Griffith Vice Chancellor and President Professor Carolyn Evans
Manufacturing cell therapies for spinal injuries, malaria vaccine development, and testing medical devices will be the cornerstone of Griffith University’s new Health and Advanced Technology Research and Innovation Centre (HATRIC).
A sod-turning ceremony was held today as construction company ADCO started work in the heart of the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct, with HATRIC due for completion in May 2028.
HATRIC will house cutting-edge projects from Griffith’s Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics (IBG), Advanced Design and Prototyping Technologies Institute (ADaPT), and an expanded Griffith Clinical Trial Unit alongside start-up and scale-up spaces.
Set to strengthen medical research, innovation and commercialisation capabilities, this landmark facility will create a direct pathway from discovery through to industry adoption.
Once complete, HATRIC will:
House purpose-designed cleanrooms for the manufacturing of vaccine and therapeutic investigational technologies for first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trials
Manufacture cell therapies for the Spinal Injury Project
Manufacture whole parasite vaccines for malaria and babesia
Manufacture and early clinical evaluation of investigational vaccine adjuvants discovered and developed through the IBG’s new Vaccine ADD ARC Centre of Research Excellence
House Strep A and COVID projects to develop protein-conjugate and RNA vaccines
Allow overnight stay facilities with extended infusion and pharmacokinetic monitoring capabilities to support clinical trial research
Support expanded Phase I-IV clinical trial capabilities, including precision medicine, gene therapy, and cell therapy research training models for surgery
Enable in situ functional mechanical testing of medical devices
Provide opportunities for hands-on industry-specific training in advanced manufacturing, design and simulation
HATRIC is backed by $25 million from the South East Queensland (SEQ) Innovation Economy Fund, comprised of $12.5 million from each of the Australian and Queensland Governments. The City of Gold Coast is also contributing $10 million.
Quotes attributable to Vice Chancellor and President of Griffith University Professor Carolyn Evans:
“HATRIC brings research, clinical and industry partners together in one connected environment, creating clearer pathways to translate research into real-world impact.
“This is a long-term investment which positions Griffith at the forefront of translational research, connecting research, clinical capability and industry that will benefit the broader community.
“This is not a standalone building but rather a broader ecosystem designed to strengthen partnerships and enable closer connection between discovery and delivery, building on Griffith’s strengths to enhance research capability and reputation.”
Quotes attributable to Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King:
“This project will bring an immediate economic boost to Queensland by supporting local construction workers and providing a major hub for advanced medical research.
“The Australian Government is proud to be funding a facility that will support researchers to fight global diseases and make new medical breakthroughs.”
Quotes attributable to Queensland Acting Minister for Science and Innovation Sam O’Connor:
“HATRIC is a great example of how the SEQ Innovation Economy Fund is supporting projects to help SEQ become a leading innovator in health and biotech.
“Through exciting projects like this, the Crisafulli Government is delivering the vision of the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct and helping to create new jobs and opportunities here in Southport through diversifying our city’s economy.”
Quotes attributable to Queensland Senator Corinne Mulholland:
“By backing projects like HATRIC, the Australian Government is backing local jobs while helping secure the Gold Coast as a world leader in medical science and research.
“The sod tun today is just the start, with HATRIC set to bring long-term benefits not only to the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct, but for the communities that will benefit from their research.”
Quotes attributable to Mayor of the Gold Coast Tom Tate:
“The Gold Coast is fast becoming one of Australia’s leading centres for health, research and innovation, and HATRIC is another major step forward in that journey.
“Our $10 million investment reflects the city’s commitment to creating high-value jobs, attracting global talent and supporting industries that will drive our future economy.
“We are proud to partner with Griffith University and all levels of government to deliver a facility that will help translate world-class research into real-world outcomes for communities here and around the world.”
Dr Nathan Delang
Nutrition strategies for concussion management are being implemented by dietitians to support Australia’s elite collision sport athletes, new Griffith University research has found.
