Health & Medical Research Building

New Health & Medical
Research Building
Opening 2024

Health & Medical Research Building at Flinders Village

Renowned as innovative and progressive, at Flinders University we know bringing the brightest minds together with industry can change the world. That’s why we’re investing in a new Health and Medical Research Building (HMRB) as the centrepiece of our exciting Flinders Village development.

The HMRB will enable researchers, practitioners and industry partners to work together more closely than ever before, creating a hub of collaboration within southern Adelaide’s own biomedical research precinct.

Located adjacent to Flinders Medical Centre and Flinders Private Hospital, it will be the focal point of research informed by genuine patient need, positioned to make an immediate improvement to people’s health and wellbeing.

Building on more than 50 years of exceptional health and medical teaching and research, the HMRB is a once-in-a-generation initiative that will transform how we understand, diagnose and treat illness.

Due to open in the first quarter of 2024, the HMRB is a defining achievement in Flinders University’s history; a landmark investment in the health and wellbeing of all South Australians and the next step in undertaking research that will change lives and change the world.

HMRB is all about collaboration - between researchers, industry, healthcare professionals and the community. We know that when we come together for a common goal, we will achieve great things and change lives.

That's why we're reaching out to our Flinders community – please join us to support the vital research that will take place within HMRB, so that our researchers can change lives and change the world

Learn how you can help change lives today

Flinders University was established on the lands of the Kaurna nation, with the first University campus, Bedford Park, located on the ancestral body of Ngannu near the significant site, Warriparinga.

In consultation with Uncle Lewis Yarlupurka O’Brien and members of the Cultural Narrative and Indigenous Art Advisory Panel, the HMRB has been designed to reflect Rainbow Yarta (rainbow country) – the multicoloured sand dunes of Kaurna country.

FAST FACTS

Project delivery date, Q1 2024

Accommodates staff from Flinders’ Colleges of Medicine and Public Health and Nursing and Health Sciences.

Located just 50m from the Flinders Medical Centre and Flinders Private Hospital, the facility provides a unique relationship between research, education, clinical expertise and community.

Building

First building in the Flinders Village - 22,000sqm building spanning 10 storeys.

Features state-of-the-art research and staff spaces, seminar area, public spaces and a ground floor cafe.

Jobs

Creating 750 jobs over 2.5 years

Part of a 20,000 strong employment hub ~670 people in the building

Investment

$255million project set to activate the $1.1billion economic value of Flinders Village.

Research

Large investment that supports our research uplift and ambitious growth agenda - we will be a premier University in health and medical research.

Pioneers in health

Flinders has a long, proud history as a pioneer in integrated health. Ours is the first medical school in the nation to be integrated into a public hospital, within a health and education precinct that includes the state’s busiest hospital, educates the majority of the state’s medical workforce and contributes to a substantial proportion of the state’s biomedical research. HMRB will build on Flinders’ reputation as the largest integrated academic hospital campus in South Australia.

Rural and Remote Health

At Flinders University, we believe all Australians should have access to the best in healthcare, regardless of where they live.

Since our founding, we have expanded our footprint across South Australia, through central Australia and into the Top End. Our regional locations give us genuine local insights, informing education and research for local students and those on our metropolitan campuses.

Flinders University Rural and Remote Health SA takes health education out of the classroom and into the community, focussing on the unique needs of regional areas and the value of true collaboration. The program means better outcomes for patients – and for our students.

Flinders’ on-the-ground presence, and our partnerships with other universities, governments and communities, mean we can undertake work that changes lives.

Designed for life

Designed for Life

Health and wellbeing are central to our new Health and Medical Research Building’s mission, reflected in its design and location. Its proximity to Flinders railway station is an incentive to use public transport and provides easy access to our Tonsley and CBD campuses. For those who prefer to travel under their own steam, dedicated end-of-trip facilities and a bike store make commuting or a lunchtime walk a breeze.  

Open indoor spaces will feature greenery and promote natural light and air circulation. Outside, the Indigenous bush medicine garden will be the perfect place for reflection or a quick break. 

The landscaping will connect the University, hospitals and Flinders Station to the HMRB, creating new gateway entrance to Flinders and a walking environment that is streamlined, safe and engaging. A lift at both ends of the building will allow people to move easily from the Village to University Drive, and green spaces will encourage time outside the buildings.

The HMRB is targeting a Platinum rating under WiredScore certification, making us the first medical research institute in the world to receive this rating.

Our building is also aiming for Gold WELL and LEEDS certification for sustainability and wellbeing. Achieving these three certifications together will make the HMRB unique in Australia, and in the world.

Stronger Connections

The HMRB will unlock economic growth through collaborative research and education. Strategic partnerships will strengthen our connections with southern Adelaide, rural South Australia and the Northern Territory, increasing the breadth of SA’s health and medical research network.

Building for the future

Our $255m Health and Medical Research Building incorporates strong sustainable design that embeds it in the beautiful surrounds of our Bedford Park campus. As the flagship building in Flinders Village, the HMRB sets the standard for sustainability across our developments and captures our bold vision for a brighter future.

The HMRB will use 100% renewable electricity, generated by the sun on campus and supported by wind power from a local South Australian wind farm, significantly reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. The design allows for future connection of recycled water to reduce the use of potable water, and we’re targeting 100 per cent waste diversion from landfill during construction. The structure will feature a beautiful and functional façade, orientated to reduce heat load. The façade system also incorporates glazing that rejects 75% of heat from the sun.

With a design that also includes a Climate Change Adaptation Plan to address future climate impacts, HMRB is certainly a building for the future.

Powering Research

We will translate our world-class research into local community healthcare outcomes and support the next generation of local health and medical researchers, as well as showcase Flinders’ research strengths on the world stage.

The HMRB will empower research in priorities areas such as public health, vision science, neuroscience, mental health, ageing, Indigenous health, primary care, gastroenterology, diabetes, chronic disease, maternal and child health, health and social care economics, pain, cancer, cardiovascular health and infection and immunity.

Flinders Village

Seamlessly connected to Flinders University at Tonsley and Flinders in the CBD by the new Flinders train station, HMRB is the first stage and centrepiece of our Flinders Village development – Adelaide’s largest fully integrated education, research and health care precinct.