13 May 2009

Darwin based Menzies School of Health Research has been granted $34.1 million of funding in the 2009 Federal Budget for the construction of a state-of-the-art purpose-built research facility at their current location on the on the Royal Darwin Hospital campus.

Menzies, founded in 1985, is Australia’s leader in Indigenous health research, and has been operating from its existing building for almost 15 years.

In recent times Menzies has experienced a period of significant growth in staff, with an average 15% increase in personnel each year coupled with significant increases in both budgets and projects.

Previously announced funding received for a building extension from the Northern Territory ($5.3 million) and Federal Government ($5 million) was found no longer meet the needs of the organisaiton based on current growth projections.

Welcoming the news, Menzies Director, Professor Jonathan Carapetis, said that the inability to expand further due to office space constraints was seen as the single largest threat to Menzies plans to broaden and grow its work in Indigenous health research.

“Recent years have seen an unprecedented growth in the size of Menzies both in terms of numbers of staff and research outcomes; and as a result of this we are bursting at the seams,” he said. 

“A new building will not only result in an extension to our office space to allow us to continue to expand our Indigenous and tropical health priorities but will ultimately lead to improved health outcomes for Indigenous Australians.”

Menzies currently employs around 200 people and is Australia’s leader in Indigenous health research and a significant player in the NT and nationally.