Lead author Dr Nathan Delang interviewed 14 Accredited Sports Dietitians who work across professional AFL, Rugby League, and Rugby Union teams to explore their practices and perspectives relating to concussion management.
“Concussion is so common in contemporary professional collision sports, typically once every three games, so it’s important to ensure optimal support is provided for athletes,” Dr Delang said.
“Most sports dietitians provided nutrition support either before and/or after concussion, with fish oil and creatine monohydrate the most commonly recommended supplements.
“Fish oil and creatine might support concussion recovery through several mechanisms from mitigating excessive neuroinflammation through to enhancing the availability of energy for supporting brain recovery and returning to exercise.
“All dietitians reported a food-first approach as central to recovery with a focus on energy intake, hydration, and healthy eating patterns to help athletes maintain their pre-injury nutrition status.”
Alongside fish oil and creatine, other supplements in use by professional teams included vitamin B2, tart cherry extract, curcumin, and vitamin D.
Professor Ben Desbrow
Professor Ben Desbrow from Griffith’s School of Allied Health, Sport and Social Work said while Australians sports dietitians were already using nutrition as part of concussion care, the practice was advancing faster than the evidence base.
“Practitioners are confident with familiar products, such as creatine, which are often already in use as a physical performance aid,” he said.
“However, they want stronger evidence so they can confidently tailor nutrition advice for complex concussion cases.
“We need stronger clinical research and formal guidelines to support safe, consistent and equitable care for athletes.”
The paper ‘Concussion and nutrition in professional-level collision sports: Perspectives from Australian Sports Dietitians’ has been published in The Journal of Nutrition.
Griffith University athletes and para-athletes delivered an extraordinary 39 medals and broke records across the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, reinforcing the University as a powerhouse of Australian sport.
Griffith Sports College Director Naomi McCarthy OAM PLY
The remarkable result saw Griffith athletes secure 21 gold, six silver, and 12 bronze medals, a score that would place Griffith fourth overall on the Commonwealth Games medal tally if it was a competing nation.
Griffith Sports College Director Naomi McCarthy OAM PLY said the performances were an outstanding result for Griffith athletes who represented Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
“I am thrilled about how Griffith athletes performed at Glasgow,” Ms McCarthy said.
“It was such a wonderful result and there were so many highlights for Griffith including Bachelor of Nursing student Meg Harris who was the Games’ most-decorated medal winner, claiming six gold medals for Australia.
“There was a long list of records broken and historic firsts including Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) and Bachelor of Business student Lachie Kennedy shattering a 23-year-old national record to secure silver in the men’s 100m sprint with a time of 9.85 seconds.
Griffith Alumnus Tom O’Neill-Thorne
“Bachelor of Cyber Security student Torrie Lewis became the first Australian woman to break the 11-second barrier in the women’s 100m sprint.”
Other highlights included Griffith alumnus Cameron McEvoy winning gold in the men’s 50m freestyle and setting a Commonwealth Games record with a time of 20.97 seconds, swimming the entire lap without taking a single breath.
Three-time Paralympian and Griffith alumnus Tom O’Neill-Thorne won gold in the men’s wheelchair 3×3 basketball competition.
Bachelor of Business student Isaac Beacroft became the youngest Commonwealth Games gold champion in the Men’s 10,000m race walk.
Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justicestudent Shayna Jack celebrated her final international competition before retirement by securing two freestyle relay gold medals, a bronze medal in the women’s 100m freestyle, and a bronze medal in the women’s 50m freestyle as part of an Australian podium sweep.
Bachelor of Design student Victoria Belando Nicholson
Griffith University has cut one million single-use plastic items from its food and beverage operations since joining Boomerang Alliance’s Plastic Free Places program in November 2024.
The milestone contributes to Griffith’s target of eliminating single-use plastic across food outlets, catering and non-medical consumables by 2030.
