Life sciences
Queensland has a globally competitive life sciences sector. State Government investment over two decades in research, development and world-class infrastructure is paying dividends. The state is a highly attractive knowledge hub with successes in health, agriculture, the environment and industrial biotechnology utilising the state’s unique biodiversity, outstanding skills and infrastructure.
Key infrastructure and support
Queensland boasts a critical mass of research centres across biotechnology, food and agriculture, health and medical and offers a distinct advantage for conducting clinical trials. Queensland has nine universities including three of Australia’s ten largest universities. Details of the 250 plus centres in Queensland are available by searching the Queensland science capability directory.
The key industry-led organisation, Life Sciences Queensland works closely with and all levels of government providing leadership and growth and promotion opportunities for its 170 member organisations and businesses.
Queensland life sciences

Discover more about Queensland's strengths and investment opportunities in the Queensland life sciences brochure .
Find out why top researchers and industry leaders are saying Queensland is one of the best places in the world for life science research.
Find out why top researchers and industry leaders are saying Queensland is one of the best places in the world for life science research.
View Queensland life sciences video with Chinese subtitles
昆士兰生命科学 – 全球领先”视频(附中文字幕)
Investing or collaborating in Queensland life sciences
There are plenty of exciting opportunities for collaboration or investment with Queensland’s life sciences sector.
Queensland life sciences research centres
Queensland boasts a critical mass of research centres across a range of sectors with over 180 institutes, facilities, research hospitals, precincts, laboratories and other research organisations involved in the life sciences sector.
- Adem Crosby Centre (ACC)
- Advanced Design and Prototyping Technologies Institute (ADAPT)
- Advanced Water Management Centre (AWMC)
- Agriculture and Food Business Unit (AF)
- Animal and Marine Ecology
- Applethorpe Research Facility
- Aus-China Centre for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (ACCTERM)
- Australian Catholic University (ACU)
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics
- Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research
- Australian Centre for Robotic Vision (ACRV)
- Australian Defence Force Malaria and Infectious Disease Institute (ADFMIDI)
- Australian e-Health Research Centre (AEHRC)
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre (AID)
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN)
- Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
- Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention (AISRAP)
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine - Cairns (AITHM)
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine - Townsville (AITHM)
- Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre - Queensland (APCRC-Q)
- Australian Rivers Institute (ARI)
- Australian Tropical Herbarium (ATH)
- Australian Tropical Science and Innovation Precinct (ATSIP)
- Ayr Research Facility
- Banyo Pilot Plant
- BioBank (BB)
- Bond University
- Bowen Research Facility
- Brian Pastures Research Facility
- Bribie Island Research Centre (BIRC)
- Bundaberg Research Facility (BRF)
- Cairns Hospital
- Central Analytical Research Facility (CARF)
- Central Queensland University - Brisbane (CQUniversity)
- Central Queensland University - Bundaberg (CQUniversity)
- Central Queensland University - Cairns (CQUniversity)
- Central Queensland University - Gladstone (CQUniversity)
- Central Queensland University - Mackay (CQUniversity)
- Central Queensland University - Rockhampton (CQUniversity)
- Central Queensland University - Townsville (CQUniversity)
- Centre for Actuarial and Financial Big Data Analytics (CAFBDA)
- Centre for Advanced Imaging (CAI)
- Centre for Agricultural Engineering (CAE)
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy (CABEN)
- Centre for Animal Science (CAS)
- Centre for Children’s Health Research (CCHR)
- Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR)
- Centre for Comprehensive Biomedical Imaging (ACRF-CCBI)
- Centre for Crop Health (CCH)
- Centre for Crop Science (QAAFI CPS)
- Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoralCoE)
- Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions (CEED)
- Centre for Health Research (CHR)
- Centre for Horticultural Science (CHS)
- Centre for Human Factors and Sociotechnical Systems (CHFSS)
- Centre for Immunotherapy and Vaccine Development (QIMR-CIVD)
- Centre for Integrated Preclinical Drug Development (CIPDD)
- Centre for Integrative Legume Research (CILR)
- Centre for Kidney Disease Research (CHSR)
- Centre for Macroalgal Resources and Biotechnology (MACRO)
- Centre for Marine Microbiology and Genetics Research (CMMG)
- Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis (CMM)
- Centre for Molecular Therapeutics (CMT)
- Centre for Nutrition and Food Science (CNAFS)
- Centre for Online Health (COH)
- Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth (StillbirthCRE)
- Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Systems (CSAS)
- Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture (CSTFA)
- Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research - Cairns (TropWATER)
- Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research - Townsville (TropWATER)
- Centre for Urology Research (CUR)
- Centre for Work Organisation and Wellbeing (WOW)
- Clem Jones Research Centre for Regenerative Medicine (CJRCRM)
- Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research (CJCADR)
- Clinical Trials Centre (CTC)
