle centred, HMRI, HNEAHS Hospitals, University of Newcastle);
• Illawarra (Wollongong centred, University of Wollongong);
• South Western Sydney (Liverpool and Campbelltown Hospital, University of New South Wales, University of Western Sydney);
• Northern Sydney (RNSH, University of Sydney Northern School, Macquarie University);
• Randwick (POW, St George Hospital, University of NSW); and
• Western Sydney (Westmead, Nepean Hospitals, University of Sydney Western School).

The research activity undertaken at these hubs is described within this Directory.

  Search the Directory