In addition to complying with Queensland’s ban on single-use plastic items such as straws, stirrers, plates, bowls, and cutlery, Griffith is transitioning away from single-use plastic coffee cups and lids, cold beverage cups and lids, water bottles, takeaway containers and lids from key parts of its operations.
PhD candidate Katie Barton-Harvey
The program was driven by Boomerang Alliance Plastic Free Places Coordinator and Solving Plastic Waste Cooperative Research Centre PhD Candidate Katie Barton-Harvey, whose research examined plastic waste solutions.
“Plastic-free solutions can be better for human health, reduce waste to landfill, lower costs for businesses and, importantly, keep plastic out of our environment,” Ms Barton-Harvey said.
“Griffith has demonstrated what is possible when an organisation takes the next step toward sustainability, committing to be Plastic Free by 2030 in its sustainability strategy.
“The journey to be plastic-free takes time and can be achieved through collaboration, commitment and collective efforts.
“Partnering with Boomerang Alliance’s Plastic Free Places built strong, collaborative relationships with their food outlets and industry partners.”
Griffith Environmental Manager Mark Grant
Griffith University Environmental Manager Mark Grant said Griffith was committed to continuous improvement and determined to make a difference.
“Our hospitality outlets were compliant under the Queensland Government Plastic Bans prior to 2024, but we wanted to do more,” Mr Grant said.
Griffith launched the Gold Coast’s first reusable coffee cup swap system, allowing users to borrow a reusable cup from participating cafes and return it to a campus Drop Pod after use.
The cups are then cleaned and reused, helping to reduce single-use cup waste.
“We are proud to be the first organisation on the Gold Coast to implement a reusable coffee cup system and encourage all students, staff and visitors to help make a difference by getting their coffee in a reusable coffee cup,” Mr Grant said.
Chronic gum disease (periodontitis) may worsen bone deterioration in people with osteoporosis by disrupting the microorganisms that support gut health, according to collaborative research between Griffith University and Nanjing University in China.
The study reveals the biological mechanism linking oral inflammation to whole-body bone loss, highlighting the importance of maintaining oral health as part of osteoporosis management, particularly for older adults.
Dental specialist Distinguished Professor Yin Xiao from the School of Medicine and Dentistry said the mechanism for the connection between periodontitis and osteoporosis was previously only observational and not given much attention.
Distinguished Professor Yin Xiao
“Periodontitis doesn’t just disturb oral microbiota, it also affects the gastrointestinal microbiome, impairing gut barrier integrity and elevating systemic inflammation,” Professor Xiao said.
“The findings suggest periodontitis is an under recognised risk factor for people living with osteoporosis.
“Elderly individuals affected by both conditions face substantially higher fracture risk than those with either disease alone.
“Until now, the association between periodontitis and osteoporosis has not been given much attention.
“This research provides evidence of a bidirectional connection, showing how each condition can influence and intensify the other.”
While periodontitis was known to cause bone loss in the jaw, the study demonstrated how oral inflammation may also accelerate bone deterioration throughout the body.
Gut microbiota played a crucial role in regulating systemic bone metabolism, including calcium absorption, inflammatory responses, and endocrine factors involved in bone formation and resorption.
The findings suggested oral health may play a role in systemic bone health, offering a potential avenue for future approaches to patient care.
The study was conducted in ovariectomized mice, which offered a research model of post-menopausal osteoporosis.
The paper ‘Periodontitis aggravates bone loss through gut microbiota alterations in ovariectomized mice’ was published in npj Biofilms Microbiomes.
Griffith Business School’s continued leadership in responsible business education has been recognised on the world stage, with the Griffith MBA awarded the AAA classification, the highest possible rating, in CEO Magazine’s 2026 Green MBA Index.
The accolade places Griffith Business School among a select group worldwide demonstrating exceptional and consistent integration of sustainability across their MBA programs.
The Green MBA Index is an independent, evidence-based assessment that goes beyond reputation, evaluating how deeply sustainability is embedded across five key dimensions: curriculum, experiential learning, research and thought leadership, institutional environment, and graduate pathways. The AAA distinction is reserved for institutions that show strong evidence of impact across every one of these criteria.
