History

The Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) has a long and prestigious history spanning more than 55 years. QIMR was the brainchild of Dr Edward H Derrick, an early Director of the Queensland State Health Department Laboratory of Microbiology and Pathology. His pioneering research from 1935 onwards into Q fever led to the discovery of the causative rickettsia, Coxiella burnetii.

Derrick's work on Q fever, scrub typhus and leptospirosis made him aware of the need for an institute devoted to full-time research into problems of special importance to northern Australia. It was largely through Derrick's persistence that the Queensland Institute of Medical Research Act was passed by the Queensland Government in 1945.

The first Director of QIMR was Dr Ian M Mackerras, an entomologist, who during World War II was responsible (with others) for much of the malaria control work of the Australian Army. The complementary aims, interests and expertise of Mackerras as Director and Derrick (who succeeded Mackerras as Director in 1961) were to mould the research direction and impact of QIMR for the next 30 years, when it occupied the temporary buildings (previously the US Armed Forces huts) in Victoria Park, opposite what was then the Brisbane General Hospital.

Since this early period the Institute has grown steadily to embrace cancer research and clinical sciences with over 700 scientists and support staff, now housed in two purpose-built research centres, the Bancroft Centre (named after Joseph Bancroft who established medical research in Queensland and Australia in 1867), built in 1990, and the Clive Berghofer Cancer Research Centre, built in 2001 and appropriately equipped for modern molecular research. This world class cancer research and experimental therapy centre includes facilities for cell therapy and recombinant protein and gene therapy development according to Good Manufacturing Practice standards. The centre is named after former Toowoomba Mayor Clive Berghofer, who has made a major philanthropic contribution to this unique facility.

Location
The Queensland Institute of Medical Research is based at the Bancroft Centre, 300 Herston Road, Herston, located on the southern border of the Royal Brisbane Hospital complex. QIMR is adjacent to the Royal Children's Hospital and the University of Queensland Medical School. It has an additional shared state-of-the-art animal research facility at the Herston Medical Research Centre.

The Undami people, who are an offshoot of the Turrbal people, used to live around a series of lagoons that ran from the river along the gully that is now the Inner City Bypass (opposite QIMR) around to the back of Fortitude Valley.

Legal Status
The Institute is a Statutory Body under the Queensland Institute of Medical Research Act (1945) and is answerable to the State Minister for Health. The governing Boards of the Council of The Queensland Institute of Medical Research and the QIMR Trust are subject to the Statutory Bodies Financial Arrangements Act (1982) and Regulations and to the Financial Administration and Audit Act (1977) and Regulations. Thus, the Institute's annual financial statement is audited by the Auditor General of Queensland. The Director, Deputy Director and members of QIMR Council and QIMR Trust are appointed by Governor in Council. Under the Statutory Bodies Financial Arrangements Act, the QIMR Trust and not the QIMR Council has the power to borrow money. Should the QIMR Trust wish to borrow monies they would need to seek approval from the Director-General of Health, the Minister for Health and the State Under-Treasurer.

Governance
QIMR is under the control and management of the QIMR Council. The Governor in Council appoints the chairperson (Sir Bruce Watson) and the Deputy Chairperson (Mr Paul Wright) both elected from the QIMR Council. Appointments are made by the Minister of Health according to the following nominations:

• Chief Health Officer ("official member") & Deputy Chair of Council
• The Chairperson of the QIMR Trust
• Two nominees of the National Health and Medical Research Council
• One nominee of the Senate of The University of Queensland
• One person with expertise in health research
• One medical practitioner with expertise in health research
• One person with expertise in health ethics
• One lawyer
• Two persons with expertise in financial management, business or public administration