Victorian workers have started to build Modernaโs breakthrough mRNA vaccine facility in Melbourneโs south-east, supporting hundreds of jobs now and the promise of hundreds more once operations begin.
Backed by the Andrews Labor Government, the cutting-edge facility at Monash Universityโs Clayton campus will turbo-charge the growth of Victoriaโs sovereign mRNA manufacturing industry and is the first to be built by pharmaceutical giant Moderna outside of North America.
Treasurer Tim Pallas joined Commonwealth Minister for Health Mark Butler and representatives from Moderna and Monash University at Clayton today to acknowledge the significance of the development to safeguard the community against future pandemics.
Construction of the facility is expected to be completed in 2024 and will be capable of producing 100 million vaccine doses a year. It will be the first facility of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.
The local mRNA manufacturing capability will provide ready access to COVID-19 booster shots as well as mRNA vaccines for other respiratory viruses such as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
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Construction will support 500 jobs with another 500ย medical manufacturing and researchย roles to be created across Victoriaโs burgeoning biotechnology industry once operational.
Modernaโs major investment in Victoria also includes the establishment of its regional headquarters and regional research centre at Clayton, and a series of research partnerships and fellowships entered into with Victorian medical research institutes.
Melbourne is recognised as a top-three global hub for medical research and innovation, along with Boston and London.
The Clayton facility confirms Victoria as Australiaโs leader in mRNA vaccine and therapeutic development with the ability to manufacture mRNA vaccines in population and pandemic scale quantities, something only previously possible in the United States and Europe.
The Andrews Labor Government has invested $1.3 billion in medical research since 2014 and helped create more than 100,000 direct and indirect full-time jobs in the stateโs biotech sector.
The Government has led the mRNA push in Australia, creating mRNA Victoria which has driven developments also including the announcement in October thatย Pfizer/BioNTech would create its Asia-Pacific mRNA clinical research and development centre in Melbourne.
Victoria is responsible for almost 60 per cent of Australiaโs pharmaceutical exports โ making it our highest value advanced manufactured export.