Professor Naomi Birdthistle
MBA Director, Professor Naomi Birdthistle, said the recognition reflected years of deliberate work to place sustainability and responsible leadership at the heart of the Griffith MBA experience.
“This AAA rating is a proud moment for our entire MBA community,” Professor Birdthistle said. “It confirms what we have long believed, that preparing effective business leaders and preparing responsible ones are not separate goals, but the same goal. Our students graduate not only with the strategic and commercial skills to lead organisations, but with the judgement to lead them in a way that creates lasting value for society and the planet.”
The Griffith MBA was among the first programs of its kind to build its curriculum around the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, underpinning every course with three core values: responsible leadership, sustainable business practices, and an Asia–Pacific perspective. That foundation has helped the program build a sustained track record of recognition, including first place globally in the Corporate Knights Better World MBA Ranking since 2020 and Tier One status in CEO Magazine’s Global MBA Rankings.
Professor Birdthistle said the AAA rating was the result of contributions from across the Griffith community.
“Achievements like this don’t happen in isolation,” she said. “They’re built by our academic and professional staff who design and deliver a genuine[NB1] values-led curriculum, by students and alumni who take these principles out into their organisations and communities, and by the industry partners who work alongside us to create real-world learning experiences.”
Griffith University is proud to announce Dr Jason Fleming, a pioneer in robotic surgery, has joined the University as the inaugural Garnett Passe and Rodney Williams Chair in Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, and Director of a new Centre of Excellence.
Dr Fleming’s appointment is a joint role with Gold Coast Health, marking a five-year philanthropic partnership with the Passe & Williams Foundation.
Dr Fleming’s role within the Centre of Excellence will focus on delivering high-impact clinical research, medical and surgical training, and hospital-based specialist care.
As a surgeon-scientist, Dr Fleming’s work is centred on improving the precision of treatment selection and delivery across the spectrum of head and neck cancer with an interest in the responsible introduction of innovative surgical and therapeutic approaches.
This includes minimally invasive and robotic techniques, novel treatment platforms, biomarker-informed decision making and immune-based strategies.
As Chair, Dr Fleming will provide visible leadership across research, teaching and clinical translation which will position the University as a national contributor in a highly specialised medical field with philanthropic investment driving institution strength and reputation.
The benefits will reach beyond the higher education sector and to the patient’s bedside as the joint role will see research directly translate into real-world health outcomes with a tangible impact on South East Queensland’s health services.
Dr Fleming said: “There is clear synergy of my ambitions in this role with those of the Passe & Williams Foundation, in supporting early‑career researchers, backing major collaborations, and catalysing translational innovation.”
“I intend to contribute to the Foundation’s mission of keeping Australia (and Aoteroa New Zealand) at the forefront of world clinical and scientific practice, by positioning the Centre as a leading regional hub for ENT surgical science,” he said.
This will be achieved through strong international collaborations, dissemination of research at major national and global conferences, and a commitment to excellence in clinical training and research translation.
Professor Julian Archer, Griffith’s Head of School of Medicine and Dentistry, said Dr Fleming’s appointment was another great opportunity for the University and Gold Coast Health to further impact the patients and communities that we serve together.
“Dr Fleming brings an incredible depth of experience to the University as a Consultant Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgeon at the Liverpool University Hospital’s NHS Foundation in the United Kingdom who has also published more than 50 peer-reviewed publications,” Professor Archer said.
“Our students across the board will greatly benefit from his appointment, especially our Higher Degree Research students and PhD candidates.
“Additionally, Australia’s future health workforce will be in great hands as medical students and surgical trainees learn from Dr Fleming’s expertise.”
Dr Jeanette Pritchard, CEO of Passe & Williams Foundation, said: “We are thrilled with the appointment of Dr Fleming as the inaugural Garnett Passe and Rodney Williams Chair at Griffith.”
