Artist impression of the Macarthur Medical Research Centre.
Western Sydney University and the Lang Walker founded Walker Group are pleased to announce a strategic partnership that will deliver the highest quality new educational and medical research facilities for south-western Sydney, including a world-class medical research centre for the rapidly-growing Macarthur region.
As part of a broader partnership, Walker Group will deliver Western Sydney University’s new state-of-the-art vertical campus in the Bankstown CBD, which is set to open in 2022 and accommodate up to 12,000 students. The partnership will establish a Lang Walker Professorial Chair in Built Environment to advance innovation and sustainability in the property, design and delivery spaces.
The Lang Walker Family will contribute up to $26 million in philanthropic gifts to the University in order to deliver on the ambitious vision for the Macarthur Medical Research Centre – a dynamic hub for medical education and research that will transform Campbelltown Hospital into an internationally engaged research precinct and foster greater scientific, clinical and industry collaborations.
“The Lang Walker Macarthur Medical Research Centre brings together the expertise and commitment of an unprecedented array of partners committed to the health of the south west, now and over the coming decades,” said Western Sydney University Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Barney Glover AO.
The Lang Walker Macarthur Medical Research Centre’s other foundational partners are the South Western Sydney Local Health District, the Ingham Institute, and UNSW Sydney. The facility will drive research into some of the region’s most pressing health conditions such as diabetes, mental health, Indigenous health, paediatrics and cancer. It will translate research findings so they lead to targeted improvements in patient care, treatments and, very importantly, preventative health.
“My family and I are proud to be able to expand our continued commitment to Medical Research across Sydney, through this partnership with Western Sydney University. Investing in Greater Western Sydney communities is a priority for the Walker Group and builds on the community programs we are already supporting through the newly formed A-League club Macarthur Bulls FC and the Charles Perkins Soccer Academy,” Lang Walker AO, Executive Chairman of Walker Group said.
The new Lang Walker Macarthur Medical Research Centre, and the pending Bankstown CBD campus, come in addition to a Stage 2 development for the University in the Liverpool CBD. Only two years out from the opening of its Ngara Ngura CBD campus, the University is now engaged in advanced planning for its Stage 2 presence in Liverpool. This second facility will significantly upscale its already pronounced teaching and research presence in the CBD More details will be revealed in the New Year.
Welcoming the agreement with the Walker Group, and the Stage 2 Liverpool development, Professor Glover added: “These initiatives focus on the educational, health and wellbeing needs of south-western Sydney. Importantly, they do so, at scale, across an area we’ve designated the ‘Priority Triangle’; specifically, the region broadly encompassing the communities of Campbelltown, Bankstown and Liverpool.
“South Western Sydney is the most rapidly growing region in Australia. By 2036, it will be home to more than 1.5 million people. One in three new NSW residents will live in there. This rapidly growing population will present unique and sometimes complex health challenges. We need to act now if we are to meet those challenges.
“Western Sydney University is well placed to serve this fast-growing population. Working together with our alliance partners, the Macarthur Medical Research Centre is a major new opportunity for the region – a place to grow the health and medical workforce of the future, and a home for the world’s best and brightest researchers to bring together cutting-edge research, clinical expertise and innovation to improve the health and wellbeing of the local communities.”
Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney, Stuart Ayres, said: “The NSW Government fully supports this partnership between Walker Group and Western Sydney University. It will deliver vitally important research, educational and community-embedded outcomes addressing the specific requirements of one the state’s fastest growing regions.”
