Perth’s Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research is set to boost its life-changing research outcomes, thanks to generous funding from the Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund Enabling Scheme.
Announced by the Cook Government, this scheme has allocated $10 million across multiple grants to support local medical research organisations, including the Perkins.
Thanks to a $568,054 grant from the FHRI scheme, the Perkins will be able to purchase essential state-of-the-art equipment to improve efficiency and fast-track research breakthroughs.
The funds will enable the purchase of vital research instruments, including:
- A purification system for both recombinant technology and pharmaceutical biotechnology research endeavours.
- A liquid handling robot to meet today’s fast-paced research demands.
- A slide scanner with a comprehensive quantification software package to meet the heavy demands of teaching, as well as preclinical, clinical, and industry-based research.
- A cutting-edge spatial imaging platform allowing high-throughput mapping at the subcellular level.
Perkins Associate Director Scientific Strategy, Professor Alistair Forrest, welcomed the initiative of the FHRI which Western Australian researchers at all institutes can benefit from and appreciate.
“Funding initiatives like this help to balance the scale against a funding bias against WA researchers who consistently have a lower success rate for nationally funded opportunities,” Prof Forrest said.
The grant funds were matched by the generosity of West Australians, who donated $407,849.68 to support the Perkins mission to help people live longer, healthier lives.
The Cancer Research Trust (Single Cell Consortium) contributed a further $160,000 to ensure Perkins researchers had the total investment necessary to secure the equipment package.
Prof Forrest added, “This support will significantly accelerate the Perkins research capabilities, bringing cutting-edge technology to WA researchers to help them find new solutions for some of the nation’s deadliest diseases. And the equipment bought with these funds can be shared by researchers investigating cancer, cardiovascular disease, rare genetic diseases and epigenetics.”
Since its inception, the FHRI Fund has awarded more than $115 million in grants to over 500 recipients, fostering a strong foundation for health and medical research in the region.
