Feeney’s ‘remarkable’ donation will advance the entire field of Australian biomedical research
Resource type: News
Philanthropy UK | [ View Original Source (opens in new window) ]
By Ben Eyre
The biggest private donation to a medical research facility in Australian history has been made by Atlantic Philanthropies, the charitable foundation of media-shy multi-billion-dollar philanthropist Chuck Feeney.
The AU102.5m (£50.8m) donation to scientific research in Queensland, included a record-breaking $50m (£24.8m) grant to the new Translational Research Institute Queensland (TRIQ) to help minimise the time between discovery and clinical implementation of new drugs, the foundation said.
Atlantic also donated $27.5m to the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) to expand their research capacity in areas such as tropical diseases, cancer and genetics. A further $25m grant should help the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) to become a hub for Australia’s emerging green workforce’s needs.
Atlantic’s July donation was a match to the Federal Government funding of $170m (£84.3m,) announced in the Budget on 12th May.
QUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Coaldrake said Atlantic Philanthropies’ continuing generosity underscores the personal commitment of its founder to giving: “The contribution of Chuck Feeney to QUT and the State of Queensland has been nothing short of remarkable.”
Gara LaMarche, President and CEO of the Atlantic Philanthropies, said the grants reflect Chuck Feeney’s long-standing commitment to health care: “These grants in Australia will advance the entire field of biomedical research there to the next level.”
Atlantic Philanthropies has invested more than $170m (£84.3m) in scientific and medical research infrastructure in Queensland during the past 10 years.