- Coastal Marine Ecosystems Research Centre (CMERC)
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
- Community for Open Antimicrobial Drug Discovery (CO-ADD)
- Compounds Australia
- Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF)
- Department of Environment and Science
- Diamantina Institute (UQDI)
- Ecology Centre
- Ecosciences Precinct (ESP)
- Forensic and Scientific Services (FSS)
- Forest Industries Research Centre
- Gallipoli Medical Research Foundation
- Gatton Research Facility (GRF)
- GeneCology Research Centre (GeneCology)
- Genomics Clinical Trials Centre (GCT)
- Genomics Research Centre (GRC)
- Global Change Institute (GCI)
- Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct
- Gold Coast University Hospital
- Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery (GRIDD)
- Griffith University - Gold Coast (GU)
- Griffith University - Logan (GU)
- Griffith University - Mt Gravatt (GU)
- Griffith University - Nathan (GU)
- Health and Food Sciences Precinct
- Hermitage Research Facility (HRF)
- Heron Island Research Station (HIRS)
- Herston Imaging Research Facility (HIRF)
- Inflammation and Healing Research Cluster (INFLAME)
- Institute for Evidence-Based Healthcare (CREBP)
- Institute for Future Environments (IFE)
- Institute for Glycomics
- Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI)
- Institute of Health and Sport
- Institute for Integrated and Intelligent Systems (IIIS)
- Institute for Life Sciences and the Environment (ILSE)
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB)
- Institute for Resilient Regions (IRR)
- Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR)
- International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health (ILAQH)
- Invasive Plant and Animal Science Unit
- J Bjelke-Petersen Research Facility
- James Cook University - Cairns (JCU)
- James Cook University - Mackay Education Research Centre (JCU)
- James Cook University - Mount Isa Centre for Rural and Remote Health (JCU)
- James Cook University - Thursday Island (JCU)
- James Cook University - Townsville (JCU)
- Jamieson Trauma Institute (JTI)
- Land and Water Business Unit
- Leslie Research Facility (LRC)
- Life Sciences Queensland Ltd (LSQ)
- Mackay Renewable Biocommodities Pilot Plant (MRBPP)
- Mareeba Research Facility
- Maroochy Research Facility
- Mater Research
- Medical Engineering Research Facility (MERF)
- Menzies Health Institute Queensland (MHIQ)
- Moreton Bay Research Station (MBRS)
- The Museum of Tropical Queensland
- Nanomaterials Centre (Nanomac)
- National Biologics Facility - Queensland Node (NBF)
- National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF)
- Northern Fisheries Centre (NFC)
- NURTURE - Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine Group (NURTURE)
- Oceans and Atmosphere
- Pharmacy Australia Centre of Excellence (PACE)
- Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH)
- Protein Expression Facility (PEF)
- QFAB Bioinformatics (QFAB)
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute (QIMR)
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI)
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS)
- Queensland Animal Science Precinct (QASP)
- Queensland Bioscience Precinct (QBP)
- Queensland Brain Institute (QBI)
- Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research - Neurobiology (QCMHR)
- Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research - Psychiatric Genomics (QCMHR)
- Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research - Wacol (QCMHR)
- Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre (QCPRRC)
- Queensland Childrens Hospital (QCH)
- Queensland Cyber Infrastructure Foundation - CQU (QCIF)
- Queensland Cyber Infrastructure Foundation - GU (QCIF)
- Queensland Cyber Infrastructure Foundation - JCU (QCIF)
- Queensland Cyber Infrastructure Foundation - QUT (QCIF)
- Queensland Cyber Infrastructure Foundation - UQ (QCIF)
- Queensland Cyber Infrastructure Foundation - USQ (QCIF)
- Queensland Eye Institute (QEI)
- Queensland Herbarium
- Queensland Museum
- Queensland University of Technology - Gardens Point (QUT)
- Queensland University of Technology - Kelvin Grove (QUT)
- RECOVER Injury Research Centre
- Redden St Research Facility
- Redlands and Queensland Crop Development Facility
- Reef and Rainforest Research Centre (RRRC)
- Research Computing Centre (RCC)
- Research Hub for Advanced Prawn Breeding
- Royal Brisbane and Womens Hospital (RBWH)
- Rural Economies Centre of Excellence (RECoE)
- Salisbury Research Facility
- South Johnstone Research Facility
- Sport Performance Innovation and Knowledge Excellence (SPIKE)
- Spyglass Beef Research Facility
- Sugar Research Australia Limited (SRA)
- Sugar Research Institute (SRI)
- Sunshine Coast Health Institute (SCHI)
- Sunshine Coast Mind and Neuroscience - Thompson Institute (SCMNI)
- Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI)
- The Chemistry Centre
- Townsville University Hospital (TUH)
- Translational Research Institute (TRI)
- The University of Queensland - Gatton (UQ)
- The University of Queensland - Herston (UQ)
- The University of Queensland - St Lucia (UQ)
- University of Southern Queensland - Ipswich (USQ)
- University of Southern Queensland - Springfield (USQ)
- University of Southern Queensland - Toowoomba (USQ)
- University of the Sunshine Coast - Fraser Coast (USC)
- University of the Sunshine Coast - Gympie (USC)
- University of the Sunshine Coast - Sunshine Coast (USC)
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences (SCMB)
- Viertel Cancer Research Centre (CRC)
- Walkamin Research Facility
- Wesley Medical Research - Buderim Private Hospital (WMR)
- Wesley Medical Research - St Andrew's War Memorial Hospital (WMR)
- Wesley Medical Research - St Stephen's Hospital (WMR)
- Wesley Medical Research - Wesley Hospital (WMR)