Moderna has officially launched its new vaccine manufacturing facility at Monash University’s Clayton campus in southeast Melbourne, marking a significant achievement in advancing mRNA vaccine accessibility and promoting medical research and development in Australia.

The Monash Technology Precinct was selected as the site of the Moderna Technology Centre in March 2022 as part of a 10-year strategic partnership between Moderna and the Federal and Victorian governments. It joins a host of world-leading research and technology facilities already established in the precinct, including CSIRO, Australian Synchrotron, Victorian Heart Hospital, and Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication.

The facility is Moderna’s first manufacturing site in the Southern Hemisphere and the first to be built on a university campus. It will have capacity to produce up to 100 million vaccine doses each year during a pandemic, and in endemic periods produce vaccines for COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (subject to regulatory approvals), improving access for Australians.

As part of their partnership, Monash and Moderna have also launched the Monash-Moderna Quantitative Pharmacology Accelerator, focusing on accelerating the development of mRNA medicines through mathematical computer models. As a key partner in Moderna's mRNA Platform Incubator Network, the University enhances the interconnectivity of Australian organisations to advance mRNA medicine research and development.

Monash has also collaborated with the Victorian Government to establish the Monash Centre for Advanced mRNA Medicines Manufacturing and Workforce Training, which educates and trains specialists in mRNA technology and manufacturing.