The expansion of Australia’s preclinical capabilities to regulatory standards of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) offer significant opportunities for the country. Companies now offer contract scale-up and manufacturing services in Australia, mainly for developmental products required for clinical trials.

Australia is home to world renowned national research organisations such as the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and major national research facilities, including the world’s first dedicated proteome centre – the Australian Proteome Analysis Facility (APAF).

Australia also boasts a significant number of world-class medical research institutions, including the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, the Australian Stem Cell Centre, the John Curtin School of Medical Research, the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, the Queensland Institute for Medical Research, the Hanson Institute and the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science.

Nine Australians have been awarded Nobel Prizes for work in medicine or related fields, including Barry Marshall and Robin Warren, in 2005, for their discovery of the causal relationship between the Helicobacter pylori bacterium and gastric ulcers.

Australia is recognised for its contribution towards the discovery of the curative effects of penicillin, the development of the cochlear implant, synthetic Omega 3 fatty acids, and the world's first cervical cancer vaccine.

Nineteen Australian life sciences researchers won international awards in 2007. (Source: Hopper and Thorburn, 2008 BioIndustry Review: Australia and New Zealand)

The new Australian Synchrotron, opened in 2007 is a A$220 million facility that will increase Australia’s scientific and industrial research capacity.