A $2 million grant awarded to establish the Queensland Drug Discovery Alliance (QDDA) will align and grow Queensland’s small molecule therapeutic discovery capability under the leadership of Therapeutic Innovation Australia (TIA).

The funding from the Queensland Government’s Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI) will unite and strengthen three flagship Queensland facilities: Compounds Australia (Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics, Griffith University), the Queensland Emory Drug Discovery Initiative (QEDDI, UniQuest), and the Centre for Integrated Preclinical Drug Development (CIPDD, The University of Queensland).

QDDA aims to bridge the gap from basic discovery to clinical development, commercialisation, and market entry, accelerating drug discovery and enabling more effective translation of Queensland’s biomedical research.

The recent funding was awarded through the Research Infrastructure Co-Investment Fund (RICF), which has invested $26.1 million since it was established in 2019 into critical research infrastructure facilities in Queensland.

The funds will be used to employ highly skilled technical staff to sustain the growing demand of biomedical researchers for the critical services and resources provided by the QDDA facilities.

QDDA proposes to be an exemplar of a cross-disciplinary translational workforce, with expertise in chemistry, biology, engineering, and information technology coming together to realise the delivery of critical drug discovery and development capabilities.

By boosting Queensland’s drug discovery pipeline and delivering tailored training and education forums, QDDA will create high-tech, high-value jobs and retain substantial workforce benefits in Queensland.