Almost $74 million will be spent on three new national Centres of Excellence led by Monash University.

The Victorian institution is celebrating scoring one of the 12 ARC Centres of Excellence announced recently, and it will play a key role in running two others.

The $28 million ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging will be run by by Professor James Whisstock of Monash University’s Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

The centre will develop new imaging technologies for exploring the immune system, hoping to build a better understanding of our built-in defences.

The $26 million ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology will work on therapies for a wide range of diseases, as well as focus on new scientific and social understanding, underpinning advances in bionanotechnology

The $20 million ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function will be led by Professor Gary Egan, also from Monash.

The brain centre will support researchers looking at the how the human brain works. The centre will combine techniques for analysing brain anatomy and physiology with advanced computational techniques, to uncover the new principles of brain function.

The University has received over $5 million in extra funding for existing projects, including the ARC Research Hub for Transforming Australia’s Manufacturing Industry through High Value Additive Manufacturing, and the ARC Research Hub for BioProcessing Advanced Manufacturing.

The university will be thrilled to receive such significant funding packages in a political environment that appears to be turning away from research. It is hoped that such centres will be realised for their benefits in short-term job creation and learning, as well as the potential for mind-boggling breakthroughs.