WESTERN Sydney University's National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM) has welcomed two philanthropic gifts totalling $10 million, the largest in the university's history.
The Blackmore Foundation, Marcus and Caroline Blackmore's personal philanthropic trust, and Australian natural health company Blackmores, are each gifting $5 million to the University.
Western Sydney University Vice-Chancellor Professor Barney Glover (pictured above with Marcus Blackmore) says the gifts will support research and innovation in integrative and complementary medicine, with the gift an example of universities and industry collaborating to drive research.
"Our country has the lowest level of industry-research collaboration in the OECD," says Glover.
"If we want to continue to develop ideas that improve the health and wellbeing of all Australians, as well as generate new jobs and industries, we need to encourage a greater level of private support of higher education research and innovation.
"Australian medical research institutes draw, on average, 30 per cent of their funding from the private sector. This support is essential to fulfilling the Federal Government's agenda to improve university and private industry collaboration to promote research and build upon Australia's Global Innovation Strategy."
NICM director Professor Alan Bensoussan said the gifts would support new PhD scholarships, postdoctoral fellowships, support for international visiting scholars, as well as advancing research translation.
Blackmores chairman Marcus Blackmore said, "As industry leaders, it is our responsibility to invest in integrative and complementary medicine research and to support innovation in this field."
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