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Changing timesA change is sweeping through the medical precincts of universities – and its impact is reverberating through the corridors of science, engineering and information technology. The traditional university structures of faculties, departments and schools are being stretched to fit into the new world of multidisciplinary research, commercial partnerships and rapid technological advancement. The new Monash Research Cluster for Biomedicine, based at Clayton campus, has been established so the university’s biomedical researchers can interact more closely with each other and with industry. Research and development will now move more freely across the Monash academic departments of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Pharmacology, Physiology, and Radiography and Medical Imaging. The most dramatic example of how the cluster will work is already evident in the Microscopy and Imaging Research facility. When its director, Dr Ian Harper, arrived at the Faculty of Medicine four years ago, few researchers were using confocal microscopy for their research. Despite its enormous benefit to biomedical science, the equipment was just too expensive. "Obviously, not every lab can afford to have one on their own, but everyone within the cluster at Monash can not only have access to one but also draw on the expertise of other colleagues," Dr Harper says. "The large group of users here means that we have a cross-section of applications." Other early tangible benefits of the cluster arrangement include the radiation science and medical imaging equipment and the DNA and transgenic facilities that are now shared across the biomedical fields. "The whole thrust now is about making partnerships and recognising the synergies that exist between the different areas," says Professor Warwick Anderson, head of the new cluster. "It’s not that we didn't talk before, it’s more a matter of us now actively looking for opportunities to collaborate across disciplines. This is the way forward for any organisation serious about being involved in the biotechnology industry. "It wasn't long ago that a research centre could have 30 active researchers and be a world leader in its field. But today, you need at least five to 10 times that number to really make an impact – to draw in the research funds, to attract the major commercial partners and to get enough people with a sufficient level of expertise across a number of different fields "There is a recognition, too, that we are working in a global environment. We have to compete on a global level or not at all." The Monash Research Cluster for Biomedicine recently received a $2 million grant from the Victorian Government's Science, Technology and Innovation Initiative. In a related development, the Monash Institutes of Health was launched this year, bringing together more than 1000 researchers working both at Monash University and in nearby health and medical organisations. |