A $20 million donation by businessman Ralph Sarich will help fund a new $360 million research precinct at the Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre in Nedlands.
The donation is the largest philanthropic donation ever made in WA and will boost the development of cures for deadly and chronically debilitating illnesses.
"Mr Sarich can be proud that he has contributed to a new research precinct which will enable more Western Australians to benefit from breakthroughs in treating cancer, heart disease and other major childhood and adult diseases," Health Minister Mr McGinty said.
"Many Western Australians have done extremely well financially in recent years and it is great to see people like Mr Sarich making such an enormous contribution and helping projects like this get off the ground.
"WA has a long and proud tradition of excellence in medical research. We are home to two Nobel medicine laureates and some of Australia's brightest scientific minds. This new research precinct is set to rival the best in the world. I believe it will serve as a beacon attracting the best scientists and researchers from across Australia and beyond to Perth.
"It will be built alongside the existing Lions Eye Institute facility and Perth's new 'super hospital' comprising Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and the planned new children and women's hospitals, ensuring patients benefit from any medical breakthroughs as early as possible," Mr McGinty said.
Director of the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research Professor Peter Klinken said co-location of the facilities offered many advantages.
"The opportunity this precinct presents for the State's researchers and the wider community is extraordinary and will ensure Western Australians are first in line to enjoy the health benefits of world-class medical research breakthroughs made in their own backyard," Professor Klinken said.
