Career Paths in Biomedical Research

Bryan Williams

MIMR-PHI Institute officially launched in January 2014 with the joining of Monash Institute of Medical Research (MIMR) and Prince Henry’s Institute forming one of the largest institutes in Victoria

• Combines 75 years of research experience • More than 400 leading research experts and postgraduate students• Hosting state-of-the-art research platforms and facilities

Australia’s largest University with an international reputation for innovative health

research

Victoria’s largest public health service providing uniquely integrated care across the entire

lifespan

World-renowned, multidisciplinary medical

research creating excellence in healthcare

MIMR-PHI Institute

MHTP – Translational Research Facility $84M

Monash Children’s Hospital $250M

MHTP Developments

MHTP - Translational Research Facility

• Population• Monash Health (1.5 million people)

• Biobanks

• Victorian Cancer Biobank• Ovarian Cancer Biobank• Prostate Cancer Biobank

• Phase I Cancer Clinical Trials Program

• MHTP Medical Genomics Facility

• MHTP High Content Screening and Microarray

• Monash/MHTP Micro imaging

• Monash Health Flow Core

• Monash/MHTP Bioinformatics Platform

• MIMR-PHI Proteomics Facility

• Monash Animal Research Platform

MHTP Resources

• Australian Synchrotron

• Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication

• CSIRO

• Proteomics Core

• Monash Antibody Technology Facility

• Mouse Gene Targeting Facility

• Monash Biomedical Imaging

• Cancer Therapeutics CRC

• Monash e-Research

South East Melbourne Innovation Precinct

A Career Path in Biomedical Research

PhD University of Otago NZ

Post doc NIMR London UK

Scientist University of Leicester/ICI Joint Lab

Assistant, Associate, Full Professor, Hospital for Sick Children, U of Toronto

Chair Department of Cancer Biology Cleveland ClinicProfessor Department of Genetics CWRU

Director MIMR-PHI Institute of Medical ResearchProfessor Monash University FMNHS

Lesson from this

MOBILITY = CONNECTIONS

Science April 2014

Science April 2014

The Age Sept 20 2014

The Age Sept 20 2014

The Age Sept 20 2014

Science April 2014

Nature 24 July 2014

Nature 24 July 2014

“Canada already spends far less than the OECD average on government R&D – 0.16% of GDP vs. 0.28% of GDP respectively – and has shown an increasing bias towards investing in business enterprises to the neglect of government science and R&D.”

US Biomedical Research

• Unsustainable hypercompetitive system• Imbalance between $ available and growing

scientific community (a Malthusian tradition)• NIH$ 25% less than in 2004 (in real terms)• Great recession of 2008, budget sequestration

2013• A situation of perpetual disequilibrium• Shift to short term thinking• Overvaluation of translational research

Scientific American World View

NTEU concerned by casual staff increase (AFR 8th Sept, 2014)

Research only staff 16% of academic staff in 200223%in 2012Growth is in short term contracts (G of 8 claims university career opportunities were “diversifying” full time teaching makes up ½ of all academic appointments.

Between 2002 and 2012 total full time employment rose 35%. (Academic staff 36% and non-academic staff 35%)

Career Paths in Medical Research in Australia

Limited by

• Short term contracts • Lack of a tenure track system at universities• Few biotech or pharma jobs • Reluctance to move interstate or overseas• Disconnect amongst different fellowship programs• Too many researchers chasing too few opportunities• Burdensome grant application processes (RGMS)• Constant measuring of research performance (ERA)• Short term funding cycles

National Priorities for Medical Research (according to AAMRI)

• Fund the full costs of research• Streamline and open up Govt funding• Attract and retain the best• Fund specialist large scale facilities (NCRIS)• Build globally competitive innovation hubs• Support commercial translation

What about BioPharma as a future career?

Why CSL chose high cost Switzerland over high cost Australia

(Headline page 3 Financial Review Monday 18th August)

Plans to build $500M plant in BernTherapies derived from Australian R&DAustralia not attractive for entrepreneurial manufacturing Not attractive for commercialising intellectual propertyHigh corporate taxHigh labour costsComplex government interactionsHigh standard of living

Solutions?

• Lower the corporate tax rate (18% Swiss cf 30% Aus)

• Establish a patent box tax regime (profits from locally manufactured goods from local patent taxed at less than ½ normal rate)

• Expeditiously manage approvals – needs to be a national imperative to compete

• Free up IP generated by public funded research (eg NewSouth Innovations Easy Access IP)

• Restore Commericial Ready grants

• Introduce SBIR/STTR-Style grant funding

• 5 year 5 million $ partnership (Uni/MRI/Biotech) grants for Innovation (e.g. Callaghan Grants NZ)

• Remove the options tax disadvantage for employees of start ups

• Expand the CRC program

Promote Biotech

Enhancing the Career Prospects in Biomedical Research

•Actively Promote the MRFF

•Next three to four years are critical •Status quo is unsustainable•Universities have to act •Open tenure track positions for mid career researchers•Stop cost shifting research positions to NHMRC/ARC•No new NHMRC Fellowships at Universities

(unless there is a substantial increase in numbersCanada has over 1800 Canada Research Chairs)

Enhancing the Career Prospects in Biomedical Research

•Fund only 4 year overseas CJ Martin fellowship (not 2+2)•Bridge the gap between early career fellowships and senior fellowships•Limit senior fellowships to two 7 year terms•Fund grants for 5-7 years( e.g The Foundation Scheme in Canada 5 years for early career, 7 years for established investigators•Fund investigators (track record) not projects (except for early career researchers)•Separate Public Health-Health Services and Policy Research Funding from Biomedical Research•Introduce the Institute concept in the NHMRC as in Canada and the US

Don’t miss opportunities provided by global financial crises

E.g Pink Batts versus the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the health care reform law, which became law in February 2009.

About $310 million of the $10.4 billion allocated to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was dedicated to advancing scientific discovery.

Science April 2014