Driving south along Blackburn Road in Clayton, Melbourne, Professor Robyn Ward, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise at Monash University and Chair of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee, sees more than an unremarkable stretch of suburban road.
Professor Ward describes it as the gateway to one of the most significant centres of scientific innovation in the Southern Hemisphere, a place whose impact is largely invisible to the public but deeply embedded in modern life.
In an op-ed published in Future Campus, Professor Ward reflects on what lies behind this corridor of historic discovery. Within the Monash Technology Precinct, she notes, breakthroughs that have shaped the world have taken place largely out of public view. This is where IVF technology was pioneered in the 1970s, changing the course of reproductive medicine. It is home to the Australian Synchrotron, where researchers explore matter at the smallest scales, as well as to advanced facilities dedicated to nanofabrication and electron microscopy. Major national organisations and global biotechnology companies operate side by side, forming a dense and powerful ecosystem of discovery and development.
Ward views this concentration of capability as the result of decades of deliberate investment. At its core lies research infrastructure. She describes these as the backbone of modern science, encompassing everything from high-powered microscopes to cleanrooms, biobanks and supercomputers. These are the instruments that allow researchers to see further, measure faster and build technologies that redefine industries.
In her view, much of the progress people take for granted today can be traced back to these capabilities. Advances in medical imaging, vaccines, renewable energy and digital technologies all rely on the kind of infrastructure housed within precincts like Clayton. Ward believes the true story of innovation unfolds behind the scenes, in laboratories and facilities rarely seen by the wider community.
Yet she writes of her increasing concern that this foundation is under threat. Many of the facilities that underpin Melbourne’s research strength are reaching the end of their operational life. Built to last little more than a decade, they now face obsolescence at a time when global competition for scientific leadership is intensifying. Without a clear and coordinated approach to renewal, she warns, the state risks allowing these critical assets to decline.
Ward points out that Melbourne’s status as Australia’s leading knowledge economy was built on strategic decisions made more than twenty years ago. Government co-investment helped establish major facilities and attract talent, laying the groundwork for billions of dollars in research funding and industry investment. The returns, she argues, have been extraordinary, reinforcing the city’s global reputation and economic resilience.
However, she sees a growing imbalance in how this system is being sustained. At the national level, research infrastructure is supported through a collaborative funding model that depends on contributions from both the federal government and the states. While most states have developed clear mechanisms to co-invest and secure their share of funding, Victoria has not kept pace. This gap, in her assessment, creates a real risk that federal investment will increasingly flow elsewhere.
The implications are already becoming visible. Key national facilities operating in Melbourne face significant funding uncertainty, with some preparing to scale back their presence in the state. For Ward, this is not simply a matter of scientific capacity. It carries broader consequences for economic growth, healthcare outcomes and the creation of high-value jobs.
She emphasises that research infrastructure rarely attracts attention or political urgency, yet it underpins much of what drives modern society. It supports innovation, strengthens productivity and enables the development of new industries that shape the future.
Looking ahead, Ward sees a critical moment approaching as the federal government prepares its next national roadmap for research infrastructure investment. This process will guide billions of dollars in funding and set the direction for Australia’s scientific priorities. In her view, it presents both risks and opportunities.
If Victoria wants Melbourne to remain competitive with global innovation centres such as Boston, London and Singapore, she believes a long-term, coordinated strategy is essential. Without it, she says the state risks losing not only funding, but also the ideas, talent and industries that depend on it.