Research Australia to Set Up Philanthropy Centre
30 July 2007 at 4:15 pm
Advocacy organisation Research Australia is to embark on a major initiative to attract philanthropic support for health and medical research.
The initiative, funded through a $750,000 grant from the Department of Health and Ageing and a $50,000 grant from the Myer Foundation, will establish the Research Australia Philanthropy Centre in Melbourne.
Research Australia Chief Executive Officer Rebecca James says the project aims to demystify health research and make it easier and more attractive to support.
James says philanthropy can give scientists the freedom to explore serendipitous ideas, help fund risky or niche areas, and potentially to yield big pay-offs.
She says health research has growing appeal to new types of philanthropic investors looking for opportunities to support the frontiers of discovery.
The centre aims to bring together the corporate, finance, research and community sectors to generate partnerships, understanding, and new ways of engaging research and philanthropy.
The average single annual donation to medical research is $77 – well below religious or spiritual organisations which receive an annual donation that averages $529 per donor, international aid and development organisations ($234), arts/cultural associations ($220) and education ($156).
Research Australia is a national alliance of over 190 member and donor organisations with a common mission to make health and medical research a higher national priority.
For more information on Research Australia visit www.researchaustralia.org
