Kevin Rudd, the prime minister of Australia, has announced a $250 million funding scheme for health and medical research, to bring research "from the lab to the patient," the Guardian reports. The plan, which is to be announced today, includes $125 million from the Labor government, if it wins the federal elections next month, and matching funds from industry.
"In the 21st century, the next frontier for medicine will be biological medicine, regenerative medicine, and genomics," Rudd says. "Australia can play a leading role in this next frontier like we have in the past with antibiotics and cochlear implants."
The Guardian notes that the Labor party wants to keep the election focused on health, where it polls better than the Coalition.