25% Boost in Government Science Funding

Amount: €1.44 billion over four years

Recipient: Luxembourg Universities and Research Agencies

Funder: Luxembourg government

Date Announced: January

The €1.44 billion ($1.71 billion at €0.84 = $1) budget for 2018–2020 represents a 25% increase in funding from the 2014–2017 period. Fifty-three percent of the total will go to the University of Luxembourg, 27% is designated for the country’s public research centers (the Institute of Science and Technology, Institute of Health and Institute of Socio-Economic Research) and the National Research Institute will receive 18%. A €20.5 million ($24.4 million) bonus is available for institutions that excel as part of the EU’s framework program.

Emory University Gift to Fund New Facilities

Amount: $400 million

Recipient: Emory University

Funder: Robert W. Woodruff Foundation

Date Announced: January

The donation will go towards patient care and treatment, as well as clinical research at the University’s soon-to-be-opened Winship Cancer Institute Tower and its Health Sciences Research Building. Research at the Health Sciences Research facility will focus on brain health, cancer, heart and vascular health, immunology and infectious diseases, as well as radiology, biomedical engineering and imaging sciences.

Donation Benefits New and Future Hospital Facilities in Boston

Amount: $100 million

Recipient: Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH), and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH)

Funder: Rob and Karen Hale

Date Announced: January

Each institution will receive $50 million. As a result of the donation, BCH’s new building designed specifically to house researchers alongside doctors working in neuroscience, orthopedic, rheumatology, immunology and musculoskeletal health, has been renamed the Hale Building for Transformative Medicine. A new BWH facility for treating children, currently under construction, will also be renamed in connection with the donation. The 11-floor building is scheduled to open in 2021, according to The Harvard Crimson.

Australia Pledges Money for Cancer Research

Amount: AUD 69 million ($55 million at AUD 1.25 = $1)

Recipient: Australian researchers

Funder: Australian government

Data Announced: January

The Australian government announced that AUD 26 million ($21 million) has been designated for 19 specific programs that are associated with the Medical Research Future Fund’s Rare Cancers, Rare Diseases and Unmet Needs Clinical Trials Program. Participating organizations include the University of New South Wales, the University of Queensland and Monash University. Of the remaining AUD 43 million ($34 million), AUD 33 million ($26 million) will go toward the Fund’s research grants for areas such as rare cancer, rare diseases and unmet needs. The other AUD 10 million ($8 million) will be allocated to government grants for rare cancers and diseases.

Ivy League Medical School to Open Translational Science Institute

Amount: $50 million

Recipient: Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University

Funder: Samuel M. Mencoff

Date Announced: February

The gift will fund the Brown Institute of Translational Science at the University’s Medical School. The donation will be evenly divided between researchers, including funding endowed chairs, and medical research and education. “The groundbreaking research of Brown faculty in the lab can see clinical applications at the bedside of patients in hospitals affiliated with Brown, and then lead to commercial applications,” commented Christina Paxson, president of Brown University.