Research powerhouse proposed

The University of Queensland and the Australian of Year, Professor Ian Frazer, said $100 million towards new science infrastructure would pave the way for Queensland to have one of the world's most advanced medical research facilities.

UQ Vice-Chancellor, Professor John Hay, AC, said UQ and Frazer initially proposed a translational medical research facility at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, a major UQ research and teaching hospital.

"Patients, medical researchers and the Queensland and Australian economies would benefit hugely from this infrastructure," Hay said.

"It would have the capacity to transport a laboratory discovery through the rigorous and lengthy processes leading to advanced clinical trials (after which a product may go to market)."

The translational medical research facility would house UQ's Centre for Immunology and Cancer Research, which Frazer directs.

Frazer said that, had such a facility existed 15 years ago when he and Dr Jian Zhou discovered the cervical cancer vaccine in a UQ laboratory, then more significant revenues from the vaccine would have remained in Queensland.

"This in turn would have created more jobs for medical scientists in Queensland, and enabled more income to be reinvested in Queensland-based research and development," Frazer said.

"The facility would ultimately house about 500 scientists, who would work on translating science into better patient outcomes."

If the $100 million were secured, matching funding would be sought for the $300 million facility from the Australian Government, philanthropists and other sources.