As a globally recognised health research institute, the Kirby Institute has worked for 40 years to improve the health of people impacted by infectious diseases, responding to the health challenges of the day.
The world continues to face complex infectious disease threats, accelerated by the impacts of climate change, socio-political issues like population growth, inequitable health systems, gender and sexuality discrimination, the increasing threat of coordinated campaigns of misinformation, as well as a volatile global funding environment. This makes the Institute’s mission to provide the evidence base required to prevent, diagnose and treat infectious diseases, with a focus on health equity, more urgent today than ever.
“Kirby 2030 provides the strategic direction of our institute and its work over the next five years, outlining our commitment to conducting high impact research in a rapidly evolving world, and ensuring those findings drive societal impact,” says Kirby Institute Director, Scientia Professor Anthony Kelleher.
The strategic plan is the result of an extensive consultation process with both internal and external stakeholders and was evaluated by an independent scientific committee.
Underpinned by our core values of equity, impact, collaboration, and excellence, the objectives of the plan are laid out under four strategic pillars:
- Excellence and partnership
- Societal impact
- Innovation
- Cultivation
It sets the Kirby Institute on a path to find practical, sustainable, accessible, evidence-based health solutions to current and future infectious disease threats.
“For 40 years, our success has been marked by close community partnerships, productive collaborations, and a broad spectrum of impactful bench-to-community research,” says Prof Kelleher. “It is these relationships that allow us to find new, high-quality, equitable health solutions to prevent and treat diseases we know well, like HIV, viral hepatitis, human papillomavirus (HPV) and sexually transmissible infections, as well as respond to other increasingly challenging infectious disease threats, such as antimicrobial resistance, neglected tropical diseases and novel respiratory pathogens like COVID-19.”
In addition to the strategic pillars that will drive the Kirby Institute’s research over the next five years, the plan also introduces an updated organisational structure, which includes the establishment of an External Advisory Committee, and an External Scientific Advisory Committee.
You can explore Kirby 2030: Strategic Plan 2025-2030 here.