Australian Institute for Infectious Disease Plans Melbourne Facility

The Australian Institute for Infectious Disease (AIID) is planning to construct a state-of-the-art translational research facility in the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct. The Doherty Institute, the Burnet Institute, and the University of Melbourne are the founding partners for the AUD$650 million project, which will accommodate over 1,000 scientists, academics, professionals, and public health experts engaged in collaborative discovery. Accelerating the commercialization of new diagnostic tests, vaccines, and therapies, the sustainably designed building will include dedicated space for industry stakeholders as well as convergence zones with shared meeting rooms and amenities. 

The high-containment structure will provide a combination of flexible and specialized PC2 labs, as well as one of the largest PC3 labs in the Southern Hemisphere. Featuring robust environments for disease identification, isolation, and characterization, the AIID will also offer computational labs, drug screening suites, a robotic biobank, and a human infection challenge unit for clinical trials. The project team includes design architect Wardle, Wilson Architects, workplace planner Studio O+A, lab designer Perkins&Will, and lab engineer Wood, with Aurecon as lead engineer and project manager. Construction will commence in 2025.