A leading children’s cancer and women’s health institute will cease operating independently and cut at least 75 jobs as it is absorbed into Monash University as financial pressures spark alarm across the research sector.
asserted
pressures → lead → sector
The fate of the 66-year-old Hudson Institute of Medical Research will be repeated, sector representatives say, as Victoria’s medical research sector is slowly strangled by years of flat federal and state government funding.
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sector → repeat → funding
The Age can also reveal that the National Ageing Research Institute in Parkville is warning that it is at risk of closing by 2030 unless the funding picture changes.
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picture → reveal → 2030
The 100-year-old Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, considered the jewel in Melbourne’s scientific crown, just restructured from 12 divisions down to four after running an operating deficit of more than $82 million over the past two years.
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Institute → consider → years
In total, the sector’s peak body estimates 10 of Victoria’s 14 independent research institutes will be forced to close by 2030.
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10 → estimate → 2030
“They are just not sustainable any more,” said a Hudson Institute source, speaking on condition of anonymity to detail confidential information.
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source → say → information
“Everyone knew funding was an issue.
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funding → know → ?
I’m not sure too many thought that something so big would happen so soon.
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something → ’m → ?
We are far from the only one considering this type of move.”
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We → consider → move
The Hudson Institute’s research focuses on cancer, inflammation and women’s and newborn health, including endometriosis.
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research → focus → endometriosis
It is a leader in childhood cancer and houses the world’s largest collection of childhood cancer cell lines.
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It → house → lines
Hudson ran back-to-back deficits totalling more than $5 million across the 2024 and 2025 financial years.
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Hudson → run → years
Its revenue has flatlined since 2021.
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revenue → flatline → 2021
The Clayton-based institute’s leadership informed staff about the proposed merger on Thursday, a source with knowledge of the merger but not authorised to speak publicly said, with a consultation period of three weeks.
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source → base → weeks
The institute employs 181 full-time and 90 part-time staff.
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institute → employ → staff
In a joint statement, Hudson and Monash said the institute would be absorbed in the first half of 2027 as part of the university’s Faculty of Medicine.
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institute → say → Medicine
“Monash and Hudson have a strong, longstanding relationship.
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Monash → have → relationship
Building on this foundation, the Hudson Institute board has been considering how to respond to a changing research environment.
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board → build → environment
“This would bring one of Australia’s leading medical research institutes fully into Monash University, strengthening Monash’s own research capability and reach.”
Researchers who have ongoing government grants are secure, while scientists without ongoing funding and professional staff are in a precarious position.
“When it comes to the non-scientific staff, like all the support staff, very few are going [across to Monash].
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few → bring → Monash
Monash does not need another finance team.
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Monash → need → team
It’s a lot of jobs,” said the senior staff member.
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member → ’ → jobs
They estimated at least 75 jobs would be lost “and potentially considerably more”.
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jobs → estimate → ?
Australia’s spending on research and development as a percentage of GDP has been declining for 18 years now, as other advanced economies have stepped up science spending.
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economies → decline → spending
After adjusting for inflation, Australia’s key government funding agency for health research has seen its budget fall every year since 2014.
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budget → adjust → 2014
The bigger problem for Victoria’s 14 independent research institutes, the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes says, is the widening gap between the federal taxpayer grants they receive and the cost of doing research.
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they → say → research
A federal government grant for a cancer research project covers less than half the cost of doing that research.
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grant → cover → research
The rest must mostly be found from philanthropy, commercial activities or state governments.
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rest → find → philanthropy
The state government last year increased support to $47 million a year for the institutes, but for more than a decade before that it was well below the NSW government’s level of support.
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it → increase → support
“If there is no change at federal or state level, 10 of the 14 institutes are forecasted to close their doors by 2030,” said Dr Saraid Billiards, chief executive of the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes.
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Billiards → be → Institutes
Everybody is going through major reform.”
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Everybody → go → reform
Among those 10 is the National Ageing Research Institute, a 50-year-old institute based in Parkville in the heart of Victoria’s biomedical precinct.
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Institute → base → precinct
The institute researches ageing and aged care, and pioneered the model for ageing-related research clinics around the country.
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institute → research → country
It ran deficits in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
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It → run → 2023
“We’re solvent.
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We → ’re → ?
But we’re running deficits year in, year out.
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we → run → deficits
We are not bringing in enough,” said chief executive Professor Tracy Comans.
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Comans → bring → enough
“Without fundamental change in the funding scheme, we can’t continue indefinitely.”
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we → continue → scheme
Comans said the institute was also exploring merger opportunities but such a move would be unlikely to save enough money to allow it to continue operations.
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it → say → operations
The other option would be to fold into a university.
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option → fold → university
“But then you completely lose your independence, and that would be a devastating thing to happen,” said Comans.
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Comans → lose → independence
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
