The Doherty Institute aims to enhance health equity by proactively addressing infectious diseases in the Pacific and Southeast Asia through a new program facilitated by its strategic collaboration with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
The Indo-Pacific Centre for Health Security, part of DFAT, has allocated $12.5 million to the Doherty Institute through its Partnerships for a Healthy Region Initiative. This funding supports five key program areas aimed at enhancing health security across the Asia-Pacific. These initiatives include eLABorate, which focuses on improving laboratory accuracy and biosafety for outbreak response; COMBAT-AMR, addressing antimicrobial resistance threats; BRIDGe, enhancing global resilience to infectious diseases through genomics; HIT3, integrating Hepatitis B into Triple Elimination programs; and SPARKLE, which promotes preparedness in the Asia-Pacific region through knowledge, learning, and engagement.
DFAT's investment will cover a period of three-and-a-half years, during which the Institute will focus on fostering partnerships to strengthen systems, develop the workforce, enhance data-driven decision-making, bolster laboratory capabilities, and improve global emergency readiness across all its programs. Professor Sharon Lewin, Director of the Doherty Institute, expressed gratitude to DFAT for their support, emphasizing that this strategic partnership builds upon previous successful projects like COMBAT-AMR and SPARK.
“Expanding to a broad strategic partnership across the Institute with DFAT will significantly enhance our ability to work with our partners in country to prepare and respond to infectious diseases threats in the region”, said Professor Lewin. Work will commence in July and continue until December 2027.