“His track record in innovation and commitment to surgeon-scientist career pathways strongly align with our priorities.
“We are confident his leadership will drive significant advances in ENT across the region and beyond.”
Clinical Director for Head, Neck, Oral and Neurosurgery at Gold Coast Health, Dr Jim Hallam, said it will ensure Gold Coast head and neck patients will continue to receive world class care.
“This appointment is the first of its kind outside of an Australian capital city, and a significant step forward in ENT care as demand continues to grow across the region.
“Having someone with the extensive expertise of Dr Fleming step into this inaugural position both acknowledges and reinforces the need for high quality surgical care and training within our Gold Coast healthcare workforce.”
Dr Fleming became the first UK trainee to earn a North American Fellowship at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, one of the world’s busiest head and neck centres where he worked alongside pioneers in their field.
He brought his expertise back to England, becoming a national leader in transoral surgery and the first head and neck surgeon in Europe accredited on the new CE-marked Da Vinci Single Port system.
Professor Silke Meyer
There is an urgent need for better support for older teenagers entering care for the first time, new Griffith University research has found.
Professor Silke Meyer from Griffith’s School of Allied Health, Sport and Social Work conducted a scoping review which examined research on older adolescents aged between 15 – 17 years.
“While there is extensive research on children in care generally, there is very limited evidence specifically dedicated to older teenagers when they enter care for the first time,” Professor Meyer said.
“They are a unique cohort of young people and it is imperative we know more about their characteristics and level of support they need when entering care as they are more likely to display behavioural problems compared with younger cohorts.
“This is often due to cumulative but unaddressed adverse childhood experiences and complex family circumstances.”
The evidence identified revealed high rates of voluntary care entry, including parental relinquishment of care.
Older young people entering care for the first time were more likely to be affected by absent parenting than abuse and neglect in comparison to young children.
Professor Meyer said there was a clear evidence gap with regards to trajectories and support needs for older young people entering care for the first time.
“This cohort and their families are likely to have several touch points with a range of service systems prior to care entry, creating opportunities for earlier, holistic, trauma-informed and child-centred support mechanisms,” she said.
“We need a better understanding of this group of teenagers so we can identify risks earlier which may reduce the likelihood of adolescents needing to enter care later in childhood.
“Additionally, older adolescents can have different experiences and needs than younger children as they are closer to adulthood, and may face unique challenges related to education, mental health, family relationships, housing, and transitioning to independence.
“Ultimately, we need more research to better understand the pathways into care for older teenagers, and hearing from them about their lived experiences, perspectives and support needs.”
The paper ‘Characteristics, circumstances and support needs of older young people entering care for the first time: A scoping review’ has been published in Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal.
Bones preserved in underwater caves offer a rare and powerful window into the past – but until now, researchers have had limited tools to understand how the remains of extinct megafauna and other animals came to be found in their underwater graveyards.
The team dives Kilsby cave. Credit: Steve Trewavas
New research led by Griffith University changes that.
“By analysing animal bones from two underwater cave systems in South Australia, we have revealed how different cave environments leave distinct preservation ‘fingerprints’ on skeletal remains,” said Meg Walker, a PhD Candidate supervised by Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution Director Professor Julien Louys.
“Backed by radiocarbon-dated bones, we tracked how skeletons accumulated and were modified over decades and centuries in underwater caves, then compared them to those buried in dry caves.
“Using a range of methods, from the macro to the micro, we looked at features associated with wet and dry caves.
“Things like spatial distributions of the bones and their surfaces, down to elemental compositions and proteins trapped in ancient cells.”
The results were clear: underwater caves often preserved bones remarkably well, maintaining their structure and surfaces in exquisite detail.
Yet these same environments also left unique chemical and biological traces, shaped by light levels and aquatic life.
PhD Meg Walker inside Engelbrechts cave. Credit Steve Trewavas
Different types of algae and plants grew in cave waters near bright entrances, often on bone surfaces where they left unique signatures.
