Today, Australian Research Council (ARC) Acting Chief Executive Officer, Dr Richard Johnson, officially launched the ARC Research Hub for Digital Bioprocess Development in Melbourne.
Led by the University of Melbourne, the Research Hub aims to transform biopharmaceutical manufacturing and unlock growth opportunities to establish Australia's international standing and competitiveness in the Biopharma sector.
Dr Johnson said that the ARC Research Hub will establish and strengthen Australian research capacity in digital bioprocessing and undertake collaborative, industry focused research integrating the disciplines of process engineering and artificial intelligence.
"The ARC Digital Bioprocess Development Hub will generate new opportunities across the full biopharma value chain from manufacturers to companies developing new drugs, vaccines and clinical trial materials," Dr Johnson said.
"The research team at the Hub will be conducting 10 projects led by 11 chief investigators across two research themes - Bioprocessing Research and Digital Processing Research - looking at innovative ways to improve the production of protein drugs and lower costs and increase supply for the Australian community."
With an expected 13 PhD students, up to 50 Masters and undergraduate project students, 21 Researchers, and 8 Research Fellows, the ARC Research Hub will train a future-ready workforce skilled in digital and process tools and the analysis of data.
The ARC is investing $5 million over 5 years under the ARC Industrial Transformation Research Program.
