UQ Centre for Clinical Research

	Profile

The UQ Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR) is a purpose-built $70 million facility that brings together leading clinicians and basic science researchers in state-of-the-art facilities to undertake world-class clinical research. The Centre, developed by UQ in partnership with the Queensland Government and Atlantic Philanthropies, was opened in March 2008 and is designed to bridge the gap between biomedical science and increasingly complex modern patient care.

UQCCR currently hosts 175 research, technical and business development staff, and focuses on patient-orientated research addressing important clinical questions that arise ‘at the patient’s bedside’.
Through this research, UQCCR aims to provide better treatments and outcomes for patients.

UQCCR is initially focusing its research effort on four key areas—

• Cancer, in particular breast, oral and prostate cancers

• Brain and Mental Health including neuroimmunology, neuro-imaging and neuroethics

• Infection and Immunity focussing on bacterial genetics and antibiotic resistant organismsand

• Mothers, Babies and Lifelong Health, which focuses on the links between pregnancy, the fetal and newborn period, to lifelong health, with the goal to improving health outcomes for disorders of pregnancy, fetal growth restriction, and brain injury.

The Centre boasts exceptional research talent and research performance having exceeded its key performance indicators in 2009. UQCCR secured $7.87 million in new competitive grant funding in 2009, the majority of which came from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). This represents an overall success rate of 42% in NHMRC rounds, which is twice the national average. In addition, UQCCR researchers are collaborating on a further $4.1 million in new competitive grants. In 2009, UQCCR researchers published 113 papers, including publications in prestigious high impact journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine. In 2009 the Centre also secured 3 commercial contracts relating to clinical trial studies, which exceeded its annual target.

UQCCR has benefited from outstanding leadership with international researcher, Professor Murray Mitchell appointed the new head of UQCCR in February 2010 after the inaugural Director, Professor Nicholas Fisk became Executive Dean of Health Sciences. In 2009, two UQCCR researchers received awards for their research and teaching; A/Professor David Copland Queensland Tall Poppy Scientist of the Year and Professor Paul Hodges UQ Award for Excellence in Research Higher Degree Supervision. As part of UQCCR’s commitment to train tomorrow’s generation of translational researchers, the centre is home to over 40 full-time Research Higher Degree (RHD) students working in all research themes.

UQCCR is located at Herston alongside the Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital, a 1,000 bed tertiary facility. Co-located at the Herston Campus are Pathology Queensland (diagnostic pathology), the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, the Royal Children's Hospital, UQ’s School of Population Health, and the UQ School of Medicine.

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