Record Philanthropic Cancer Grant
10 December 2015 at 11:18 am
The Australian Cancer Research Foundation has announced its 2015 grant awards, including one of the largest private grants for cancer research equipment in Australian history, as part of its $10 million 30th anniversary program.
The $10 million anniversary grant was awarded to The Children’s Medical Research Institute based in Sydney, for the establishment of The ACRF International Centre for the Proteome of Cancer.
The Foundation said the facility would enable the analysis of tens of thousands of samples of all types of cancers from all over the world. It will also allow scientists in Australia to develop a library of information to advance scientific discovery and enhance clinical treatment worldwide.
“Our 30th anniversary grant for $10 million is something ACRF is very excited about,” CEO of ACRF, Professor Ian Brown said.
“We knew this amount of money could make a real difference, stimulate new ideas and bring us closer to ending cancer.
“ACRF challenged the Australian cancer research community to propose projects that were bold and that would have a very significant impact on cancer prevention, detection and treatment. The response was tremendous with six very impressive projects submitted.”
In addition, Cancer Institute NSW will be supporting the project by funding a full time researcher at CMRI to operate the new technology.
A further $7 million was shared by the Australian Synchrotron, the John Curtin School of Medical Research, ANU, the Centre for Cancer Biology in South Australia and the University of Queensland, Thoracic Research Centre.
The recipient of the 30th anniversary grant was selected by an international judging panel after a competitive application process.
The four annual grant recipients were selected by the ACRF’s Medical Research Advisory Committee comprising eminent Australian and international cancer researchers and clinicians, chaired by Professor Ian Frazer.