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Australia to lead global push to close the women's health gap

Womens and Infants Research Foundation

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New research institute to attract international scientific leaders to Australia and accelerate breakthroughs in women's health, pregnancy, and early life care 

    Australia to lead global push to close the women's health gap

New research institute to attract international scientific leaders to Australia and accelerate breakthroughs in women's health, pregnancy and early-life care

23 OCTOBER 2026

An ambitious Australian led global research institute will launch today to bring together world-leading scientists, clinicians, universities, hospitals and industry to tackle the most significant health challenges facing women and babies.

The WIRF Global Institute for Women and Babies, established by the Women and Infants Research Foundation (WIRF), will be launched this afternoon at Admiralty House, at an event marking WIRF's 50th anniversary hosted by the Governor-General, Her Excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC, and attended by the Governor of Western Australia.

The Global Institute will position Australia as a globally connected hub for women's and babies' health research, attracting international scientific talent and moving discoveries faster into new treatments and better care.

WIRF Chief Executive Officer Deborah Attard Portughes OAM said the Global Institute represented a significant new ambition for Australian medical research.

“For too long, women's health has been under-researched, underfunded and too often misunderstood. We have an extraordinary opportunity to change that, and Australia can lead the way,” Ms Attard Portughes said.

“We will bring the world's brightest minds together, break down the barriers between research institutions and accelerate discoveries that improve the lives of women and babies, in Australia and around the world.”

A new model for global research

Unlike traditional institutes operating within a single institution, the Global Institute will connect leading researchers across universities, hospitals, research facilities and industry, moving discoveries more rapidly into clinical practice. Building on WIRF's collaborations with institutions in Japan, Singapore and Chile, it will focus on three connected areas:

•     Healthy pregnancy and maternal health: improving pregnancy outcomes and preventing complications.

•     Women's health across the life course: advancing research into conditions including endometriosis, gynaecological cancers, reproductive disease and women's health inequities.

•     Baby and early life health: improving outcomes for newborns and understanding how early development shapes lifelong health.

The Global Institute will begin as a national and international research network, with a permanent innovation centre to follow.

Building on a proven Australian success story

WIRF's preterm birth prevention work contributed to a 10 per cent national reduction in preterm and early births, helping around 4,000 babies each year avoid being born too soon.

WIRF Chief Scientist Professor Matt Kemp said the Global Institute would build on this experience to address health challenges no single researcher or institution could solve alone.

“The scientific opportunities are enormous. By connecting expertise across pregnancy, reproductive health, early development and clinical medicine, we have the potential to make discoveries that fundamentally change how we prevent, diagnose and treat disease,” Professor Kemp said.

An urgent global challenge

Women spend 25 per cent more of their lives in poor health than men. The McKinsey Health Institute and the World Economic Forum estimate that closing the women's health gap could contribute at least US$1 trillion annually to the global economy by 2040. Around 13.4 million babies are born preterm worldwide each year, and conditions such as endometriosis, gynaecological cancers and perinatal mental health disorders affect millions of women.

Building for the next 50 years

WIRF is now working with government, philanthropic and corporate partners to build the Global Institute through a new founding partners program.

“This is about much more than establishing another research institute. It is about building something that will outlast us all - a global community united by one ambition; healthier women, healthier babies, healthier families and a healthier world,” Ms Attard Portughes said.

ENDS

Media contact:

Nicole Moody, 0407 401 077, [email protected]

Jacqui Caldwell, 0434 193 818, [email protected]

 

About us:

About the WIRF Global Institute for Women and Babies

The WIRF Global Institute for Women and Babies is an Australian-led global research institute closing the women's health gap and giving babies the healthiest start in life. Established by the Women and Infants Research Foundation (WIRF), it brings together leading researchers, clinicians, universities, hospitals, industry, philanthropists and communities to turn discoveries into better care for women, babies and families in Australia and around the world.

About the Women and Infants Research Foundation

The Women and Infants Research Foundation (WIRF) is Australia’s only medical research institute dedicated exclusively to improving the health of women and babies. For 50 years, WIRF has translated world-leading research into real-world impact, helping shape clinical practice, inform health policy and improve outcomes for women, babies and families. Its research spans preterm birth prevention, pioneering artificial placenta technology, maternal and newborn health, women’s mental health and gynaecological cancers. Proudly based in Western Australia, WIRF collaborates with international partners to accelerate discoveries and improve health outcomes for families worldwide.

Healthy women. Healthy babies. Healthy families. Find out more

Contact details:

Nicole Moody, 0407 401 077, [email protected]

Jacqui Caldwell, 0434 193 818, [email protected]