But in the midnight regions of the caves, where light never reaches and no plants grow, bones stayed pristine.
Bones left in dry caves, by contrast, did not show these signatures, and were instead eaten by land-based bacteria, and marked by plant roots in the form of long grooves.
Ms Walker and the team, including specialist cave divers from the Cave Divers Association of Australia, collected historical animal bones from two underwater caves, Green Waterhole and Gouldens Sinkhole, near Mount Gambier, South Australia.
Native and non-native animals included cows, kangaroos, emus, sheep, pigs, dingoes, rabbits, possums, quolls and swamp rats – some of which may date to the very first European arrival and establishment of the city in the 1840s.
By studying these bones, the researchers hoped to better understand how the fossil remains of extinct megafauna also ended up in these underwater caves, and under what sort of environmental conditions.
“This study has delivered the first framework for interpreting how megafauna fossils formed, survived, and changed in underwater caves,” Ms Walker said.
“It will provide archaeologists and palaeontologists worldwide with a powerful new tool for reconstructing past environments and histories in these challenging conditions.”
Some of the fossil fragments have lain hidden on cave floors for thousands of years. Credit: Steve Trewavas
A new documentary follows the remarkable story of the Ewamian people, Aboriginal Traditional Owners in Northwest Queensland, as they reclaim their connection to Country after generations of displacement and return to create new opportunities for their people.
Filmed over four years, Our Journey: The Story of the Ewamian People at Talaroo came from a long-term collaboration between the Ewamian people, Griffith University, and Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO.
Through LiveLab, Griffith Film School’s student-based production house, a diverse team of emerging filmmakers working for and with Ewamian people and CSIRO, traced the Ewamian journey from colonial times; the pastoral era, gaining native title, coming back to country, establishing the Ewamian Rangers at Talaroo and then building the sustainable Talaroo Hot Springs tourism facility.
Essential additional support for the film project was provided by the North Queensland Land Council and the National Indigenous Australians Agency.
This place has a way of showing off. It shines for you.
Makes you want to know what’s around the corner and what’s over the hill.
Excerpt from Our Journey
Director, Arun Ketsirat
Director, Griffith Film School alumna, Arun Ketsirat, said the film gave viewers a chance to meet fascinating characters and experience moments of Indigenous empowerment and reconciliation.
“This project taught us that documentary making is not only about capturing what happens in front of the camera, it is about relationships, trust and responsibility, especially when you are working with a community whose story carries deep cultural and historical meaning.”
Chairperson for Ewamian Limited during the project, Ken Georgetown, grew up in Brisbane, far from Ewamian Country, after his grandfather’s forcible displacement to the Palm Island Aboriginal Settlement.
Coming to Talaroo was a revelation.
Ken Georgetown, film crew with Ewamian rangers, interviewing on Country
“I came down here to Talaroo and I said ‘wow, look at this!” Mr Georgetown said.
“It was fantastic, it just blew me away and I felt emotional about what my grandfather was taken away from.”
Kristina Fisher, CSIRO Indigenous Research Projects Officer and senior Ewamian woman said CSIRO science had assisted her people to make better decisions on Country, focusing on what could work sustainably for them into the future.
“We want our grandkids and great grandkids to thrive on Country,” Ms Fisher said.
“Having CSIRO science to back up Ewamian environmental management and business development decisions is so important to us.”
Since it opened, Talaroo Hot Springs has welcomed thousands of visitors and continues to support Ewamian employment on Country.
Approximately 25 Griffith Film School students worked in integral roles throughout pre- and post-production as well as shooting at Talaroo.
“The project provided a rare opportunity for several film school students to travel on Country and learn from the Ewamian community as they helped capture their story,” LiveLab Creative Director Associate Professor Richard Fabb said.
Mr Georgetown said the film could reach potential visitors, supporters and investors.
“This film showcases our journey, our assets, and where we want to go in the future,” he said.
Our Journey: The Story of the Ewamian People at Talaroo is available to watch on SBS On Demand
