The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity at the University of Melbourne has announced a gift of AU$250 million ($171.5 million) from Geoffrey Cumming to establish a center aimed at providing greater resilience against future pandemics.

The largest philanthropic donation for medical research in Australia’s history will establish the Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics, which is dedicated to the rapid design and testing of new therapeutics and their delivery within months of a pandemic outbreak. According to the institute, an effective pandemic response requires therapeutics for those who contract the disease, but the development of new treatments has traditionally lagged when compared to vaccines. The center will be established in the AU$650 million ($445.6 million) Australian Institute for Infectious Disease, a partnership between the University of Melbourne, the Doherty Institute, and the Burnet Institute co-funded by the Victoria state government.

“The Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics will focus on research in emerging, high potential molecular platforms and computational techniques to develop new therapeutics with unprecedented speed,” said Doherty Institute director Sharon Lewin. “It will provide long-term support for both junior and senior researchers to tackle big and bold ideas.”

“This new global medical research center is conceived as a long-term initiative to provide greater protection for global society against future pandemics,” said Cumming, a Canadian and New Zealand citizen who lives in Melbourne. “It will attract top researchers and scientists from Australia and around the world, on long-term contracts, in a collaborative medical research effort which is designed to enhance global resiliency.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Nicolas)